Romancing the Grass

(This is a repeat blog of 2016 with a changed ending to pay my tribute to Diego Maradona)

It was the summer of '86 and the romance of two men, both a shade over five feet with their names starting with the same initial, half the world separating them, caught my fancy. To be precise, it was 29th June 1986.

Mexico City: It was the World Cup Finals and Argentina was playing Germany. One man was making the tournament his own- Diego Maradona. No one can ever forget the two goals he scored to knock England out of the tournament. The first goal was the ‘Hand of God’ where this short magician out jumped the England keeper Peter Shilton and headed the ball into the back of the net. The television replays showed Maradona had cleverly used his hand rather than his head to score. The next goal, however, which no one can dispute, would rank absolutely among the top Goals of the Century. Picking a ball in his own half, Diego dribbled past five English players before out maneuvering the keeper to score.

New Delhi: It was the MA (Previous) Finals next morning on 30^th June. Seven of the eight papers had got over and, as luck would have it, the last of the exams on American History fell on such a date. Surely the examiners and the illuminati at Delhi University could not see beyond books and cricket.  All the preparations were ready for the Big Night…the Boys Common room was packed. Lines had been drawn between those supporting the European powerhouse Germany and the eternal favorites, after Brazil, the Argentines. No matter which side you were on, all knew this was a one man show…Diego Maradona. My friend M, who was no soccer buff but not one to miss the fun, had his early dinner and was there among the crowd who had gathered there that night.

Mexico City: This tournament, apart from Maradona’s marvel, was the Mexican Wave where the crowds in the stadium would stand and wave their hands in air in batches and would appear like the waves in the sea. This got popularized world over after this tournament. The final was being held at Stadia Azteca where Jose Luis Brown opened the scoring for Argentina in the 23rd minute and it stayed at 1–0 until half-time. It was Argentine brilliance to German resilience and Diego, the danger man, was marked heavily.

New Delhi: The lemon break for the player meant the bio-break for the hostellers as they jostled together and stood in queues to wait for their turn. Most of them were good boys, what else do you expect from the Stephanians. My friend M walked out for some fresh air and went beyond the walls of the college. For those who have seen Delhi University, there is no place greener than this. M landed himself walking near the ridge. It was nearly 2 am and little white flowers had filled the shrubs and many of them were falling to the ground. The match in the other part of the globe would have started and Maradona was scorching the green grass, M was picking tenderly little white flowers from the grass. He soon pulled out his handkerchief and started collecting more and more of the flowers…surely his mind was working on the next step, exactly the way Maradona’s was as to how to break out of the tight man-to-man marking Germans, who had planned to pin him down.

Mexico City: After the break, Jorge Valdano doubled Argentina's lead 10 minutes into the second half. Karl Heinz Rummenigge pulled a goal back in the 74th minute for West Germany and then equalized in the 80th minute through Rudi Voller. You just can’t keep the Germans down. Diego Maradona was heavily marked the entire game but managed a superb pass to Jorge Burruchaga in the 84th minute who went on to score and that allowed Argentina to regain the lead at 3–2. That is how it remained till the 90^th minute and the world erupted in celebrations of blue and white.

New Delhi: M had by now collected flowers everywhere…handkerchief, shirt and trouser pockets and hands and, as he entered the  hostel gate, he saw a lot of his mates coming out shouting and celebrating in their own way. M’s heart was pounding and was full of joy. He sneaked into his room and shut the door. As he poured the flowers on to his bed, Maradona was lifting the World Cup…the joys for both men were quite alike. The only difference was that while in Mexico the work was done and dusted, at Delhi the game had just begun. From his cupboard, he brought out the emergency box and out came the needle and thread. Slowly first and then picking up pace, M weaved a big garland out of the flowers. He held the garland admiringly in his outstretched hands and then brought it close to his nose to smell the fragrance…..smmmmm ahhhhh…simply divine! As he closed his eyes enjoying the moment, he was visualizing the Beautiful One in his heart.

As Maradona started his victory lap at Azteca Stadium, M started his journey to Pandara Road where the Beautiful One lived. Dot at 6 am, M reached her house, which was at the heart of Delhi, where the top civil servants stayed. M never knew the meaning of the word fear and pressed the bell..zzzzzzz. As they say fortune smiles on the brave, not the father or mother but it was the Beautiful One, hoping to see the newspaper boy dropping the paper early morning, who opened the door. And what she saw was M standing there, smiling. He put his hand forward and put the flowery garland in her hands. The girl smiled and took the garland to enjoy the soft beautiful fragrance. M turned around as he heard her say, “Thank You”.

30^th June 1986: M along with all other DU students gathered in the large halls to appear for the American History Examination. All looked weary, tired and red eyed…after all none of them had slept for over an hour or two after the match and the celebrations that followed. More importantly, like all students, they studied generally on the night before the exam but this time it was different for last night they had a much more important thing to do. As they settled down on the benches, the examination question paper was distributed. Suddenly, there was uproar in the hall. Someone shouted, “Yeh question paper out of syllabus hain….Walk Out!” Possibly, this was what all wanted to hear and everyone, even before reading the question paper, started shouting…Walk Out…Walk Out!! The news spread like wildfire, even without Whatsapp in those days, and students in the South Campus of DU also walked out and did not give the exam. The Mexican Wave had caught on far too quickly in the backyards of Delhi University.

Pacchees Saal Baad: M continues his love affair with nature, enjoying the earth in all its beauty….moving around on his bicycle from Kanyakumari to Khardungla, from Sonpur Mela to the Ghats of Varanasi. If ever you hear someone singing an old Bhojpuri folk song on a DTC bus, it may be M sitting somewhere. Maradona, on the other hand, achieved many a trophy in the national colours and took his club Napoli from obscurity to global fame. In 2000, FIFA declared Maradona along with Pele as the Greatest Footballers of the Twentieth Century. Unfortunately, the fame on the field led to a reckless life off it. The halo of the football field had given way to the grass smoke rings. And when the fateful day arrived on 25th November ‘20, the world mourned the passing of a true legend who had made the game so beautiful. Zico, another Brazilian great, said of him, “The best of the lot, no doubt about it. I saw Maradona do things that God himself would doubt were possible.” And so when he finally met the Creator himself up there, God would have told him, “It was your hand that touched and scored the goal but you were my chosen one on that day.”

And when King M meets Queen M up there, surely they would rock the universe singing….

 

We are the Champions, my friends

And we’ll keep fighting till the end

We are the Champions

We are the Champions

No time for losers

‘Cause we are the Champions

Of the World

Ciao Diego! There will never be another you.

SS