IPL in Tawang

After finishing my thesis work at IIT Kanpur, I ran off to Tawang all by myself. Why Tawang, most people would ask and why alone? Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, is the eastern most district of India. It shares a border with China and is a disputed territory (or so the Chinese
claim). As I reached Tawang, I was filled with a Seven years in Tibet-esque excitement. A land of Buddhist monasteries, monks, serene surroundings and simple living. The aim was to go with the least amount of planning. Don’t book hotel rooms, don’t read too much about the place, no solid travel plans, just go and discover.

Tawang is also a garrison town. A perceived threat from China results in huge military deployment from the Indian side. One needs the military police permission to visit the famed lakes and mountain tops. As I finished a day’s loitering around, I was stopped by an army guard. “Where are you from….”, he asks. “Sir, from Kanpur, but I’m originally from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh”. The guard is too happy with my answer. He hailed from the same state. In a distant land, there is something wonderful about finding someone who speaks your own language. He winks and asks me to drop by for drinks and dinner.

Since sleeping alone in my room was not very exciting, I reach the army mess quite early. The guard who invited me hands me a drink and we walk to a large dark room to watch the IPL. The match was Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders. The initial support was clearly with Shah Rukh’s Riders. But Ganguly’s inability to capitalize on a start did not go down well with some of his supporters. 150, they said, was clearly not enough. The Royals got off to a good start. Graeme Smith’s dismissal to a stunning catch was met with roaring applause. As Pathan walked in I was wolfing down yummy chicken fry and parathas. It wasn’t really clear what hit the crowd after that. Pathan’s demolition of the Ganguly was met with stoic silence. Towards the end though someone conceded ,”Pathan ka tho jawaab hi nahin” (There’s no one like Pathan).

A few years ago electricity would make fleeting appearances in the town of Tawang. Today they enjoy IPL through satellite dish networks and participate in endless arguments over which team is better. I went searching for solitude, but ended up meeting some wonderful people in a beautiful land and understood why cricket is so important for this country.