Football meeting point for all
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KATHMANDU, JUN 22 - A small settlement behind the Kathmandu Mall in New Road has over the years been known for the rest of the city for merely two reasons. The first, of course, is the Sankata Temple that draws hundreds of devotees every Saturday. The second is the local football club-Sankata-named after the temple, which has been in existence for over six decades.
Next to the temple is a basketball court but to get a glimpse of anybody playing basketball there is rare. Instead, people in the vicinity have turned the cemented court into a mini football stadium, where even middle-aged men are happy dribbling the ball with children and enthusiastically competing against them for small bets such as a bottle of Coca Cola or a cup of tea.
“This is where I generally go in my free time. It helps me stay fit and it’s entertaining,” said Avi Tuladhar, a local resident. “But I have stopped showing up here lately since I must watch the World Cup matches live.”
Avi has several reasons to celebrate this month. “Watching the World Cup is not a big deal but to watch it on a big screen near
my home is what I have always wanted.”
The locals of Tebahal have made sure they enjoy the World Cup in the best possible way. For the purpose, they have created an ambience that resembles the match venue by installing a life-size screen next to the Sankata temple, and have decorated the surrounding with balls and flags of all the participating nations. Some have put up the flags of their favaourite teams outside the window of their house.
The neighbourhood comes to life as the night falls. Cold stores, usually closed after 9 in the evening, are open as long as the game lasts. “Besides the locals, we mostly have people who work at night and others from surrounding areas,” said Anup Tuladhar, one of the active minds behind installing the screen here.
As he finished talking, a police van arrived. “They are here everyday. They watch and secure the place as well,” Anup added. A fleet of taxis and a whole a lot of motorcycles were parked nearby. Young boys mostly donning Brazil jerseys made their exit from the taxis shouting the names of their favourite stars while the drivers searched for a seat amongst the noisy crowd seated half an hour earlier.
“The place is packed when there is a power cut in the neighbourhood,” Anup said. Load-shedding may have been a problem for most football buffs in Kathmandu but here the locals have arranged for two lines, the second one from Khichapokhari.
The place bursts into cheers when Brazil took the lead through Luis Fabiano just before the half time, and the celebration continued for another 45 minutes as Brazil added two more goals, making this small settlement a fun-filled place.
Posted on: 2010-06-22 09:09
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