Dreams shattered and limbs broken: When tragedy trumped RCB's triumph

BY R KAUSHIK BENGALURU: This was supposed to be a Wednesday evening of celebration, of appreciation, of love received and reciprocated. Instead, it devolved into a tragedy of unspeakable proportions, burying Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL success under a pall of unimaginable, heartbreaking gloom.The scenes of jubilation that had spilled over from Tuesday night after RCB’s six-run conquest of Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad suddenly assumed an entirely different hue outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Rajat Patidar and his men were to parade their spoils in front of their adoring, loyal-to-a-fault followers. Long before the team had even made its way to its hotel from the HAL Airport, thousands had gathered outside and around the franchise’s home venue, screaming and shouting and waving red flags as anticipation of seeing their heroes in the flesh reached fever pitch.As the cavalcade made its way through Cubbon Road around 3.15pm and towards the hotel that has been RCB’s base for a few years now, the roars reached a crescendo, even though dark windows prevented those who had gathered from glimpsing Virat Kohli, clearly the man of the hour, and his mates. As it turned out, those dark windows turned out to be a portent of what was to come.The sea of people that spilled over to Queen’s Road jostled and pushed and shoved; those who had snagged an invite to the free-of-charge event impatiently willed the gates to be thrown open while the rest went searching for vantage points.

In the absence of any structured mechanism and with people flowing in all directions, it was almost a given that something had to give. That the extent of the tragedy would be of this horrific nature was beyond anyone’s worst fears.Scenes of chaos reigned around every entry point long before pockets of stampedes snuffed out dreams, hopes, and lives. Images of footwear strewn outside gates are seared in one’s memory, a grim reminder of what had unfolded a few minutes previously when glee gave way to avoidable disaster.Inside the packed venue – there were as many people in the stands as there would be for a match, and an equal number outside – people seemed oblivious to what had unfolded just metres away from them. There was no drop in the buzz of excitement, no indication that they even knew. When the players emerged on the balcony a little before 5.30pm to individually hold the trophy aloft, they were greeted with thunderous approbation.

And when Kohli grabbed a mic to answer a question, the roars threatened to bring the roof down. For a full five minutes, the darling of the masses couldn’t get a word in, such was the cacophonous response to his presence.Watching from the safe confines of the press box — how one managed to get there is a tale for another day —one couldn’t help but find it all very jarring, unnerving, hard to stomach.Sport is meant to be a celebration of the pursuit of excellence, if not perfection.

It is designed to unite people, in joy if the team/player one supports triumphs, or in sorrow if the result doesn’t go to plan. It can’t, must and should not have the power to uproot families and adversely change the lives of hundreds in the blink of an eye. Celebrations can go sour sometimes, but at this price? There was a singular lack of emergency preparedness, and this isn’t being wise after the event.

To witness people running with the unconscious in their arms because there were no ambulances around – how does one even reconcile to that? When Bengaluru FC won their first I-League title in April 2014, they embarked on an open-top parade to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium without incident. Obviously, fewer people lined up to applaud their accomplishment, nor were they invited by political bigwigs for a photo op. Cricket, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, compel greater attention and approbation. But who would have bargained for the city’s most famous sporting success turning into one of its worst nightmares? (The writer is a senior cricket journalist & author)