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Journalism of Courage
You could tell it was the final today by the way people dressed. This has been a month of casual dressing; shorts and T-shirts for Westerners, and Japanese too, who are used to such temperatures. A warm day could become chilly by night, especially in a stadium with the wind swirling in. Today, though, was a day for jacket and tie. Even the Brit pack, normally the most casual of them all, were seen in semi-formal togs. Good that some traditions are upheld.
Unofficial anthem
Today was also the day when football crowned its unofficial anthem. The choral match from Aida, long hummed, chanted and played on brass at stadiums across the continent, and in this tournament by the Japanese fans, was the soundtrack for FIFA’s wrap of the tournament. Apart from being a majestic, strident tune, it’s a neutral choice, composed as it is by the Italian Verdi. Aida’s the story of a slave girl in ancient Egypt, rescued by an army captain. The story ends tragically, with both being buried alive on the Pharaoh’s orders.
Bengali connection
On a happier note, there was at least one Indian participant in today’s closing ceremony. Mihir Sapru was one of two UNICEF coordinators for the final segment of the show, involving children. In Japan for the past 10 years, he’s spent much of his life in the US.
But if it’s an Indian and football, there has to be a Bengali connection somewhere; his mother is a Bengali, from Kolkata and sounded reasonably happy to be talking to another. Especially about the programme, say yes to Children; the kids were drawn from two schools, in Yokohama and Tokyo, but sadly no Indians among them. They seemed to be having fun, though; what more could a kid ask for than, running, jumping and shouting in front of 69,000 people?
