The Long Walk Back

I met him the first day of the IIMB interaction. I thought he was one of the nicer guys. I invaded his computer the night after I gave my AuMale interview to leech Scrubs off his FTP and I thought he was a fantastic guy. Then he egged me on to continue in marketing and joined SNDU a year before me. And I thought, he was a super guy. Then he joined my team and it was like a breath of fresh air and I thought he was an awesome guy.

And then, as we were in Colombo, he got me to the Premadasa for a World Cup Semi Final – My first. And he proved that he was a super rock star. Actually I always knew it. Few people have this kind of a passion for anything. The Coke Tag of Eat Cricket, Sleep Cricket comes true with him. Thanks crazy follower of Little Master. The Manoos should be proud of you.

Anyway, while we were sitting at an awesome place watching the match I suddenly noticed that the walk back to the pavilion was really long and in the TV screen we never get to understand what goes on as one walks back after losing his wicket or as they call it – take the long walk back. It’s beautifully tragic in some ways. A lot of people walk the last walk back. They know they will never be on the 22 yards again and that realization suddenly makes you wonder about the transient nature of the world around us.

The atmosphere was electric. I think the greatest gift a sportsperson gets is to stand in front of a full stadium and hear the National Anthem of the country. It does not matter if the crowd is supporting or opposing you. Both have their charms and can give you the goose bumps beyond imagination.

The drums, the beer, the hairdos, the last ball of Murali on home soil and a wicket. You could not have asked for more. As he says there is always a compelling historical fact somewhere. The Sri Lankan Team has never lost a WC semi final in South Asia that my family has watched on the ground :)

The next day was the Mother of All Matches. India Pakistan in a World Cup Semi final. And interestingly I watched it with the super awesome guy mentioned above (SAG), the super excited boss, the Amaze-ing Lady and a friend from Pakistan (FFP). And as much as I would have liked to be a nice person and be neutral about the match, I don’t think I handled it too well.

Cricket and I have been strange companions ever since that Chemistry Class in Class 9 when our teacher caught hold of me on one of those not so rare occasions when I missed an organic chemistry twister and said, “if Sachin scores a century what’s it with you?” Since then I think I have always put cricket on the backseat if there was something more important. So on the day of the Mother Match, I was actually talking to Sri Lankan kids about their food habits, aspirations, choices and I don’t think I missed the game too much while I was at it.

But then I arrived just after God of Cricket lost his wicket and all hell broke loose from there. SAG and I rocked the entire Cinnamon Lakeside with our constant cheering and just could not be the nice neutral people. It was an India Pak Semi final. Poor FFP- he was outnumbered 2 to 1.

And then the three of us returned back to our rooms. Finally, watching a match which had so much more cricket than politics in it; we had fun all the way. The Long Walk Back takes a new meaning altogether.

But now, it’s time for blood, sweat and blue. The final hurdle is yet to be crossed.

Tear Drop on the Sea

My travels took me to Ceylon a couple of times over the last few months and I have fallen in love with Colombo. It comes as no big surprise given my ability to fall in love with cities. If cities were humans I would have been Casanova reincarnated. But what is not, is not.

Colombo is a beautiful city. Surrounded by the sea, the weather is always pleasant, the beaches are always close by and often you wonder if you would love to spend your life in here.

The city has so much to offer that you need to give it a fair amount of time. But if you are on whirlwind trip you must visit the following. The first on the list is Mount Levinia Hotel. A beautiful colonial house on the beach, famed to be the setting of a Love Story between a British Governor and a local dancer, the hotel has the most peaceful beach with a lovely sea food restaurant. Also the open air restaurant can entice you with its breathtaking view. From the hotel you must head to Odel to do some serious shopping for yourself. Maybe it’s a reincarnation of any Western Mall but you might find it worthwhile to check this out.

However, if you are on the lookout for bargains House of Fashion might just be the place you would love to go though I am yet to figure out if the brands are authentic. Once you are tierd of shopping you must visit the theme restaurant of Cinnamon Grand. Sri Lankan cuisine is bound to blow you away with its rich curries and spicy gravies.

On your way back to the airport you must also visit the Gangaram Temple. One of the most revered Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka, the Gangaram Temple at the heart of a lake is an abode of peace. Like most Buddhist shrines it’s open to everyone every moment of the Night or the Day and whether you believe in God or not, you’ll be able to listen to the silence of your heart once you stand alone inside the temple complex.

With streets lined with trees, the city roads might very well remind you of Bangalore but just be careful while using your credit cards. It is considered one of the highest risk countries amongst the world and if you use your card in Sri Lanka your bank might request you to cancel your card and issue a fresh one.

But such a small glitch apart, you’ll love to go back. Because you know what, you haven’t even started seeing Sri Lanka in all her beauty. I know I will.