Every four years, a large part of the world’s attention descends on one nation – for World Cup Football. Tomorrow, the FIFA World Cup actually starts, and as you all know, the first match is in Sao Paulo, where Brazil takes on Croatia. I was on the phone with fellow World Moms Blog editor, Jennifer Burden, and she asked me if India is excited for the World Cup.
My own family has World Cup fever, inspired by my recent trip to Brazil to report on world poverty and environmental issues, but when I think of the whole of India excited about something sport-related, it is really only cricket that comes to mind!
People in India will watch the World Cup games, but it won’t compare to our country’s level of excitement over cricket.
When it comes to sports, India is a cricket-crazy nation.
INDIA.IS.A.COMPLETE.CRICKET-CRAZY.NATION!
Men, women and kids all watch and/or play and/or have favorites and/or conduct mass prayers and/or do just crazy things for the sake of cricket. There is really no end to it!
Sachin Tendulkar, a cricket player, is like a God to everyone in India. And there is absolutely no limits to what people would do for cricket. It is not just a game. Cricket has a very special life and a very special relationship with this country. It cannot even be explained, however, living in India during the cricket season would say it all.
Let me entertain you with a few crazy things that go on in India around cricket…
People color themselves with the tricolor Indian flag. The tricolor theme is not just clothes and caps, but you can find it also in the school premises, in apartments (flats) — theentire nation in is the colors of the Indian flag for the cricket. The celebrations are as intense, if not more, (ok, I have to be honest- it is the most celebrated event) than even Diwali or the Independence Day.
Check out this picture of a school in Western India where the school children are rooting for the Indian cricket team.
And then people just form throngs everywhere during the actual time the game is telecast. Office-goers, housewives, school-children, get together wherever there is a TV and watch. Homeless people watch cricket on the TV sitting on the streets across an electronics shop (or TV shop). No, they aren’t driven away. Because it is cricket season.
Shopkeepers let the customers watch the match from the shop indefinitely
There are common TV viewing holes in villages like the local tea-stalls, community centers, even movie theaters at times, a common TV in the square of the slum. Oh, there is no end to this kind of thing. These pictures to do the job of explaining the craziness cricket causes for the people of India and the rest of sub-continent countries (Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh).
A tea stall hosting the TV viewing of the cricket match to a gathered crowd of the villagers
The slum dwellers watching the cricket match from a local TV-hole in the slums.
This is a mall in Kolkatta where the finals of the match between India and Sri Lanka is viewed.
This is a movies theater in Karachi, Pakistan where cricket is telecast during the cricket season.
So, now coming back to the FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil, all that I would say is that, the temperature is slightly lukewarm in comparison to the fever of the cricket playing nation.
Yes, we do talk a lot about it. But I guess that is about it. And, perhaps, some real football fans would watch it because they are really that – football fans.
By the way, did you catch Brazilian World Mom, Eco Ziva’s, post on the World Cup this week?
So what happens in your country? Is it a football-crazy country too? Or does your country live for some other sport?
Photo credit to the author, The Daily Mail and The Atlantic.
This is an original post to World Moms Blog written by Purnima Ramakrishnan, our Senior Editor from India.
Purnima Ramakrishnan
Purnima Ramakrishnan is an UNCA award winning journalist and the recipient of the fellowship in Journalism by International Reporting Project, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Her International reports from Brazil are found here . She is also the recipient of the BlogHer '13 International Activist Scholarship Award . She is a Senior Editor at World Moms Blog who writes passionately about social and other causes in India. Her parental journey is documented both here at World Moms Blog and also at her personal Blog, The Alchemist's Blog. She can be reached through this page . She also contributes to Huffington Post . Purnima was once a tech-savvy gal who lived in the corporate world of sleek vehicles and their electronics. She has a Master's degree in Electronics Engineering, but after working for 6 years as a Design Engineer, she decided to quit it all to become a Stay-At-Home-Mom to be with her son! This smart mom was born and raised in India, and she has moved to live in coastal India with her husband, who is a physician, and her son who is in primary grade school. She is a practitioner and trainer of Heartfulness Meditation.
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Dear Purnima, it is a strange situation in South Africa because (during apartheid) ONLY “black” people played and supported soccer whilst ONLY the “white” population supported and played rugby and cricket. 🙁
The other thing to consider is that South Africa (like the U.S.) is home to immigrants from all over the world. As Italians, we were obviously going to always support the Italian soccer team, no matter where we lived, and many other European immigrants felt the same way about their native countries’ teams. 🙂
Nelson Mandela was instrumental in bridging the divide when he supported the National Rugby team (the Springboks) during the 1995 Rugby World Cup (which we won that year – this link explains the story a bit better; http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/08/nelson-mandela-francois-pienaar-rugby-world-cup) 🙂
Here the Rugby World Cup is the most important sporting event, but since we hosted the Soccer World Cup in 2010, quite a bit of “soccer fever” has “infected” the general population here too! 🙂
That is very interesting to note, Simona. I wish the next-gen of kids (in India and the world) get interested and play more diverse games and sports.
We got cricket from the English during their colonization of India. The English left, but cricket is here to stay.
In India, we do not give a damn to anything that requires skill.
Football is the game of Gods and we are not fit to be playing that.
I still remember one ex-coach of Indian football saying that India will never play in the World Cup ever unless Cricket is banned.
I disagree with you politely, Praveen. Indians are good in things which requires skill and talent. ISRO is a good example. Chess is another.
And well, to each one, his/her own madness. If some part of the planet likes cricket, some like football, and some others baseball. To each one, his own passion!
I dont want, neother do I foresee cricket being banned. And it is not fair to say that Indians would never qualify in football because of that.
Well, anyway, they are both just sports 🙂
First of all Purnima, its a very nice article. It really brings out the fact that India considers Cricket as Religion. The best part is that there is no reservation for minorities or majorities when it comes to enjoying cricket.
I would also like to add that there is one part of India which worships football equal or sometimes more than cricket. Most people are die hard fan of Brazil and Diego Maradona is considered as God of Football. Yeah, I am talking about the City of Joy “Kolkata”.
When Maradona visited Kolkata in 2008 his left footprint was archived.
And here is a glimpse of the Football Crazy Kolkata:
I think the link was missed above….
http://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cup-2014/news/225452-fifa-world-cup-time-for-idol-worship-in-football-crazy-kolkata
Thanks for reading and commenting Anshuman 🙂
Ohhh!!! Thanks for pointing that out!! Yes, kolkatta is both a cricket and football crazy city!!!
And I am looking at my FB feeds and all Indians who post about football are invariably Bengali speaking friends!! I should have known 😉
Thank you so much for sharing that link!
Belgium is a football mad nation. Especially this year since it is the first time in many many years since we are allowed to participate in the World Cup. Everything is tricolore these days.
Tinne, Good luck to your country, Belgium 🙂