Dhoni finishes it off in style...India wins the World Cup....” That was Ravi Shastri’s booming voice resonating across TV sceens in the country as India lifted the 2011 World Cup in Mumbai. Twelve years later, the 50-overs World Cup is back on Indian soil, only this time the expectations are even higher than the six that lit up the Mumbai skyline. The relentless multi-media machine is already asking with breathless excitement: who will play the role of a Dhoni-style grand finisher and take India to the summit once again?
How distinct is this boundless ambition and hype from the first time, when India travelled for the inaugural World Cup in England in 1975? Or indeed before India completed the ultimate underdog triumph in 1983? The ’75 World Cup is best remembered for Sunil Gavaskar’s bizarre innings of 36 runs in 60 overs. India’s greatest Test opener and a run machine, Gavaskar’s inexplicable run crawl is a reminder of just how clueless Indian cricketers were about the shorter format in the early years. Fast forward to 1983 when another Indian legend, Kapil Dev, transformed what seemed like a complete mismatch against the all-conquering West Indies into the most replayed moment in Indian sport (captured now forever in Hindi cinema in Kabir Khan’s film, ’83). Dev’s effervescence, on and off the field, instilled self-belief in India’s limited-overs skills and allowed Indian cricket fans to live a dream like no other.
Esta historia es de la edición October 09, 2023 de India Today.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 09, 2023 de India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
