BABA UMAR
In Kashmir, the local press and the national media have always been at loggerheads with each other. And on 29 December they opened up a new battle. Both parties took the clash out of their print and broadcast desks into the city’s SP College turf. They had earlier traded rhetoric of defeating each other in cricket and on the D Day: ‘Play or perish’ was the chant of the day. After the arch rivals are done with the hurdle, and, it is time to toss up a coin to fix on who will bat first.
“Get the coin,” shouts a lenseman working for local press. One of the players from the other camp takes out a dime (Canadian coin) and hands over it to the umpires, as if his salary is deposited in the foreign currency. “Scribes are running short of coins,” mumbles one of the umpire. Within five minutes the umpires are done with their first job of the day.
“Put on the pads,” orders the national media captain to his openers. Everyone knows that each side is playing less for the trophy and more for the pride. “We defeated them in the last match, and today we will teach them a new lesson,” says the local’s team guru confidently, who later doned the commentary cap. The burly long-bearded man, a lenseman by profession, is seen as a sort of spiritual leader in the opposite camp.
“They respect him,” says a National media player. “He’s their mentor.” The national side too has their adviser. They would also seek his blessings before running out there on the pitch. The opening pair is ready in the gears and it’s the time to have a word with their guru who offers dates to his opening players. “Have it and do well there,” he tells them. “We can’t afford to lose today’s game. Mind it,” he warns.
The national media is proud of their voice that transcends across all Indian States. However, the local press team calls themselves as the true voice of Kashmir. And on the cricket pitch both sides would settle scores, using services of their eleven players who would score runs by hitting a small hard leather-covered ball with a bat, and running between two sets of wickets. Both the balls and bats are English made. “Who won’t love to play with English willow?” quips one of the openers while leaving the makeshift dressing room.
It’s the bowling side which dominates the first inning. Scribes from the national side posed a mild score. Though there middle order showed some character in the middle overs but the score was not daunting. Now the first stipulated overs are completed it’s the time to hurdle and discuss strategies. Twenty four men, two separate circles including two gurus, and a swarm of crowd clapping and getting pleasure out of the game. The cricketers disperse and the second inning begins. The ‘spiritual guru’ starts commentary surprisingly after his team’s innings. And the kids would surround him to listen his teasers. “Aur yeh hamara batsman out –nahi huwa!” he taunts the other team as the first catch of the second inning has been dropped. The crowd enjoys and kids around the guru giggle.
The local press openers made it an easygoing. The mild score is chased in 14 overs. The national team loses the match to their counterparts and the crowd is on their toes. Meanwhile VADI channel’s (a regional TV channel) reporting team emerges out from nowhere and starts demanding the score cards from each side. The national side is bruised and equally loath to show their score card. But the local press doesn’t hesitate; after all they have retained the pride. The winning team had her revenge. And VADI got a sports story.
No comments:
Post a Comment