The Tangent in my Circle of Life

What chance do I stand of not being engulfed by the madness around me?
Nothing at all.In a nation of cricketing fans and fanatics, singular voices of dissent like mine are silenced and thrown out in disgust.One gets treated like a pariah.....so if you can't beat 'em join 'em... thought I.
My family was berserk that India had entered the finals of the World Cup.India was bleeding blue.The euphoria was enthusisatic and for the first time in my life I agreed to witness a full cricket match.
My association with cricket has been minimal.Content with hearing the final scores or just about knowing who defeated whom this game had not entered the circle of my life.But now it was threatening my existence.If I needed to survive in my own house I better know the game.If I needed to sustain office gossip , then I needed to know the game more than what Kalpana or Radhika were doing in their lives. No one discussed anything but cricket.I could not have any conversation with anyone if I didnt know what happened in the ground the previous evening.
So all armed to meet up to this latest challenge in my life and keep myself in sync with this crazy cricket world I decided to go and witness an entire cricket match.
Of course I would have loved an outing with the entire family,roaming the seasides,building sand castles,the bhelpuri on the beach and some leisurely dinner after all this.But then I would have been the only one doing that ...
I found myself on the 2nd of April 2011 in a theatre( Wankhede tickets were out of the question..so the next best was a huge screen)all set to watch the match.I too dressed in blue and even wore sports shoes to feel like a sportperson!!!!!

Well the match began . Three maidens and the audience was going wild..... as long as the Lankans were not scoring it was good for me.The pace was steady.The afternoon was heavy .It was siesta time.My eyelids drooped and I had a nice snooze in the cozy ac theatre all fragrant with popcorn and samosas.
'how can you sleep....Why did I miss something?' Maleha was still playing and the other guy( can't remember the name) he too was there before I had drifted into dreamland.
All seemed quite and still.So I quite didn't think I missed anything...
And for the rest of the day I lost my husband to the guy sitting next to him.They conversed animatedly..laughed over the fact that Maleha would be Sreesanth's captain in the next IPL and passionately discussed every ball thrown.
Finally it was half time.
God above would I survive the next half?????
India started batting.Sachin and Sehwag on the field.What more did India want?I dont know But I would have loved a nice blanket and some hot tea.

The audience was in a frenzy when the first ball left the bowler's hand.Six,six,six........and....................oh ok..no run...
Loud cries of "Its ok Sehwag...take it easy...." Of course Sehwag heard them.He just needed advice from these guys,right ...I thought .Once again there was a frenzied rush and people began to scream six,six siiiiiiixxxxxx and then ........OUT.The hall fell silent .Sehwag went back on a ZERO.The hall was quiet.I could hear a two hundred and ninety nine hearts beat in tandem and then I felt mine too go the same way...the audience was mourning.Was my heart too? I wondered? Then again Sachin went out for an 18.They all cried.With God out would the mortals be able to do anything?
Every time there was a ,four people began dancing
Every time Gambhir gimmicked people nearly had heart attacks.Why Why does he do this?Young blood that he is...Gambhir play slow...they screamed....
I was hungry, stiff and tired..
I looked around and found no supporters.No one cared for food ,water or anything else...The enthusiasm was of course infectious .When the young guns turned the match around I too had started rooting for them.I clapped loudly when Dhoni rocked.. and then when the final six exploded on screen the hall was a volcano.
What was simmering till then erupted now....
People were all over the streets.The Indian flag flew high.
The skies exploded in a multitude of colours.Impromptu rallies were the order of the night.With a long weekend in Mumbai,the party had just begun

And as for me,the madness is still beyond comprehesnion.Cricket still is a tangent in my circle of life.I am content with knowing that India has won.