Any given Saturday
8.30 a.m : Guys from the two classes assemble at Ram Mandir (near Rajajinagar entrance). Practise some catching and fielding and if the bully in you was having a good day you might even get a chance to bat.
9 a.m : After collecting Re 1 to the local goonda (paid as protection ... I donno why the fuck we paid him ... shyte we were a bunch of scared kids) and another rupee to Nara ( he got the ball and in the process ripped us off)
10 a.m : After much deliberation, it would be decided that the toss would be a best of five. The toss always crucial.. you had to bat first ... you just had to. The fights over the toss were customary almost our equivalent of the Hakka ... it touched you before hitting the ground... you didn't flip the coin well .... the excuses given to re toss ranged from trivial to deranged.
11 a.m : The match finally starts amid much rowdy like yelling and sledging which would put sailors to shame..
1 p.m : The first innings done ... we would move towards the closest Iyengar bakery to suck on an ice lolly (Re 0.50) while discussing how the first innings had gone and the strategy for the next innings would be built ... its not like we stuck to strategies ... but you just had to discuss them ... smart asses that we were
4 p.m : The match done ... celebrations .. more abuses ... lot more abuses ... treat our selves to a sugar cane juice .. and head to Madhur's house, which was a 2 minute walk from Ram Mandir ...
6 p.m : Reach home .. get yelled at by mom ... for wasting another day ...
Those were the days ... they really were .. carefree .. they were the absolute epitome of carefree ... not a bloody fucking care in the world .. just pure unadulterated cricket ... pure fun ... in fact, they were not at all wasted days ... they are days I cherish ... cricket ... friends ... masti .. abusing ... can't ask for a lot more ..
I can't help smiling everytime I pass by Ram Mandir ... it reminds of me a sort of innocence ...even though we saw some quite ugly incidences there .. I once saw a man getting kicked repeatedly there .. I remember cycling back home like crazy that day ... I was shit scared ...
It also reminds me that almost everyday a little bit of my innocence is lost and how someday I will look back on today and think about how "those were the days" ...
The grass is always greener on your side.
5 comments:
Hey.. no mention of that unforgettable 'six' which made you world famous amongst the school's eighth standard cricketing fraternity?
Humility is a virtue man!!
i think everyone has there "Ram Mandir". There are places in Delhi, which give me goosebumps when i pass by, just because of the many memories i have associated with them.
btw, how come no TC post on this blog ? I thought u loved the place :)
Awesome Stuff..Adi! Like your Ram Mandir, I have many memories associated with Mahalakshmi Layout...where i grew up. Reminds me of the innocence too, that we all lost while growing up. Fighting over TOSS oh man! and then fighting over run outs...bullies...rowdies had to be paid off to play on coveted pitches else you would be relegated to that part of the ground which is a cross between the WACA at Perth and mountaneous terrain..lol
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