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Betwa Sharma
Sunday, July 27, 2008, Piscataway, New Jersey -The bat doggedly connected with the ball despite the cool breeze and the lazy raindrops. The players finally had to stop as the wind and water gathered momentum. As the rain came pouring down the wicket was finally abandoned. The finals would have to wait till next week.

This cricket tournament was organized to raise money for the flood victims in West Bengal and Orissa. The good cause brought eight teams with 80 players and 150 spectators to a green field in New Jersey.

In the midst of merriment and good cheer the stormy weather was gentle reminder of the reason the players and onlookers had gathered- back home another rain had wiped out much more than a cricket game.

The aftermath of the relentless rain a few weeks ago displaced thousands in rural areas in Bengal and Orissa. Sreeshti, a non-profit group in New Jersey organized the cricket match to extend their assistance to the victims of the natural disaster.

Aninda Bose, who helped organize the event and is also part of the Sreeshti cricket team, said that the group came up with the idea to raise funds for the flood victims and to generate awareness about the game of cricket.



“The teams came from all over the Tri-state area,” he said. “Some were professionals and others came for the spirit of the game and our cause.”

“I am overwhelmed by the teams that came from New York, Pennsylvania and other places,” said Deba Chaterjee, a teammate and organizer at Sreeshti.

Every team gave a registration fee of 50 dollars. The event was sponsored by NIIT Technologies and the organizers approximate that they raised 500 dollars. The money will be given to Bharat Sevasram Sangha a charitable organization, which is working extensively at the grassroots with the victims in India.

There was a high spirited crowd applauding their respective home teams. People turned up with friends and family for a day of sun-basking before being chased away by the rain.

“It was electrifying,” said Debajyoti Roy, captain of Sreeshti referring to the number of people that came to watch. “They all came for a good cause.”

The Bombay Boys from Pennsylvania played the Sreeshti team on their home turf. The other finalists were Invincible from New Jersey and the Whykings.



“We came for the love of playing cricket,” said Anindya Basu, captain of the Bombay Boys, explaining why he came all the way from Pennsylvania to play.

“It was important to raise the money for the victims,” he added. “There is always a connection with the people back home.”

However, cricket still hasn’t made a splash in the United States like Bollywood film and music. But its devoted fans are determined to carve a niche.

“It is still a neighborhood games,” said Basu. “Some folks from the subcontinent get together and play but more and more Americans are getting to know about it.”

Chaterjee said that the standard of the game was very good and would get better with time. “It will improve as more and more Indians keep coming here and start playing cricket,” he said.

The finals are set for next Sunday.