An Indian Celebrates the World Cup Triumph

By Parvathy Gopalakrishnan

Some unknown force had taken over me. While the entire nation was on its feet, in reverie, I was silent, jerking, trembling, biting my lips. And then the tears started rolling down. For hundreds of others in the café there, tables had transformed to dance floors. But, I stood rooted to the ground, with inexplicable emotions getting the best of me. I did not scream, I did not pump my fist in the air; I just stood, letting the feeling sink in.

It was the day, I connected to every Indian; the Indian-ness in me, overpowering everything else. While I was still in tears, a girl came up to me and said, “Yes, we’ve won!” And she hugged me so tight that I thought I’d known her for an eternity. That’s the uniting force of this game. And considering that we’ve, as a country, waited for this one day for so long, we deserve every bit of the glory.

No, I wasn’t there at the Wankehde. Nor were a billion others. But the experience was no less than those who made it there. At Mumbai Times Café, Bandra, it was a mini-stadium. Trumpets, drums, tricolours, painted faces, the junta – as volcanic as it could get. Amidst the din, not getting distracted from the game was a tad difficult. But these were the elements that made the experience the way it was.

It seemed that the entire city had poured out on the streets. Processions, people and parties - every vein of Mumbai was bursting with the spirit of oneness. Roads jam-packed, pavements lined with people, celebrities hitting the road without fear- all this and more symolised the homecoming of the Cup.

Ok. We’re the champions. We’ve brought back the glory home. Honoured the legend in the most apt manner. It’s still sinking in. It will take for me to actually believe that all of this is no longer a dream; a dream that had been in the eyes of this crazy nation for 28 long years. The longing to hold that beauty, the belief that this year will be THE year, the rush of emotions, the twinkle in every eye, the inner voice in every Indian that screamed. “Yes, we’ve done it!” – this is what makes us Indian! Proud to belong to the clan!