The 2011 ICC World Cup is in full swing. The men of the
house re seated around the TV, their eyes glued to the screen. The women are
finishing their everyday chores and with every passing minute the tension in
the lounge becomes almost tangible. The clock is about to strike eight.
Suddenly havoc is let loose in the TV lounge. Remotes are
snatched and the men are all removed from their places in front of the TV. The
same little munna, who was the center of attention the entire day, is left
alone in his crib and anyone who dares to question these women is in for a
fierce telling off.
The men start looking for the emergency exit and a place to
regroup. They know that for the next two hours, everybody in the house will be
left to fend for themselves, and their absence will go unnoticed. Cricket was
now out of the question: it was soap opera time.
But the channel has not changed. There are no fanatic bahus
on the screen. The men in green remain. The volume has gotten louder. The men
cannot help but stare, something is not right. The very same drama watching,
spatula-yielding women that would chew your head off for even looking in their
general direction during a drama, were fixed on Geo Super.
Yes it was the miracle of the 2011 World Cup; no saas or
bahu was found watching any dramas. All eyes in Pakistan were on Boom Boom and
his super squad.
Women threw themselves into the cricket, much like they had
done with the dramas. They tried different totkas
to try and help the Pakistan team won, like putting their shoes over one
another, and screamed at the TV, just like they would when the wrong man was
marrying the right girl during an episode of their favorite drama.
The message the women of Pakistan gave during this world cup
was clear: ‘no saas bahu, cricket we love you’.
Originally published in The BNU Gazette, Issue no. 24
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