THE GAME OF CRICKET - A GREAT SOCIAL GALVANISER AND A BRIDGE FOR BETTER INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING

 THE GAME OF CRICKET - A GREAT SOCIAL GALVANISER AND A BRIDGE FOR BETTER INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING

Cricket, in particular it’s World Cup Tournament, has come to acquire great strengths in the South Asian (Indian) Subcontinent and in other Cricket playing nations like UK, Australia & Newzealand, South Africa & Zimbabwe, the West Indies (a collection of island nations in the Carribean in Central America), etc. This game, like many other international sports brings together entire nations and plays the pivotal role of social integration and soothes the various types of disturbances which creeps in the minds of the people from time to time, setting in the tone and temper of unity of society, common focus towards a cause and ultimately leads to the dissolution of individualities into the Great Collective Ocean.

Today is 2^nd April, 2011 about 10:45 PM, the Indian team has just won the World Cup Cricket Tournament. We at Ahmedabad are witnessing unprecedented scenes. Streets are full of cars, scooters and other vehicles. People are pouring in to celebrate the Victory. Skies are resounding with Victory Sounds, people are shouting various slogans such as ‘Jeet Gaya Bhai Jeet Gaya, Apna India Jeet Gaya’ (Our India Has won (the match)), ‘Bharat Mata Kee Jai’, ‘Vande Matram’, and so on. There are massive fireworks and crackers in the skies. The victory sounds, the fireworks and the celebrations continue for hours together. Celebrations refuse to calm down even in the early morning hours of the next day.

These celebrations signify the importance of Cricket as the sports which has unified masses, classes and all types of people, cutting across social and by enlarge communal lines. Cricket, has indeed, unified India all the more, emotionally. The people across the length and breadth of the country, in villages, towns, cities and Metropolitan Regions, have forgotten their individual sorrows, their family disputes, the day to day complexities of life to merge into something which is enthusing, energizing and which boosts the confidence of the nation as a whole. This game is like the common thread which makes the people bound to each other. It is also the stress reliever, the mass entertainer of the nation. It is as if this nation of over 121 crore people undertakes a mission to achieve something gigantic and vests all responsibility in those 11 men in blue, and then completely unites in the prayers and wishes of victory for those 11 men. It is a mass movement, nothing short of a Revolution.

Cricket is a also a great platform for competition among nations, but in a manner which is highly just, democratic, completely peaceful and the countries are at equal terms with each other. Two countries will be judged by the performances of their respective teams and not by the size of their army or their nuclear stockpile, as is the case in the Medievalistic or Neo-Medievalistic mindset of warfare and arms race. In other words, cricket like any other sports is the big leveler, All have equal chances of winning provided they are talented and have worked hard for their victory.

In cricket, we are seeing the slow but steady rise of small nations (or nations which have started playing only recently). This is quite evident from the semi-stellar performance shown by teams like Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, etc at least on some occasions in this world Cup. Cricket establishes perfect democracy between nations and makes it possible for even the smallest nation to beat the strongest nation, thereby establishing a perfect International Eagalatarianism.  

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