In 1983, still a teenager, I made a life-altering choice to join the armed forces. It was the time Kapil’s Devils were battling to make cricketing history by winning the World Cup. Cricket became my refuge, helping me cope with the extreme homesickness, quite common in the early days of a soldier. While the advent of television had propelled the popularity of one-day cricket to dizzy heights, connoisseurs still regarded the shorter format as an aberration. Over the next 30 years, I rarely missed an India game, often crowding into our messhalls to watch the telecast.Watching the matches together with cheers and comments flying around was a wild experience.
In 1987, we were part of a detachment deployed for Operation Brasstacks, India’s largest-ever military exercise. The neighbouring countries positioned troops within firing range, and the world feared they were on the brink of war. However, a surprise visit by the Pakistani dictator Zia-ul-Haq for watching an India-Pakistan Test match swiftly cooled tensions. Cricket ensured a safe return home for us.
In 1999, the ICC World Cup and the Kargil conflict began almost together. My wife and I were making big plans to watch the matches in our military quarters. The moment the long wailing siren sounded that afternoon, I knew it was the call for mobilisation. For the next few months, India fought against Pakistani intruders in the Kargil mountains. My wife was getting her first lesson on what was like to be the spouse of a soldier. She spent her time alone in front of the TV, as I headed for the border.
The summer was long and gruelling, spent in tents, guarding the western frontier anticipating any potential escalation. Nonetheless, cricket continued, with broadcasts from both sides of the border. The Urdu commentary from Radio Pakistan was particularly clear on that part of the border.
Now, as another World Cup unfolds, the world is marred by twin wars. The newspaper’s first page carries grim news from the war front, filled with death and destruction, while the last page is colourful with cricketing images. The elements of suffering, misery, ecstasy and euphoria juxtapose extreme human behaviour in a striking manner.
harichitrakootam@yahoo.com
