Your topic for "Just A Minute" is -the Football world cup. Your time starts now.
2. Extreme heat, we're talking 40C+ & humidity making sauna-tionalists feel at home
3. Late, very late night games as India's time zone is not on friendly terms with any country that dares to host the tournament
4. Inconspicuous, esoteric nations only found on maps coming to life
5. Endless World cup history and trivia
6. Mom coming to the TV room at least once a night, checking on the score, before going for a quick shower to beat the heat
7. The sound of excited commentators wafting through the neighbourhood at unearthly hours
8. World Cup special magazines, read cover to cover, twice over
9. Dreams of becoming a journalist with The Telegraph to cover a World Cup at some point
10. The guarnateed load shedding (power cut) at least once during the game. Usually perfectly timed with the only goal scored
11. Discussing that tackle and that dribble during lunch break at school the next day
12. Newspaper clippings of the black and white pictures from the match played two nights back
13. Dad joining Quarter Finals onwards. Though it took the Semi-Finals and beyond to keep him alert after the half time whistle.
14. The secondary citizenship of a random country of our choice for those 30 odd days
15. The ultimate adulation and jubilation of your team lifting the trophy, or the heartbreak of the other team doing so.
The inevitable feeling of emptiness after Doordarshan (Indian national television channel) aired the final commercial. The beginning of the next four year wait.
That wait ends today. Let the celebrations begin!