India celebrates cricket victory until dawn
It was a victory celebration that kept the whole of Mohali and Chandigarh awake until early morning
Mohali: It was a victory celebration that kept the whole of Mohali and Chandigarh awake until early morning.
Right from outside the stadium, fans were performing the traditional Punjabi 'bhangra' dance.
No one was allowed to pass without dancing for atleast a minute. And so, to get one’s way out of the crowd at the earliest, one had to dance irrespective of whether you were an Indian or a foreigner.
It is hard to describe the joy of the fans in words. Many were seen bursting crackers on the roadside and fireworks lit up the sky.
“Diwali has come seven months early,” remarked a scribe. After the action in front of the stadium, they danced all their way back home refusing to give way to traffic. Traffic police had to intervene and resort to a mild lathi charge, but the youngsters kept teasing them just to get them (police) running towards them. It was undoubtedly midnight madness.
With Bollywood actors Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta and Vivek Oberoi too joining in the victory celebrations, the drama looked more like a scene out for a movie shoot.
Talking about his experience from the airport to the stadium, Oberoi said: “I have never seen so many aircrafts waiting to land on a small air strip. It seems the whole of India has come for the match.”
All around, I could see only smiling faces and most of them dancing unable to contain their joy. The fans reacted as though India had already won the World Cup.
When Harbhajan Singh was asked about the victory, he even candidly admitted, “Frankly, it is like winning the final. When India and Pakistan play each other the pressure is double; so the feeling after winning the match is special.”
Throughout the match, the crowd kept chanting: “Jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega (India win win)" and after the win everyone sang together "India… India".
Youngsters perched themselves on top of cars, and kept shouting: “Bharat mata ki jai, see you in Mumbai" and some were heard singing loudly the "Chak de India" movie song.
As soon as Misbah Ul Haq’s shot landed in the hands of Virat Kohli, the stadium erupted in joy. The entire building shook with screams of joy. Yuvraj Singh had appealed to all fans to sing the national anthem loudly at the start of the match to evoke the patriotic passion. Some fans decided to continue singing after the victory.
With Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani staying in Hotel Taj which is close to the hotel where I stay, police had blocked the road allowing only those staying at Hotel Taj to use the road, and by the time I reached my room it was early morning and time to pack up for Mumbai.
