Hyderabad, April 04: The city erupted in joy once again with Team India lifting the World Cup after a gap of 27 years. As Dhoni hit the ball over the boundary for a six to give a thrilling finish to the tournament enabling the country to lift the coveted trophy, Hyderabadis’ frenzy was at its peak.
They burst crackers, went round the city shouting `Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ to celebrate India’s rise to the pinnacle of cricket.
As fortunes fluctuated from the initial overs of the match, anxious viewers got glued to the television sets and everyone wished for the victory of Men in Blue. Emotions ran high across the city after Dhoni hit the ball over the boundary winning the ICC World Cup-2011 for the nation. The revelry was like never before and the roads, which had been near-empty since afternoon, suddenly came alive with people, irrespective of age group, coming out and proudly waving the tricolour.
For many, its a once-in-a-lifetime experience, particularly those who could not watch Kapil Devils lifting the World Cup in 1983 beating the West Indies.
Youngsters were seen continuously honking and waving to everyone on the roads greeting passers-by on the victory. “When India last won the World Cup in 1983, I was not even born. I only heard from my father about how people enjoyed. I then thought he exaggerated. But today after seeing India win the World Cup I feel that I was wrong,’’ was the reaction of a 22-year-old Karthik who reached the Necklace road to celebrate.
All roads became chaotic and people started partying on the roads by distributing sweets and embracing each other. All roads led to Necklace Road as a bevy of cars and motorcycles were seen stranded. But this time the motorists did not complain about the traffic jam as they played drums and music all through the night. Some even planned a bigger celebration on Sunday. Police had an extremely tough time controlling the unprecedented crowds that filled the roads. At some places policemen joined the celebration.
Pubs and other partying places were jam-packed even forcing the managements, for a change, to deny entry to some saying it’s houseful. Several pubs, lounges and other hangouts in the city did unprecedented business as youngsters thronged them to enjoy the action on the big screen amidst cheering crowds. Giant screens were arranged at several locations including at Uppal Stadium which was packed to its capacity.
In contrast, the city wore a deserted look in the afternoon with denizens remaining indoors to see the action on the TV screen. Work in most government offices remained paralysed as employees skipped the afternoon session. People gathered in large numbers outside shops that arranged TV sets and enjoyed the game clapping and screaming whenever Indian batsmen scored runs or bowlers took wickets.
–Agencies