World Cup: Busy bee city stops buzzing for a day

On Wednesday, Mumbai appeared a different city. The much-hyped cricket match at Mohali seemed to have affected the normal functioning of this otherwise bustling, even unrelenting, metropolis.

The reason: a substantial number of government and business offices had officially declared a half-day for the “mother of all cricket matches” of the World Cup tournament. Some ardent cricket fans even chose to take leave. Also, with several multiplexes and bars arranging for special screenings of the match, an unsubstantial number of people could be witnessed on the streets. Also, with working professionals leaving their workplaces in the early afternoons, the usually less crowded buses and trains witnessed a lot traffic in non-peak hours.

Anmol Kharbanda, 82, a Santa Cruz resident who frequently commutes in the afternoons, said it was unusual to witness so many people in the local train. “Perhaps, people wanted to reach home early to watch the match,” he said. Since the commuter traffic was relatively lesser, autorickshaws and taxis too were not present in large numbers. Post-afternoon, the number of BEST bus services was also brought down. Even the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) did not function normally.

At the domestic terminal, Santa Cruz, of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport passengers were hardly trickling out of the arrival terminal and cars were seen leisurely parked outside. “I am surprised that nobody is asking us to move away. Earlier, we could not stop here for more than two minutes after dropping off the passengers,” said Ramesh Khattar, 40, businessman who had come to drop off his wife to the airport. Most cabbies had locked their cabs at the parking lot and gone home. “It’s almost like a strike, as 30% cabbies took a break for the match and 30%, anticipating no passengers, did not come,” said Kanhaiya Singh, president, Mumbai Autorickshaw Taxi Union.

School and college exams went smoothly, but students found it difficult to focus on preparations. Many examinees hurriedly finished writing the paper by 2pm and darted to the auditorium to catch the action live on a big screen. Dhaval Dave, a BMM student of Nagindas Khandwala College, Malad, said, “Preparing for next day’s paper was hard as I kept sneaking off to catch glimpses of the match.” At KPB Hinduja College of Commerce, employees, students and physically-handicapped and visually-challenged children watched the match on two big screens.