Day 102 - India Versus Pakistan

Field Hockey is the national sport of India. Cricket, however, is the national obsession. Today was the final match of the Cricket World Cup. India and Pakistan were left to compete for the cup. India last won the World Cup in 1983. The game beagan at 5:30 PM. As of 5:00, the streets were empty, shops were closed, and nobody was walking about. Every ear was glued to the radio, every eye to the TV. Cheering was strictly divided on religious lines. Muslims for Pakistan, Hindus for India. Excitement and tension were high, to say the least.

We arrived in Jaipur at about 4:30. At halftime of the match, we went out for dinner. We had to giggle a little at the name of the restaurant (Indiana), but the food was excellent. Part of the restaurant's schtick is tradiational Rajasthani dance performances during the meal. This extends to audience participation. As one of the first couples to arrive, I was dragged out onto the dance floor to demonstrate exactly how un-coordinated I really am (very). It was all in good fun though, and we had a lovely time.

Better than the the food though was the ongoing cricket furor. There was a small TV in the service area, and the waitstaff all crowded around, only darting out occasionally to attend to their tables. During moments of intense play, it was better to just be patient, because there was no way anyone was going to be torn away from the game.

It was a close match, and the nervousness in the air was palpable. Every table strained to hear whether there were cheers or moans coming from the kitchen. We made a point of asking the score each time our waiter passed by celebrating of biting our nails with him.

A little after 8PM a big cheer went up, and the waitstaff came streaming back into circulation. India had won! Everyone clapped and the muscians and dancers started a chant-song of India! India! India! We could hear (and occasionally see) fireworks going up all over the city. Traffic noise started up again, with a near constant stream of horn honking. The stream of horns is pretty normal for here, so I'm not sure if they was for victory, or traffic just strting up again since the match had ended, but that is neither here nor there.

The point is that India won its biggest match since 1983. India! India! India! Woooooo!