Cricket Stadiums in India Must Take Care of Spectators

The day two of the second test match between India and South Africa which was called off due to rain on November 15, 2015, exposed how badly cricket stadiums are run in India and how the gullible spectators are taken for granted. The so called covered stands were leaking all over at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore and to make the matters worse the umbrellas were not allowed. The ‘international standard ground’ was covered in patches leaving out the out-field at rain god’s mercy.  The out-field was muddy and slippery. What happened to the modern methods of covering and soaking? Just tireless manual work does not yield results although in this case play would not have been possible as rain was continuous. There were no announcements on the poor public address system and the only screen placed on one corner of the ground had the line ‘the match delayed due to rain’.  As if no one knew about it.  What people look is out-come of periodical inspections made by umpires.

Patchy covers at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on November 15, 2015

The occasional voice that came up called upon the spectators to sing nursery rhyme “rain-rain go away”. The stadium in general appeared poorly maintained. Quite a few seats were either dirty or broken.  I do not understand why drinking-water or umbrellas were not allowed inside just because water bottle throwing incidents happened on a rare occasion in the past. Umbrellas are needed whether it is sunny or rainy day while the quality of drinking water provided within the stadium is always a suspect. 

Many spectators, women in particular had to leave their umbrellas, purses, back-packs, cameras outside for which the stadium security refused to take any responsibility. There was no token system to mark the personal belongings – thrown reckless in some corner at the entry points.  The authorities must know that people come from far flung areas, unaware of all kinds of restrictions. This stadium hosts many matches in a year and I am sure must be making a lot of money through ticket sales, advertisements, coaching sessions and so on. I hope, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which     is one of richest sporting organizations in the world, takes notice of the poor treatment meted out to the cricket loving spectators. If this is the case in Bangalore, situation must be worse elsewhere at other centres in India.

London Pubs: 'Hic' and happening

Can drinking be considered a cultural activity? You will have a better picture of what drinking means if you happen to be in London. Although my visit there was for a short duration, it seemed to me that life in London revolves around its famed pubs that offer frothy drinks and excellent food, fish-and-chips in particular.

Here, in this city of nearly eight million people speaking 300 different languages, I realised that weekend is considered a good time for the working class and their friends to ‘meet up’ at these joints and enjoy themselves. London pubs (most of them) are open on all days till 11.30 pm. “It is not just about weekends; people here enjoy all the time and in all seasons. You can’t be in London and refuse to be a part of its pub culture,” says my friend Babul Mukherjee, who has been a part of this culture for over 10 years now.

What is the most attractive aspect of a typical pub in London? It is classy and boasts of calm surroundings. There are no noisy streets around. And, one thing that is common to all of them is the premium they place on quiet surroundings. Looks and architecture are important to them and therefore every pub strives to look beautiful in its own way, with open spaces, wooden tables and classy furniture. 

You find people — minimum age to purchase alcohol is 18 — enjoying their beer with banger and mash (sausages with potatoes or meat) or with some other dish. Notwithstanding rare fist fights, people here talk about and debate any subject under the sun. 

In fact, most of the adults are said to be regulars who spend a considerable amount of time in the pubs. It is little wonder that families and friends can be seen immersed in conversations inside, while their children play outside.

It is clear that to understand more about English culture, you need to spend more time in a pub. You can even strike a conversation with a total stranger inside any pub and come out with an enriching experience.

There is more to a typical English pub besides being a place that offers thirst-quenching pint, chilled wine and food, especially in summers.

When it comes to service, overseas visitors must know that there is no ‘waiter service’ in these pubs. You buy your ‘stuff’ at the counter. “Perhaps the no-waiter system has been put in place by earlier generations to encourage sociability as the English are generally reserved people. This way, one gets an opportunity to strike conversation when people gather at the counter to place their orders. Pubs must be the only place where a queue is not followed in England and yet people are friendly in allowing others to have their order first,” says a journalist friend Isaac Hamza.

One needs to be calm, and a rushing attitude is not appreciated. “It is actually a home away from home. These pubs offer a cosy and pleasant atmosphere,” feels Mukherjee.

There is no compulsion to tip in these pubs, and most pints cost anything between three and four pounds, and come with instructions to ‘enjoy sensibly’. A pint contains four per cent alcohol. The UK Chief of Medicals recommends everyday limit of three to four units for men and two to three for women.

Although most of the pubs have menus, some pubs display their offers on chalkboards. One can always take the help from the counter to understand what the food varieties mean and contain, and how they taste. You need to be sure, even careful, before ordering dishes such as ‘Toad in the Hole’ or ‘Shepherd Pie’.

The article appears on this Deccan Herald link as well:

 http://www.deccanherald.com/content/509353/hic-happening.html