"CHAK DE INDIA !!!," by Vivek Sir '05-07'

People on both sides of the road, people on rooftops, people on walls, people on trees, people braving the rain, people bringing the city to a stop. People cheering any one who passed, people cheering anyone with a tricolor in his hand, people cheering any BEST bus passing, people sending a roar up in the air for just about anything. A cavalcade of bikers with tricolors, a cavalcade of cars with tricolors, a cavalcade of police on bikes, then a van full of dancers and DJ blaring out loud music, and then the open double decker bus with the heroes waving the tricolor. And everyone cheered the T20 world cup winners.

I was the witness to the cliché "India a cricket crazy nation" today. 60% of Mumbai came to a halt as the cricketing heroes of the nation returned from their winning escapades in South Africa. The adulation was something to be seen to be believed. Crores have been raining on these champs since the moment they lifted the coveted trophy. Dhoni and his soldiers have written history and that too against the nations archrivals. And the nation is proud of each one of them.

But what about the other heroes of the nation? Those who lay their lives every time we are up against our archrivals in a game which if lost the price you pay is nothing less than your life. Does anyone even remember these heroes? Leave alone crores, has anyone ever bothered to ask whether their families are getting a decent livelihood?


Wonder why we didn't give the Kargil heroes such a welcome? May be we were busy sulking about the Indian cricket team's performance in the 1999 World Cup.

--
Vivek Singh
Management Trainee
Indian Rayon (Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.)
+91-9833279404