We say cricket is a passion; we say it is a national religion - cliches all, that we spout so often, so indiscriminately, that they have lost all meaning.
And then something happens to remind us what it is those words, those sentiments, mean - like the story of 23-year-old Tarun Sharma, of Jamshedpur.
Tarun figures he can live without one of his two kidneys, but to live without having watched the World Cup in the Caribbean is not worth his while.
Hence, his offer of a kidney to anyone in urgent need of one, if he can in return get enough money to make his World Cup dream come true. And if he cannot make the bargain in time for the Cup, he threatens to end his life.
Extreme, perhaps but that is who we are. And the story brings up a thought: what is the most extreme thing you have done in order to get to watch a cricket match? What is the most extreme story you have heard of, on those lines?
And hey, how many of you guys are going to the Caribbean for the World Cup anyway? When?
