How we roll!

All of a sudden, everybody is a football fan. Of course, the ongoing World Cup is to be ‘blamed’ for this sudden switch of allegiance. And the most interesting aspect—or should we say, encouraging, given our undue reliance on cricket for glory?—has been the activity on local playgrounds and parks. Kids and adults both are seen trying their feet at dribbling. It's like watching me dance. Be it rain or not, evenings are particularly spent on kicking like there’s no tomorrow. These newfound disciples have their favourite international footballers too. Interestingly, a few weeks back, they didn’t even know they existed, let alone have a clue for which club they played. But then, who’s complaining? We're the 154th best footballing country in the world. Cracking the top-150 league won't hurt.

For goal models

With the ongoing World Cup in place, football is pretty much part of all random conversations. And what better place can there be than your local barber shop to eavesdrop on unsuspecting fellow customers? What's entertaining though is the rise in interest about the game. One middle-aged gentleman was overheard worrying about the delay in monsoon but not for agricultural purposes. “Agar baarish nahi hui toh bacche football nahi khelenge. Agar khelenge nahi toh hum bas World Cup dekhte hi reh jaayenge—kabhi jeetenge nahi.”