Cricket!

Cricket. Bollywood. Politics.

The holy trinity in India. We Indians seem to be born with an additional place for emotions for any of the 3. But when all 3 of them come together, you know it's a billion hearts beating as one !
Yesterday's match- the epic semi-final b/w India & Pakistan was just that. You had the perfect recipe for a potboiler. Old cronies who go way back in history. Two strong competitors . Two nations with a lot of baggage and grudges that had but anything to do with sports!

When two country's heads and other political and entertainment heavyweights are sitting at a stadium on a Thursday to watch a match, you can shout out from the rooftops and claim all you want that it was just a match! But are you sure? As sure as Dhoni was when he sent in Nehra to bowl in face of the wrath from millions?

Every time a brilliant run was scored by India, a boundary made or a catch dropped on the other side, you might as well have graduated from Harward. Sachin might as well have been the mythical angel with the halo, you saw in your dreams.

My facebook wall was inundated with ,that included my own ,live updates after every run, every boundary, every wicket and more ! My office had people sitting together in front of the screen through the entire duration of the match in numbers, unity and spirit, I possibly haven't seen on any corporate platform before. After the match at midnight, there were people out on the roads carrying and waving Indian flags , peeking into random cars and congratulating strangers, shouting out Indian slogans and even breaking into a lil gig,bang in the middle of the traffic! The bonhomie was electric! You think your million " Billion citizens.One nation " slogans could ever do that?
Hell, my neighbours who might as well have been invisible all these days, were out celebrating in the society!

You know this is not just cricket. It's the blood that binds a billion odd people together. To hell with what colour it is. All I know is that 1/3rd of the world's population is in for history on Saturday!

Goooooooooo India!