Monday, January 4, 2010

Gully Cricket at 5

GULLY CRICKET AT 5



All of us have at some stage in life been associated with gully cricket, it’s a sport played by the “bad” boys who threaten to beat up smaller kids when they claim their turn to bat and the “good” boys who’ve just about managed to finish their homework and are just still silently sulking about losing that one mark in an arithmetic test while playing. In my opinion, going by what I saw around me, the stereotypical tags of the good kids from the bad vanish as soon as their gully cricket days end. As they graduate from this stage, they move on to either just sitting home and focusing on their respective first person shooter preferences or walking around the same place lecherously looking at girls who were cycling around them say a year back when they were too busy chasing the felt ball wearing shorts. Another thing about gully cricket is that it’s perhaps the only place where the meritorious lot are appreciated. (Ps. We ignore the clichéd “it’s my bat, I’m not out”). Those two hours, these kids mean business; they want the good players on their side, irrespective of the fact that whether the bowler’s dad goes to work in a Merc or on a cycle. As long as he knocks over wickets, it doesn’t matter .Most of these alliances end the moment the interest in the sport is over. A law of human nature, they claim. It’s now that the flashy cell phones and car’s in the driveway matter so what would the star bowler who they treated like a precious gem when kids from the neighboring locality come over for a match have to do with them. He’s long forgotten. Another thing to note nowadays is the fact that, speaking with reference to only cities, the age at which kids lose their ‘innocence’ drops by a month at least annually. This ‘awakening’ of theirs happens quite suddenly and the transition is abrupt and quite noticeable. Also , kids, I should say teens have made a giant leap in terms of social and sexual activities as compared to their counterparts a decade back. I, speaking at a personal level have friends who are seventeen and talk in terms of their gully cricket days as if a lifetime has passed since then. The reason why I choose to talk about cricket(mind you, the kind which involves “COSCO” balls and undulating wickets etched out on the wall of some creepy neighbor whose either bathing her pet mongrels or screaming at urchins who miraculously turn up only in front of her house) is that I figure as my life stands now, if I was allowed to relive any phase of my life, it would most certainly be that. I haven’t exactly been along for long but seemingly have the right to claim that those quite clearly were the least complicated, most fun of the times I’ve had. Then again, if you’re that pathetic kid who doesn’t get picked on a side and people fight over not wanting you in the team , well then….at least grow up and make a lot of money. And I wish you the best of luck at doing that.
Peace
Shantanu Anam

1 comment:

  1. hey mate,remember those days wen we used to play gully cricket @ indraprasthra....gud old days...lol....this reminded me of those days!!!

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