Would Chepauk stadium be charged with sedition today?

It is not clear whether the Indian Penal Code has any provisions to book an entire stadium full of cricket fans for sedition. But, going by recent evidence, this might have happened way back in 1999 when India played Pakistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai.When the fourth day of the Test began, India were 40 for 2, chasing an unlikely 271 for victory. Sadagoppan Ramesh and VVS Laxman, opening at the time, were both gone. Not long after, Rahul Dravid was snuffed out by Wasim Akram. Then came Sachin Tendulkar, and he was not in a mood to go.At the time we did not know that he was suffering from debilitating back spasms. He certainly did not show it when he was at the crease, commandeering the game and shepherding the chase.The bowling he was up against was only Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq, with Shahid Afridi and Nadeem Khan, the left-arm spinner as back up. medium87460857India, realistically, should not have had any chance in that chase, but Tendulkar breathed life into a game where the opposition was breathing fire. Tight as anything when it came to technique, masterful when it came to picking the ball to attack, patient in defence and perfect in pacing his innings, this was Tendulkar at his best.Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly came and went, but it was Nayan Mongia who allowed the faithful a realistic glimpse of something good happening. Remember, those were the days when no win against Pakistan came easily.The two Ws were fearsome executioners and when they had time on their hands they could tease and torment before terminating a batsman. But Tendulkar was playing a different game. He was not contemplating a draw and he knew this was in his hands to win. Mongia, who had been running a high fever, took a saline drip, a tablet and an injection, and was batting with a sweater in sweltering Chennai heat.When Pakistan took the new ball, with 95 still needed, Tendulkar's back had all but seized. The consensus was to try and make the most of this passage. Tendulkar doing Tendulkar things, Mongia taking a few chances.Runs were added, the target came within touching distance when Mongia chanced his arm one time too many and the resultant swirling edge was caught by Waqar off Wasim.At this point 53 runs were still needed.By this point Tendulkar had run out of meaningful support and his body had given up. Tendulkar tried to launch a Saqlain doosra over mid-off, was beaten by the extra bounce and Akram settled under the skier.From there on four runs were added as India were bowled out, handing Pakistan victory by 12 runs. This should have been the end of it, but it was only the beginning.None in that crowd left, because they had been treated to a superior game of cricket, taut as a guitar string, and though the result was against them, there was an outpouring of gratitude.When the Chennai faithful stood up as one to cheer the Pakistan team, they were simultaneously giving thanks to Tendulkar for making the game a modern classic.I get goosebumps every time I watch this video1999. Pakistan defeated India by 12 runs in a thrilling test match… https://t.co/jYGfOLSBEP— Parth MN (@parthpunter) 1635409223000When the Chennai crowd got behind Tendulkar, emerging from the dressing-room masking copious tears and back pain no human should endure, they gave thanks to Pakistan, for their part in producing a game for the ages.This, I can say, with some conviction, as I was in the stands, and had been, in the days leading to this crescendo.On a previous day, my brother and I had to spend an hour in the lead up to the start of play trying to find someone to swap trousers with. He was wearing black trousers and the authorities thought they might be used as a makeshift flag, waving black to show some form of dissent.Fortunately those were the days of phone booths, or Public Call Offices, and we found someone to help out. Little did we know back then, that it was not dissent that would get you in trouble, but cheering Pakistan on.My brother and I shared a bedroom, and on the wall were posters of our heroes. Prime among mine were Imran Khan, the inspirational captain and “oh-so-sexy man” who led Pakistan to victory and glory in the 1992 World Cup, and Akram, among the greatest, most skilful and destructive fast bowlers of all time. medium87464366When we rose up as one that day to cheer Pakistan on their victory in that match, it was just the thing to do. It had nothing to do with country or religion or posing or making a point. That’s just how we did things in the stands in Chennai.We thought nothing more of it and moved on.Today, my young friends in Chennai and beyond in India may think twice about celebrating a Pakistan win.After 29 long years of enduring defeats to India in World Cups, Pakistan finally broke the shackles, crushing India by 10 wickets in Dubai, in their first match of the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup.In the aftermath, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of India’s most populous state, said that the sedition law would be invoked against any Indians celebrating Pakistan’s win.In quick time seven individuals were arrested in Uttar Pradesh on this basis.In unrelated cases, others have lost their jobs, been forced out of positions and otherwise been persecuted on the basis that celebrating a Pakistan cricket win over India makes you anti-national.Between that 1999 Test match and now I’ve been fortunate to cover multiple India-Pakistan matches across geographies. The one that sticks in the mind, however, happened at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar in 2004.This was at the height of Atal Behari Vajpayee and Parvez Musharraf harnessing cricket diplomacy and us travellers were already swamped by the concept of mehmaan nawaazi by the time we got there.Vajpayee meets the Indian team ahead of the Pakistan tour in 2004Ban #Pakistan from #WorldCup2019??#BCCI, stop your jingoistic stupidity!How I wish India today had a statesman… https://t.co/aoxfsbpFJl— Sudheendra Kulkarni (@SudheenKulkarni) 1550750625000In the open-air press enclosure there were clear strains of hostility, but, in the North West Frontier Province it wasn’t always clear if the locals were more distrustful of Pakistanis from other parts of the country or India.While it wasn’t as simple as the enemy of my enemy being a default friend, it was clear that no-one was pre-approved. The match itself was a carnival: India set Pakistan 245 which included a huge six from the hugely popular L Balaji at No 10, but was chased down reasonably comfortably after Yasir Hameed made 98 and Abdul Razzaq finished the game off with 52.That was perhaps the last time India and Pakistan played each other with any sense of dignity in a bilateral series.With India and Pakistan not playing bilateral cricket any longer, opportunities to watch them have come in far flung venues from Centurion to Dambulla, Birmingham to Manchester and Dubai. The stand out from these matches is the steady build up outside the ground. The crowds, the music, the chants and then everything goes silent for a minute when the national anthems are played.To hear the Indian national anthem played in a foreign country, at some of the biggest stages in cricket, is a moment to reflect, to introspect, to enjoy the inevitable goosebumps. The power of that anthem becomes self-evident, and it is at such occasions where its grandeur shines through, not at cinema theatres before the start of every film.Untitled Carousel 87222935