I count the yesterday a perfect day off. It was a Saturday, my day off at office, and I passed it doing what I love – picnic plus a football match between Nepal’s strongest team and Indian East Bengal Club. What’s more you can ask for? Yes, Nepal Red’s 1-0 victory made a perfect climax.
Early morning, I went to picnic with the students of grade ten of the school where I teach part-time (despite my wife’s dissatisfaction that I was going out on the day, which I should have given to her. I was a dilemma for me, as I love both (my wife lot more!).
Thankot was the destination, and since it was a public holiday, the picnic area looked like a busy market. There were no sheds available so Nilesh got a ticket for the open ground for Rs. 50. I was not happy and I murmured that to be heard by a man nearby who happened to be a ‘black seller of shed ticket.’ So we bought a ticket with his (paying Rs. 450 for a Rs. 200 ticket).
Had a good day with young girls and boys but I returned at mid-day to watch the football match between Nepal Red and East Bengal Club of India at the Dasrath Stadium. The match under SanMiguel International Cup was the most interesting league match and I couldn’t miss it.
The match was nice, closely contested, and referee Gyaniraja Shrestha was very very strict – flashing out yellow card six times including two for East Bengal’s foreign player. Nepal won the match 1-0 and everyone at the ground was happy (no, not the East Bengal dressing room! They were complaining about biased refereeing).
A remarkable victory for Nepal Red with Basant Thapa scoring the lone goal on Pradeep Maharjan’s cross (Maharjan was the one who was featured on that day’s The Kathmandu Post as the Player of the Week, a thing I try to write weekly).
East Bengal was a good team but Nepali players played with more commitment than I have ever seen them. (Nepal Blue a day earlier played with same dedication but the young players are more likely to do so).
It was a good day (just a little hiccups with my wife) but that happens with everybody, I guess.
