All Play no work never makes Prashanth a dull boy ! Maybe this was the mantra for my academic success during my yesteryears ! I don't know when I develpoed a flair for sports, but I have no regrets of any kind . I used to wait to come back from school just to air drop my bag and run to the field. There were a host of games exhibiting high finesse, starting with the infamous and fierce Lagori which is the art of stacking up of flat stones before you could be the hard target of the opponent ;-)
I remember waiting for my summer hols only to see myself sunbathing on the field playing the whole day.... The gamut of games spanned from cricket to soccer to hand tennis to buguri and galipata ;-) I was also one of the privileged guys to watch professionals from kurubarahalli in understanding the nuances of the game. Speaking about contemporary games, who can forget my snooker and bowling skills at the mvm club, the highlight being the 3 continuous strikes ! Afterall, mvm club to me is like Wankhede to Sachin...
But, never in this world I imagined that I would be an ardent sport follower when I came to the US. It was baseball season when I came. I didnt like it initially, the reason being a pretty slow game and less charming compared to the others . But, I definitely loved the passion with which these games are watched, played and reviewed. Every minute detail is given due diligence and every player who has made it to the national league should have been an exceptional player in the college games.
I recently happened to visit an NBA match between the Suns and Cavaliers. It was such an awesome experience I can hardly put them in words. The visual effects, the cheerleaders, the frenzy crowd, the prizes, the ambience, the settings were just wow! During breaks, various artistes come up on the arena to entertain the crowd and believe me, to get to the arena and perform is equally difficult as getting there as a player.
I wish one day, all games in India are given treated on par with the popular ones. It requires the right way to nurture talents from the right age. We certainly have 100s of Sachins in 100s of different games ( One is already mentioned above). It is just that we should find passion in understanding, following and encouraging true talent in the interest of the game...
I remember waiting for my summer hols only to see myself sunbathing on the field playing the whole day.... The gamut of games spanned from cricket to soccer to hand tennis to buguri and galipata ;-) I was also one of the privileged guys to watch professionals from kurubarahalli in understanding the nuances of the game. Speaking about contemporary games, who can forget my snooker and bowling skills at the mvm club, the highlight being the 3 continuous strikes ! Afterall, mvm club to me is like Wankhede to Sachin...
But, never in this world I imagined that I would be an ardent sport follower when I came to the US. It was baseball season when I came. I didnt like it initially, the reason being a pretty slow game and less charming compared to the others . But, I definitely loved the passion with which these games are watched, played and reviewed. Every minute detail is given due diligence and every player who has made it to the national league should have been an exceptional player in the college games.
I recently happened to visit an NBA match between the Suns and Cavaliers. It was such an awesome experience I can hardly put them in words. The visual effects, the cheerleaders, the frenzy crowd, the prizes, the ambience, the settings were just wow! During breaks, various artistes come up on the arena to entertain the crowd and believe me, to get to the arena and perform is equally difficult as getting there as a player.
Now the latest craze that has hit me here is NFL or the American Football . This is the craziest sport I have ever seen.. the next most violent game after choo chand. There are more than 70k in the stadium screaming at the top of their lungs, cheering their home team. Gowtham had this opportunity of visiting one of the season matches. Thanks to him and my close friend here, I could get most of the game and I am kinda hooked to it now. More details on this game can be found on Gowtham's Blog.
I wish one day, all games in India are given treated on par with the popular ones. It requires the right way to nurture talents from the right age. We certainly have 100s of Sachins in 100s of different games ( One is already mentioned above). It is just that we should find passion in understanding, following and encouraging true talent in the interest of the game...
