Z - Eight Thousand People Turned Up For the Homecoming.

Sukumar was enjoying his
early morning cup of tea. Chilly winter morning and the warmth of the
first rays of the morning sun was cascading the balcony where Sukumar
was sitting. He was wrapped up in his gent's Kashmiri shawl and his
right hand exposed to the touch of the icy cold wind which he would
have avoided if he did not have to hold the cup. The first finger and
the thumb felt numb, but with every sip he felt the warmth from the tea
made from the very special Darjeeling tea
leaves.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">

 

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify">From his balcony Sukumar
could see the park and the people out there busy in their physical
fitness activities ? jogging, walking, yoga, physical exercises ? some
sitting on the benches inhaling the fresh air.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">

 

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify">Sukumar did not know when
he had dived into the depths of time and was perusing the pages of his
childhood days. As a young boy he had lived in a small town. On
holidays he played gully cricket (gully - lane) with his friends, and
many a time the ball had broken the glass panes of Mrs. Sharma's house.
His lips broadened into a smile as he recalled the words of Mrs.
Sharma. She would shout at them, 'you boys, don't you have a place
other than this lane to play this stupid game of cricket and shatter my
windowpanes.'

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify">

 

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">In reply Som would say, 'auntie, one day one of
us will make your gully proud. Boys who have played gully cricket have
risen to fame. Don't you know Gavaskar and Tendulkar? They had played
gully cricket and now they are India's pride.
They have also shattered many panes.'

 

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">The very next day the boys would see new glass
panes fitted in place of the broken ones. Sukumar and his friends knew
Mrs. Sharma was like a coconut, in her heart she had a soft corner for
them.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">

 

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify">Time had rolled on. From
gully cricket he was selected for the district team, then state team
and finally the big one. The big one had been a big day in his life
when he got a call to attend the selection camp at
Madras for the
final selection of the national team. He was there at the training camp
undergoing rigorous training. He got the lucky card which read, 'You
have been selected in the national cricket team.' His first match was
to be played overseas. For the first time he moved out of his country,
why country, it was the first time he went out of his provincial
boundary. Unknown team-mates, unknown country, but excitement overcame
everything.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">

 

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify">He played for his country
and was back home, excited, proud, a winner, and a happy man. He got a
hero's welcome. The next day's newspaper headlines read 'Eight Thousand
People Turned Up For the Homecoming.' Sukumar tried to recollect the
article.

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify">

 

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> style="COLOR: black">Just then, the crow perched on the branch of
the neem tree, cawed loud enough for Sukumar to come out of his
reverie. He looked at the watch and said, 'if I don't hurry I will be
late for office.'

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">

 

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops:
325.7pt">