Mood was blue, but we loved it

BANGALORE: The Men in Blue, watched and tracked __ on big screens, tiny television sets, radios, desktops and mobile phones__ triggered a gamut of emotions in tech town on Wednesday. The `thriller in Mohali' fought between neighbours and rivals India and Pakistan, in the semifinals of the 2011 ICC World Cup, was the toast of the day. Nerves and nail-biting anxiety early in the afternoon gave way to a vocal carnival that spilled onto the city streets, where people stopped to exchange high-fives and latest updates.
On a day when all of India stopped for its beloved cricket team, the most endearing sight on the roads was Clarence David's miniature bike which he had shipped all the way from the United Kingdom for Rs 80,000.Barely a foot off the ground, but with the muscle power of its bulkier big brother, the little dynamite, with the Tricolour planted on its rim, did 9km to roll into downtown Bangalore on Wednesday. "India will win," David said, looking up at the clear blue sky, as if it was written there. He then got down to the level of his bike, patting it, he added, "You've got to believe it, believe in it."
Milan Vohra, a part-time writer of romance novels and advertising top gun, summed up the mood with her status message on Facebook. She wrote: `Stood alone in my sitting room and sang the national anthem with full gusto along with the rest of India. Goosebumps!'
Bangalore turned into a blue sea on Wednesday. Almost everyone stepping out of their homes wore India shirts or colours, including the sparkling-blue spread overhead. Sparking the ambience were overworked waiters at pubs and lounge bars, who were kitted in team uniform with India colours painted across their faces. The young __ teenagers, 20-and-30 somethings __ thronged the watering holes as early as 1pm, forcing the otherwise trendily furnished outlets to bring in plastic chairs to accommodate the swelling crowd.
For most of the evening and particularly when Sachin Tendulkar was in the middle, the cheering was wild. So much so that if you were standing at the edge of a staircase you felt like you would be swept down by the sheer volume. Contrastingly, when Saeed Ajmal finally sent the legendary Mumbaikar packing 15 runs short of that much-awaited century, you could actually hear your phone beep. Rajesh Venkatesh, 19-year-old Bangalore collegian, said, "Towards the end, Tendulkar wasn't interested in getting a century. He probably didn't want to achieve a milestone after being dropped four times. He probably gave away his wicket."
In a World Cup semifinal? That too against Pakistan? You gotta be kidding, dude, but don't tell the boy that. Watching a match is one thing, but hero worship is quite another.
The mood, however, momentarily dipped with the sun. The cheering for Virender Sehwag, who cut loose early in the afternoon and shouts of `Tondulkar' died as the Indian innings wore on. When the Pakistanis came out to bat, there was a round of Dhoni bashing. "Maybe the captain should bowl for not selecting R Ashwin," said 34-year-old Arvind Rao, a software engineer.
By late evening, Bangalore's streets were shorn off the horn-blaring, bumper-to-bumper weekday traffic. MG Road's footpaths, otherwise bustling and ever busy, were quiet, almost dead. Peanut vendors were conspicuous by their absence. The carts, dust-laden and wrapped in plastic sheets, were parked in corners. The city's staple, timepass diet was unavailable on an evening when time flew on the wings of the men in blue.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com