Of Class and Of Cricket

It's been about three weeks since college began. I can feel the same old bullshit starting up again. The first day back saw a flurry of projects, courtesy of a very pissed off co-ordinator. (Well, 3 to be more precise) It also saw one of the most queer new visiting faculty members to date. This chap named Siddharth teaches English Literature in quite an amusing fashion. Think Tweety in a green shirt and trousers, trying to act like Alex Trebeck. But he seems competent enough, I think.

It seems weird in this second semester. I don't know if it's just me, but this time around things are getting worriedly relaxed around class. No one gives a rat's ass about anything anymore. It's turning into one of those "life goes on..." attitudes for many people in class. This might be partly due to the fact that everyone is still under a vacation hangover, or it could do with the fact that the very first results of this course are due on Monday. And in the eloquent words of Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that!

But things are definitely different this time around. The class seems to want to do a lot more extra curricular shit in college. Some of the women want to put up a stall for Bazaar Day. Some of the guys want to play Cricket for Sports Day. People wore suits and sarees for Tie and Saree Day! Until there was word that it might get canned this year, a lot of the class was up for heading to Pune for Symbiosis Fest-O-Comm this year. This is surprising and amusing for me because:

a) The BMM department of Wilson college never participates in ANY activities regarding the rest of the college.

b) The rest of the college thinks the BMM students are nothing but a bunch of high society stuck up poseurs.

c) The BMM students think that the rest of the college is nothing but a bunch of ghaats and strongly think that it's too biased against them, and hate their age-old fundamental laws.

d) I get to watch these two cold powers fight against each other, holding my ribs with laughter.


It's really funny to see them go at it sometimes! I like not to get involved and enjoy it as a spectator sport. I think the reason it gets wild sometimes is the difference in cultural backgrounds, and of course education levels. I don't take any sides. I've seen both angles. Living out of your trunk of clothes, from location to location in this city kind of gets you to meet different kinds of people. It tends to make you friends with the ghaatiest of ghaats and the snobbiest of snobs and of course the lovely people that lie in the middle. This is an advantage. It’s ten times funnier now!

Coming back to this whole cricket thing. Our class seems to have broken a precedent here. I think we might be the first BMM cricket team (even though it’s only the first years) to participate. Never heard of any others. Let’s get down to brass tacks though. This team sucks. Yes, hold no illusions of any professionalism shown on the field. We’re a bunch of wild animals put together and padded up. By the end of 20 overs, we might well become a bunch of dead wild animals put together and padded up. We might lose or we might even get lucky and win. But I will tell you this. We’re a bunch of players with heart. Each and every one of us, however much we might suck, if we are willing to put our whole effort, a hundred percent performance, we can hold our heads high and walk out of there proud. We’re already champions in my books. Put a slapstick team together who’ve never played with each other, with hardly any experience, and little or no protection or equipment. Sounds crazy, stupid, dangerous doesn’t it…Well it is. That’s the point. We’re like the Lagaan team. All odds against us. The House is most likely going to win. But we aint backing down. This fight is to the end. We’ve already won, mates. All we have to do is do it again.

Darius Mistry