By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : From Atlanta to Washington, Indians across America erupted in unbridled joy as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a six in far off Mumbai to win India the coveted ICC Cricket World Cup.
Hundreds of Indian fans watching the big India-Sri Lanka showdown on dozens of HDTVs at Touchdown Sports Bar in downtown Washington did a little jig and shouted, clapped and whistled raising their hands up in the air.
“It’s great. We did it!” said Amit Shukla, an IT executive, who had taken the metro from his Alexandria suburban home to join the Cricket World Cup Watch Party at Touchdown which had opened its doors at 6 a.m. just for the cricket fans.
Touchdown offered a select breakfast menu until noon, but beer and wine started flowing a little after 8 a.m.
A Youtube video showed a group of Indians taking out a victory procession with their cars flying the Indian tricolour honking horns in Artesia, California.
In Lakewood, California, hundreds of Indian fans watching the game in a packed Cineplex started to dance in the aisles. They high-fived and hugged complete strangers. There were tears in many eyes.
“Everyone sang Vande Mataram, India’s national song. Drums and thunder sticks provided the soundtrack,” a blogger wrote.
Similar scenes were witnessed in New York too where cricket fans had come out in the wee hours of the morning Saturday, crowding into bars that had stayed open just for the big game.
At the tiny JujoMukti Tea Lounge in the East Village, fans packed in to watch the match on a screen set up near the front door. Some sat cross-legged on the floor, a media report said.
At the Village Pourhouse in the Theatre district, every table was reserved ahead of time and every seat at the bar was taken.
On the streets of Jackson Heights in Queens, the heart of New York’s South Asian community, dozens of cabs were parked, end to end, along the curbs in front of several cafes, restaurants and shops which had put up wide-screen televisions for their customers.
“I feel on top of the world. I only wish I were back home in Mumbai,” said Himani Bhalla, who had watched the game with tense anticipation since morning at a Queens cafe.
Hundreds others crowding the Jackson Heights Cinema, which was showing the game live on its big screen for $30 a ticket, went wild with joy as the victory shot came off Dhoni’s willow.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])