I had just handed my passport over at immigration when a member of the airport staff asked me, “No relation to Farokh Engineer, then?”Farokh Engineer played cricket for India in the 1960s and ’70s. He is also my great-uncle.
Once I answered, the we chatted about cricket and Uncle Farokh for a few minutes. During this, I was thinking how nice it is to be back in a country where people play sports that I understand.
In England cricket is not a silly game, but a grand one with history and tradition. Football is “the beautiful game”, a game actually played with one’s feet, and every pub in London with a TV screen shows the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off Friday.
In fact, with England being the number one ranked team in the world, there couldn’t be a better time to be in London… unless, of course, England made it to the World Cup (football) Final, or wrested the Ashes from Australia.
The best thing about sports in England is how people congregate in pubs to watch the games. I cannot imagine strolling down College Avenue to catch a Packers game at one of the bars. Here, every second pub shows live sports.
The mix of people, passion and alcohol make for a wonderful spectacle. That I can join in the spectacle, with people who are as passionate as me about the same sports, is wonderful.
Yes, it is great to be here.