India: Cricket Champion

Cricket, like soccer (aka football to everyone else), is an obsession only known to the rest of the world. Americans neither play nor do they give a shit. And for me, it goes without saying that I was happily not watching the game (I didn't even know what the hell they were doing during the few seconds I passed by the TV set. It kinda looked like baseball with a paddle.) However, being in India last night during their momentous victory over their biggest rival Pakistan to win the Twenty20 World Cup, I couldn't help but feel a little tingly myself. As we went out for ice cream after dinner, it was beyond noticeable and a little eerie that the streets were empty - a very rare occurrence where no cars were honking or trying to run you over and no one was out loitering about. All of India left the office at 5:30pm and was either at home or restaurants intently watching the most exciting game for Indians (and Pakistanis). During what must have been the final seconds of the game, you could hear the silence and then everyone screaming and cheering as if on queue. Then thundering sounds of firecrackers and loud cheers continued to resonate throughout the country for another hour or so. This was the one event that tied the entire nation together. I can only imagine the somber state that India's neighboring country must have been in after losing such a significant game...

Pictures: Taking a cappuccino break with Justin's cousin Shimul at Cafe Coffee Day inside Crosswords (India's version of Starbucks and Borders). Look how they made the foam into the shape of a heart!