There's a small playground or so it's called, near my place.Every evening there are atleast 50 people playing in it,forming between them a dozen odd teams...playing half a dozen different games and in that their own improvised variants.I mean they play football, kho-kho, cricket and in that... one-pitch-out...three-times-beaten-out...full-toss-beyond-the-tree-out...bowling ... throw ...it's a complete medley.One game's third man is another game's extra cover and another game's boundary.Sometimes just when a batsman is ready to face a delivery..an overthrow from the other game's backward point knocks his stump over...he mutters something in kannada under his breath and starts arranging the stumps again.There are times when a fielder gets engrossed more in the other match and misses his catch....
The ball here is perpetually in the other's court.
It's almost as if you are playing your game..but are part of many more...acting as an umpire at times...the ball-boy in others and the sheer irritant in some others..
So when my fate is getting back to it's mark for the next delivery i have time to kick the out-ball back to the goal keeper...acknowledge that the the ball did not cross the line for the other and perhaps say sorry to the fielder who was banking on you to stop the ball while u moved away .
Indeed life's a game.Yours and others'.
