The Sunday afternoon heat did not deter hundreds of fans from gathering on the Marina and Besant Nagar beaches to watch the cricket World Cup final between India and Australia. Giant screens had been arranged at these locations by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and the Greater Chennai Corporation. The result of the low-scoring match, however, took away their excitement.
Guru Krishnakumar, of Ambattur, who came to the Besant Nagar beach, said the match was worth watching on a large screen. “We would usually get together as a large group of friends at one of our homes. One atti [a group of friends] would have 20-30 guys. Since my father is also a fan, we would manage to gather at my house and enjoy matches,” he said.
S. Sathish Kumar, of Porur, who works at an IT company at Sholinganallur and had come as part of team outing, said he and his colleagues stayed on at Besant Nagar to watch the match. “This is a nice spot to watch matches. There is good food available, and with the sea breeze, it is a fun spot. The Corporation should arrange large screens at more locations, like local grounds and parks, for tournaments matches such as IPL. This would motivate more people to take up sports,” he said.
Good response
Corporation Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan said this was done at the suggestion of Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin. “We have had very good response at both locations. Cities all over the world have such spaces for the public to watch matches and music events,” he said.
SDAT Member-Secretary J. Meghanatha Reddy said the large number of people at both locations was very encouraging. “To beat the heat, people were seen bringing bedsheets to sit on the sands,” he said.
At the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation’s drive-in restaurant at Island Grounds, over 250 cars drove in to watch the game on the big screen.
There were people seated in and outside the restaurant. Vidya, who came along with her friend from T. Nagar, said she enjoyed the ambience and the food. She said she had seen the place the last time she had visited Island Grounds.
However, at the Marina, several differently abled people found it difficult to enjoy the match as many people blocked their view by lolling on the rails. “The move to screen the game is welcome. However, had the authorities put up barricades between the screens and the pathway, people in wheelchairs would have been able to enjoy the game. The railing is quite flimsy. Had many people leaned on it, it might have given way...,” said Sathish Kumar, a member of the Disability Rights Alliance. He added that more security persons at the pathway would have helped the wheelchair-bound persons.
