Citygritty 8212; Pune

Howzzat!!
It was 23.05 hours and the city erupted as the Indian cricketers smashed Pakistan into the ground. As Kumble grabbed the catch off Prasad8217;s ball in far away Old Trafford in England, crackers burst forth lighting up the city8217;s usually sedate skyline.

Emotionally charged crowds came out on the streets in large numbers to celebrate a nail biting finish. From Shukrawar Peth to FC Road which was jammed with people celebrating with music systems blaring away, to the usually busy M G Road, the city woke up in style. Places which are usually deep in slumber by 10 p.m were out honking away to glory and making sure that they put in their little bit for the country8217;s moment of glory. Little paper flags jabbed the air and dhol tashas beat out a euphoric rythmn as spontaneous crowds charged out with cries of Go India Go! 8216; Messages flashed across pagers, of a job not only done well, but done in style.

With things at the LOC getting hot, this win had a significance that, citizens hoped, would put a huge smile on troops fighting the infiltrators in Kargil.

Different notes
The thumri style of singing has been traditionally rendered in Hindi. With Saaj Thumricha, a programme organised by Maharashtra Cultural Centre will now find voice in Marathi. The programme consists of some poems penned by Shanta Shelke, Mangesh Padgaonkar as well as those by Pramod Kale, a member of the organisation which have been set to music by Chaitanya Kunte. Kale has conceived and directed it while the artistes involved areKunte himself, Rahul Deshpande, Anuradha Kuber, Milind Gurav and Shubhangi Damle. Saaj Thumricha to be held on June 10 at 6.30 p.m. at the Snehasadan holds a melodious promise for music lovers.