We may like to deceive us into thinking that the canvas of sports is limited merely to 'games'; nothing more, nothing less. But this is a sheer understatement! All around the world, sports fields have been transformed into battle fields. The wars that were previously fought at the borders have been shifted to the play grounds. People are ready to give up life or death for the sake of winning. Without dwelling into formal details, I'll skip directly to the day of THE match. 30th March, 2011, was the day, when the dispersed beads of a mala were eventually inter weaved along the same string. The anticipation of this day re-kindled life into the carcass of a rather mundane society. The society that is used to of corrupt politics, aggrandizing inflation and bad news only. It was the day when Pakistan cricket team had to come face-to-face with arch rival India in a cricketing battlefield , competing for a place in the World Cup grand finale 2011. Cricket fever stretched across the entire nation like an epidemic. A sense of unity bonded the variant genres of people, penetrating through various strata of the society. The OMG struck 'burger' brand, the festive 'bun kabab' family and the richest and the poorest; all gathered on a single platform, on the same time and for the same reason. For the first time, Pathans did not differ from Punjabis, or Punjabis from Balochis; as they all rooted for Pakistan's victory. For the first time, Peshawar didn't have to march to a different drummer to step one ahead from the rest of the nation. And for the first time, the entire nation had tuned into the same channel, tinted with the hues of unifying green. There was enthusiasm and happiness in the air. It seemed as if every Pakistani had suddenly found a reason to live. The streets reverberated with the screams of excitement each down an Indian player took to home and a mutual 'Owww' hummed across the neighborhood each time Pakistan suffered through a blow. It was magical! As this piece is being written, I can already sense a slight acceleration in my heart-beat. Yes! I loved the vivacity that surrounded us all, the frenzy that had put the heart-beats of millions of Pakistanis in sync and a sudden bolt of energy that made us forget all our miseries,at least for sometime. Sometimes it is not the destination, but the journey that matters the most. To us, World Cup 2011 exemplifies just the same. Even though the loss camouflaged much of the excitement, yet this episode of awe and ecstasy shall never be forgotten. We couldn't re-write history, but we sure made one!
The match ignited people's otherwise turned cold patriotism for Pakistan. Among all the days spent in cursing the inadequacies of Pakistan, it was the day for the revival of vows, to Pakistan. It was the day when people nurtured pure emotions for their fellow-Pakistanis. Which single event in the past was able to achieve all this? Needless to say 'none'. Pakistan may have failed at the match but they didn't fail at the spirit of the match. Hence, the mission has been achieved!
It is often said that worldly love is selfish. For the most part, it might be. But it is hard to label what, we as a nation, felt for the Green Team, that day.As for me, I wanted them to win; to win for Pakistan, for themselves and, for myself! Why, What, For myself? Does it make sense? I hardly care even if it doesn't. Sometimes, we love someone hard enough just in the effort of loving ourselves. Sometimes we feel inclined to protect someone desperately ignorant of the fact that somewhere down the line, it is for ourselves, that we seek protection. Sometimes we find the meaning of our life in others' life. And sometimes we live our lost dreams in the realization of others' dreams. And ladies and gentlemen, WC 2011 semi-final between Pakistan and India was my that 'sometime'. I wanted them to win to compensate for all my defeats, to re-write history which I couldn't write for myself, to charge up the adrenaline rush that I couldn't and to realize that one big dream, which continues to be just a dream for me! Yes! I wanted them to WIN in return for all my losses. But as they lost, I don't feel lost once again! Because they lost with dignity and grace. And I feel graceful! If Shahid Afridi can pat Tendulkar's back after his four times escape from a walk back to pavilion, if he can keep his cool amid all the misfields and still, manages to face the world and 'apologize' to the entire nation for the bad-luck of his team, all I feel is INSPIRATION! The Green Team reminded me of the 12 year old me, who was a cricket fanatic and celebrated each and every moment of th 1999 world cup (spare the final :D) with equivalent vigor. The once me, who had all her arms open, to embrace the world. They reminded me of the wild excitement that gave me high and of the reserves of energy, I still happen to own. Hence, I go back to life and live the inspiration; my team, my captain has lent me. Defeat is as much as a part of the game, as winning, and who would know it better than me? This is another aspect which makes the Green Team most relatable to me. For what it is worth, I'll let the journey matter to me the most than the destination. Thank You Almighty Allah for having us have this episode, for bonding us this way and for giving us a reason to smile. Don't you feel, our lives got a wee bit spicier?
