Winners all the way

The draw was actually a moral win for Korea but on the train back home there was none of the crass, drunken celebrations one is getting used to seeing. I was in a coach full of Koreans and, though obviously delighted with the result, they were dignified, decorous, almost apologetic for spoiling someone else8217;s party. I also learnt the secret behind the chanting: The Koreans have 20 support leaders they also have 20 drummers whose job it is to choreograph the fans. They don8217;t watch the match at all; they coordinate the action in the stands, including the unfurling of those huge flags.

Puja atmosphere

This morning I woke up to find that the Ramada Treff Halle had been taken over by Korean supporters; they were part of 8220;Team Hyundai8221;, one of the official sponsors of the World Cup. Breakfast was a strange assortment of beaming Koreans, slightly perplexed but nonetheless beaming Germans and very perplexed others who had no connection with Korea or football. It reminded me of that great Bengali institution, the 8220;Puja special8221; travel groups. These were/are groups of up to 50 Bengalis of all ages, sizes and dispensations who, lumped under the banner of some travel house 8212; Kundu Travels being the most famous 8212; would descend en masse on some unsuspecting hillside or seaside resort and proceed, for the length of their stay there, to turn it into Gariahat. Having organised their macchher jhol, even in Shimla or Ranikhet, they would then milk the hapless tour manager for every paisa8217;s worth of enjoyment.

If they could afford it, Bengalis would have a blast at the World Cup, arguing over every goal, dissecting every managerial decision, organising impromptu quizzes based on the most esoteric statistics 8212; and driving everyone around them quite potty. I can only imagine what the good Berliners would do at the sight of a thousand monkey caps.

A riveting image

There was a pleasant surprise for us at the Leipzig stadium yesterday. The front row of the press gallery and the aisle in front were given over to the disabled. The visually challenged sat in the front row, their radios in hand and headphones on; in front of them, along the railings, the physically challenged sat in a row of wheelchairs. It was great to see their participation in such a spectator sport because back home the disabled are completely excluded from all public events. There were, I learnt, 120 of them at this match one all the way from Korea; each one needed two tickets because they had to come with one attendant. Some had lost a limb or both limbs in an accident, others were victims of palsy but they were clearly enjoying the match. The most touching scene was two men in their 40s; one had no legs and was in a wheelchair; beside him, kneeling through the match, was his brother. They watched the match as though they were two boys sitting together in the stands, sharing jokes, shouting curses and embracing each other when France scored. That really is the spirit of this World Cup, the image I want to take home with me.

Lesson for CWG

It also underlined the fact that we have a long, long way to go in preparing for the Commonwealth Games; I wonder if the organisers have factored in those with special needs as ordinary members of the paying public. And I wonder if our security will be sensitised to deal with them the way the usually brusque German police did, with some humour and a little tenderness. There8217;s still time if they start now.