3027) Did You Know Series (85): Recalling India's victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the celebrations when I was posted on my first Branch training at State Bank of India, Bareilly as a Probationay Officer:
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The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has begun from October 5 with defending champion England taking on previous runner-up New Zealand in Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India is set to open its campaign against Australia in Chennai three days later on October 8.
This is a recollection of when India beat the fancied West Indies to lift the Cricket World Cup in 1983.
I had joined the State Bank of India in December 1982 and was on my first branch training at SBI Bareilly Branch as a Probationary Officer. We were following the all the World Cup matches on the radio/transistors as there was no television, which was just being introduced as a luxury brand.
We were very excited when we found out that India had reached the finals and was up against the fancied West Indies team, which had dreaded bowlers, all-rounders and batsmen in its line-up. Nevertheless, somehow after a lot of permutations and computations we knew that our team was going to win the final.
We were staying in a hotel, I think it was called T-Rose where the Hotel owner had some 8-10 single seater rooms at the back of his hotel, which he gave out on rent to us for a "princely sum" of Rs. 200/- per month (in those days).
Nevertheless, on the day of the match itself, my friend Gurmeet Singh from Ambala who was very friendly with Wine shop owner's son opposite the hotel, got him to promise free liquor to Gurmeet and all of us in celebration of the forthcoming Indian victory.
Although most of the names of my friends in the hotel are lost in the mists of time, I remember Jamal and Negi only apart from Gurmeet.
So, on the evening of the 25th of June 1923, a huge tub was arranged for. All the wine, whisky, tequila, rum bottles which Gurmeet could lay hands on were there in our hotel and being poured into the huge tub. It was the "headiest cocktail that was ever made".
Now a committee of the "Indian victory fan club" decided on two conditions - one that instead of glasses, only mugs will be used for the drinks and two, every time a West Indian wicket fell, all of us would have to go in for a second mugful of drink.
In other words, as logically there would be 10 West Indian wickets tumbling, we would all go in for 10 mugfuls of this heady drink. Never mind if we got dead drunk in the process. Also, there was a third condition that every time a wicket fell we would greet it with a loud cheer - one that could be heard all over the neighbourhood.
The hotel owner brought his radio which was turned on at full volume. Some of the other guests also joined in our party.
The West Indies wicket began to tumble, with loud cheers from all of us, the mugs were filled again. I think after the fourth drink all of us were quite sozzled.
Around the time the ninth wicket fell, a sub-inspector from a nearby police chowki came on his motorcycle, his revolver drawn and thinking that a riot was going on in the hotel fired a shot in the air to keep the commotion down. Negi who was quite sozzled by this time came with a mugful of the heady concoction and unmindful of the drawn revolver said with a grin - "Sir, India is winning. Have a drink."
I do remember that the Sub-Inspector holstered his gun and told Negi that he was on duty, but he did not mind a small one.
The next day all of us proceeded on leave as no one was in a condition to do any work. It was a celebration that has remained etched in my memory forever.
This is all that I can recall at the moment.
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