About a year ago on a bright Sunday morning I suddenly realised that my body is in immense pain all over. The mood had turned nervous as the entire body shivered and the heart trembled. The feeling was shattering as the day progressed and my condition deteriorated from bad to worst. The sunken, perhaps defeated feeling had taken over. I did begin the little fight against the condition by chanting self talk and peeping myself up. But, all in vain. As my desperation roused so did my heartbeat. The rising sun and the ticking clock brought tremor and tear on a day which is supposed to be for relaxing, rewinding, and re-gathering strewn thoughts post a hectic weekday schedule.
Such occasion allow us to apply brake and look around our world. I immediately was engrossed with thoughts about present and the future. If at all there is something terribly wrong and if I happen to be affected, what happens to my professional career? How can I afford a monthly EMI? How will my family react? What happens to my marriage? Would my dreams be ever fulfilled? Will my world turn upside down? Is there a way out? And so on... The more I thought the more deadly they puke. As I lay on my bed, I tried to focus on reasons behind such an adverse condition which perchance was looking life threatening. The excessive fats in belly, the non-exercised body, the untimely and unhealthy food consumption, the lack of sound sleep, the immense and unwarranted pressure on brain as well as mind and the most importantly the sheep-herd mentality had come to haunt me all at one time. The worst thing was that I can hardly manage to change things and turn the tide around.
When the present was unbearable and the future looked bleak and as I was about to break up in tears, I could hear a song played somewhere outside my house. I slowly moved closer to the window and realised that the rhythm played was Knaan’s ‘Wavin flag’. The wording ‘I rode the darkness, I came the farthest, among the hardest, survival...” unknowingly took me back to my roots and the upbringing. Those were the days of real life and enthusiasm. The lively beats of the glorious past bring goosebumps even after a long gap of a decade.
As I settled over a pillow, the past days of my childhood began rewinding before my eyes. We were a bunch of friends all bounded by an unknown glue of emotions. After attending the college we would immediately pull up our socks and run towards the playground. Dividing ourselves into two teams we would begin our most beloved game; Cricket and would give our heart out on winning. On holidays we would contest against the rivals from other locations. I happened to captain the cricket team that include a terrific aggressive opening batsman who could whack a sixer on any ball, a champion left hander who could bat throughout and still be available to ball the death overs, an agile fielder who perhaps could fly in air on windy days, a leg spinner who had mesmerised the best in his spinning web, a stylish middle order batsmen who you can depend on to take you across. My team also included a bulky hunk who would keep everyone on toes with his funny pranks. We were a bunch of serious cricketers who had challenged the best teams of our town. The bodies were fit and the hearts were pumping. The Souls were filled with energy and the zeal, is beyond explanation.
During vacations we would climb atop the surrounding hills and would paddle long into the beautiful wilderness. In rains we would assemble to enjoy the game of soccer. Here too the spirits were high to conquer the opposition. We even enjoyed the games like Carrom, Chess and the various board games. Also, an annual gathering of the colony during summers brought smiles as our managerial skills were put to test.
As they say “One of the most important things for a child is to have a happy childhood”, I was fortunate to have lived so. It is what I was banking on during the tough times. The difference was immediately highlighted. That our team has lost touch with each other in chase of climbing the corporate ladder, and that we are deprived of our beloved game. My condition was alike the person who struggles to gasp when he tries to get rid of the cigarette.
Today, due to changing times and due to the multinational culture, we are struggling to fill in the aspect of sports in our life. Even the rising population has immensely put pressure on our playgrounds. They happen to squeeze at a rapid pace. Alias the teens of today are attracted towards the iPods and PS2’s and I seriously think they wouldn’t have any options left to bank on during the tough times.
If you have read this far, my urge and a humble request to the team mates is that to allow the coin to flip again. Perhaps we can enjoy fields on weekends and holidays or we can squeeze our game as the T20’s. The rationale behind the same is to set the ship sailing. May be not with the intensity that once was our hallmark, but with how ever and what ever possible way. We need to rise for our children’s, for our generation and for our nation. Let’s ignite the flame and keep it alive. To quote knaan “We patiently wait, for that fateful day, it’s not far away, but for now we say... When I get older, I will be stronger; they call me freedom, just like a waving flag.....AND THEN IT GOES BACK! …AND THEN IT GOES BACK!! ……AND THEN IT GOES BACK!!!”
