Short Story about School Life – FIFA World Cup Final
Short Story about School Life – FIFA World Cup Final
I entered in class XI in 2006. We, all classmates, were very excited as we were relaxed after X board exams. At that time FIFA world cup was being played. I studied in JNV, Churu; a govt. residential school. In JNV, new session starts from 1st April, then summer vacation of two months and classes commences on 1st July. I watched all football matches at home in summer vacation (May and June). I would not have watched them if cricket had been played at that time and football weren’t so fascinating.
I hadn’t seen football matches before. I knew only about few great footballers like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka (all Brazilians), Zinedin Zidan and some old players like Pele and Maradona. However, when I began watching, I was captivated to it vehemently. As you may well aware that football is the most popular game in the world. Ninety minutes’ thrill is worth watching. Kicking and heading; not only to the ball but also to the opponent players, at the right place and at the right time with accuracy seem not less than meditation. Movement and participation of players are somewhat different than cricket. In cricket, sometimes a fielder can take a nap (at times, camera shows who is yawning). But in football, there is no time even to inhale properly. Even I think that-do or die, the famous motto (slogan) of Mahatma Gandhi was observed in a football match. But I doubt that Gandhiji had ever seen a football match. Nevertheless, do or die, is the spirit of all footballers. In nutshell, football is an amazing and thrilling game.
We had not privilege to watch every match in JNV .We read about it only in newspapers. Often, we would talk about matches, who won, who lost, who scored goals or any other funny and interesting incident.
France and Italy reached in the final and it was played in Berlin, Germany on 9th July, 2006. We craved to watch this match on TV. Every JNV has an MP hall (multi-purpose hall), where all cultural activities, prayers and romance in the evening took place. There is a music room in the MP hall in which all musical instruments and a big TV had been placed. So, whenever we wanted to watch match or movie, we had to take permission from our Principal. Therefore, on that day also, student representatives (netas) went for permission but the Principal did not grant it. We were very sad. It was almost 9:30 of the evening and match was scheduled to start at about 10’o clock.
We, 5 friends, decided to go out stealthily so that we could watch this match on roadside canteens, just behind our school. To make sure that students don’t go outside, entire campus of our school was encircled in a five feet high wall. Broken pieces of bottles and glass were set on the surface of the wall and above the surface was a fence of sharp iron thorns (tarbandi). But students had their own ways. Dusty storms in the desert made the wall smaller by putting sand on its base. From the low height of the wall, student made their way to venture out.
There is a state highway behind our school. Hence there are about 10 canteens in the domain of one km. At night, huge goods career trucks use the privilege of empty road and move with great speed, playing evergreen songs of Lata, Kishore da, Rafi and Mukesh and Punjabi songs provided that the driver is in mood(drunk). I can recollect some songs like- jindagi ek Safar h suhana, fool tumhe bheja h khat me, mere samne wali khidki me, and so many other soothing melodies. These canteens are the stoppages of these trucks. Drivers and other cast take their meal and stretch themselves on the cots put by canteen owners to attract them.
We jumped over the boundary wall and came to the highway. We checked Ganesh canteen, Rama canteen and walked along the road, crossed the circle, passed through Ram Manch and reached to an array of canteens but all in vain. On all canteens, either they were watching movies or serials. We requested them to switch sports channel but they didn’t listen to us. Nobody was interested there in football.
Exhausted by all efforts and being left with no option, we decided to come back to our school. We followed exactly the same way on which we came some time ago. When we reached at the circle, there was police check post, which wasn’t at the time when we crossed the circle earlier. But it was a different situation then. We wasted about two hours wandering. So it was quite late and nobody can wander in the late night. We were very unfortunate. Neither could we watch match, and now this police was on the way.
We worked out a plan. We were five friends. So if we crossed together, we could easily get caught. Therefore, we made two groups. Three were in the first group and two in the second. I was in the second group. First group chanted hanuman chalisha and went ahead while we waited behind. Was it their good fortune or the effect of hanuman chalisha, a rally of trucks came and the policemen indulged in checking those trucks. In the meantime our friends managed to escape, hiding themselves behind those trucks and crossed the roads. They must have had a sigh of relief. Now, it was our turn. We waited for trucks to come and rescue us but they didn’t. I am not very religious person and neither was my companion. So we didn’t do anything like hanuman chalisha. We proceeded unobtrusively and gingerly but as we were about to cross the road, a loud voice roared in the air-“hey, come here,”
We were dumb folded and frigid. I didn’t come across the police before. But, then nothing could be done for they were commanding us to come to them. We tottered towards them as sots and stood side by side in front of them. I observed that one of them was sitting on a chair and other, who called us, was standing. The person, who was sitting, was perhaps an officer and other was his subordinate. The officer was about 30 years old, sturdy in physique, had well shaven face with small rat-like moustache, wearing golden watch (perhaps he was newly married), neat eyebrows and irritated enough by his night duties. He must have been missing his wife and was ready to pour his frustration upon us.
“Which house did you broke into?” he asked in a gruffly voice. I imagined my photo in next day’s newspaper. We didn’t utter a single word or we couldn’t.
“You drunkards and loafers tell me your names and addresses,” he commanded. Seeing us numb, he continued-“I know you thieves very ——”
“We aren’t thieves, sir” my friend cut him short.
“Then, what are you doing in the night, ba***rds? Why are you wandering as stray dogs?” he was burning with the rage. I cursed myself for it was my idea to watch match outside.
“Sir, we came here to watch football match on canteen.” I was happy that my friend was responding him.
“Where do you live?” the officer enquired.
“Sir, we study in JNV.” I haven’t seen my friend so polite.
“Oh! So, this is the matter. You are from JNV. And still you came out to watch the match? Your parents sent you here to study so that you can look after them in the future. And you are watching match…. ” the officer started the familiar lecture we had heard so many times before.
“Sir, we came out only for the first time.” My friend white lied but it didn’t impress the officer.
“I don’t want to listen anything. Tell me your Principal’s number. I am going to tell him that your students are breaking houses outside the school.” The officer was stubborn.
“We are very sorry sir. Please, don’t do so sir. We won’t repeat this folly in the future. Please let us go sir.” my friend requested him as if a girl were requesting her teacher to increase marks in her answer sheet. I wanted to laugh at this idea but it wasn’t the right moment. But he was a boy, so he couldn’t persuade the officer to let us go.
“No. I am going to take you to the police station……” he could not complete their sentence because a truck came there and he had to check their documents. I couldn’t understand the duty of traffic police. Why they were troubling people like us?
The subordinate policeman, who was standing there, was a young man and whose duty was to signal vehicles to stop and to obey the officer. He took us in the side and told us that the officer was just joking and passing his time with us. He signaled us to flee as officer was occupied in documents. We gathered our all strength and ran away from there. I was surprised at the queer way of the officer to pass the time. It might have been a fun for him but our pants were wetted literally. I was left behind while thinking about the officer. But somehow we reached in the house (hostels in JNV are known as houses) huffing and puffing.
Only then we came to know that after we went out, the Principal had granted the permission to watch the match. Everyone else watched the match except us. Italy beat France in penalty shootout. There was a very interesting incident also which proved turning point of the match.
An Italian player was pulling t-shirt of Zidan (France) while struggling for the ball.
“Would you like to have this t-shirt?” Zidan asked in a sarcastic way.
“I would prefer your sister’s t-shirt” Italian player remarked. This made Zidan wild and he hit the Italian player in the chest with his head. Referee showed him red card and he couldn’t participate in the penalty shootout and ultimately France lost the match. I didn’t dare to ask anything from friends as they were laughing and mocking at me. I went to my bed without further discussion but that policeman haunted me throughout the night.
__END__
