By IANS
New Delhi : Fireworks lit up the night sky and joyous celebrations erupted across the country as the Indian cricket team held its nerve and defeated archrivals Pakistan in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships at Johannesburg Monday.
With the “Chak de India” theme booming from every corner, it was yet another affirmation of the resurgence in Indian sport after victories in the Asia Cup hockey tournament at Chennai and in the Nehru Cup international football tournament in the national capital.
From Assam in the northeast to Haryana and Punjab in the north, from New Delhi to south India, it was one big party all the way as Indian cricket fans savoured the victory. Sweets were offered and strangers greeted each other, pumping their fists in the air and dancing with gay abandon.
In New Delhi, many streets and marketplaces wore a deserted look as people stayed at home to watch the action in distant South Africa.
Indeed, it seemed that even the gods were pleased as a brief shower hit the city soon after the match ended.
In captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi, it was Diwali and Holi on the same day as people celebrated with crackers and colours.
Enthusiastic supporters in Ranchi braved rains and power cuts to come out in streets to celebrate India’s success in the tournament.
“Dhoni has created history in Indian cricket. After Kapil Dev, Dhoni has brought a world cup to India after a gap of 24 years,” said Roshan Kumar, a Dhoni supporter.
Special arrangements were made for people to watch the final match in Ranchi Club, Gymkhana Club and very many restaurants and hotels.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Kochi and Bangalore as two Keralite mothers basked in the glory of their sons S. Sreesanth and Robin Uthappa.
Sreesanth’s home in Kochi was crowded with well wishers and a battery of media personnel. There were whoops of joy as soon as he caught Misbah-ul-Haq off Joginder Sharma to seal the match in India’s favour.
“God is great and he has heard our prayers,” Sreesanth’s mother Devi said, tears of joy running down her face.
In Bangalore, Uthappa’s mother Roselyn just could not believe what was happening. Approached by a Malayalam TV channel immediately after India won the match, she initially couldn’t speak.
“I do not know how to express my feelings. My house is full of people and already crackers have started to be burst. I am really excited that my son is part of the winning team,” said Roselyn, who hails from Kozhikode and married to a Kannadiga.
Also in Bangalore, crackers were burst, friends and total strangers hugged one another, and two-wheelers roared on almost deserted streets as India pulled off a thrilling victory.
The normally choking evening traffic was missing on Bangalore’s main roads as people stayed put in offices and homes to watch the titanic clash between the traditional sub-continent rivals.
Rohtak town in Haryana marked the arrival of its native son Joginder on the world stage. “We will celebrate Diwali (the festival of lights) from today till Diwali actually comes,” his brother Raju told IANS amidst much screaming and celebratory revelry at the family residence near Rohtak’s railway station.
Raju said his parents were very happy with India’s win and Joginder’s role in that.
Only last month, Joginder, who is employed with the Haryana Police, was promoted to the rank of deputy superintendent of police.
In Chandigarh, the joint capital of Haryana and Punjab, fans danced on the streets and elsewhere in the two states.
Traffic jams resulted in several places in Chandigarh and major cities in Punjab as fans started dancing on the streets to celebrate the Indian victory.
“The sound of the fire crackers is deafening in our locality,” entrepreneur Sandeep Brar said in Punjab’s industrial city of Haryana.
The sound of firecrackers reverberated the otherwise peaceful Rajasthan capital of Jaipur.
People were seen singing and dancing in restaurants and in multiplexes where the match was shown on big screens.
The trophy was fabricated in Jaipur and its maker was overjoyed.
“I wanted this cup to come to us and it has. Whenever I made the trophy for a cricket tournament, cups it has always been won by India,” Amit Pabuwal said proudly.
In Chennai, the euphoria over India’s victory was such that even diehard DMK supporters ignored their leader, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s call to educate the public about the “injustice being perpetrated upon the Tamils” by communal forces by stalling a sea canal project.
K. Murali, a staunch DMK worker was busy distributing sweets and bursting crackers through the evening at the fall of every wicket instead of tuning into “Kalaingar TV” to know the latest development in the tangle.
In Kolkata, the cloudy night sky lit up with fireworks as citizens braved rains and submergence to celebrate the Indian victory.
Youngsters took to the streets with processions, wading through knee-deep water as the city of former captain Sourav Ganguly witnessed mad revelry.
People blew conch shells and cars stranded in water hooted to register the victory as Dhoni emerged as the new hero of Indian cricket, eclipsing for once Ganguly’s popularity.
Earlier in the day, Ganguly himself batted for Dhoni, saying: “He has the qualities to emerge as one of the finest captains of India.”
Wild celebrations broke out in Hyderabad after India’s splendid win.
Soon after the last Pakistan wicket fell, the city reverberated with the bursting of crackers. Hundreds of youths came on to the streets, shouting slogans and blowing horns of their bikes.
The historic win over archrivals added to the joyous mood prevailing in the city during the Ganesh festivities. Amid the drumbeats and to the tunes of ‘Chak de India’, people were seen dancing near Ganesh pandals after Team India’s win.
Firecrackers lit up the ominous grey skies over Assam’s main city of Guwahati Monday night. People in their hundreds took to the streets and broke into impromptu jigs with drums and cymbals.
Hundreds of people watched the finals at a local cinema on giant screens.
The Taj Mahal city of Agra burst into joyous celebrations the moment Sreesanth took the catch that signalled India’s victory.
Thousands of people from all walks of life crowded Chhattisgarh capital Raipur’s historical Jai Stambh chowk and let off crackers to celebrate India’s victory.