I was a little surprised to see four people busy at the counter when I arrived at the reception. I had been waiting for everyone at the hotel for quite some time, wondering when I would come. Before I could see their faces, I had a mysterious character in mind about them! It’s not unusual for someone to change their check-in date gradually, day by day, until the final date, is it? On the 2nd of the month, the border crossing, delaying day by day until the 7th, is quite surprising. Even the hotel manager mentioned it when I was checking in, saying, “We were trying to understand your plans by calling you, what’s going on!”
I explained the situation, although it didn’t seem like he believed me. Just like cricketers have to adjust to changing conditions, journalists also face unexpected challenges. If I talk about myself, I’ve been in this profession for so long that I’ve learned to adapt to such situations. What I couldn’t predict was that I would have to change my plans on this big tour. I had to postpone my schedule by a day and start working from the 4th.
But what happened was something I hadn’t experienced in my professional life for all these years. The World Cup had already started in the country, and the first match of Bangladesh was a big challenge. The match took place in Dharamshala, and the challenge was even bigger. There were no direct flights. The easiest route was Dhaka to Delhi, Delhi to Dharamshala. So, I calculated the time from my home in Dhaka, and it seemed like I was on the road (and in the air) for more than 15 hours. Immigration in Delhi, collecting luggage, and then taking a shuttle bus from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 for the Dharamshala flight. It seemed like we wouldn’t make it to Dharamshala on time!
People were coming to Dharamshala to watch the match, and I had met many Bangladesh fans in Dhaka before leaving. The number of travelers at Delhi Airport increased even more. Most of the passengers on the flight from Delhi to Dharamshala were spectators for the Bangladesh-Afghanistan match. So, time didn’t feel bad at all. However, as much as I could call my body “Mahashay,” it didn’t agree with me. I had to leave my suitcase at the hotel and rush to the stadium. Even accreditation cards were not available here. To get to the media gate, we had to guide the police a bit, and they allowed us to enter near the designated gate.
There was talk of having an accreditation card at the gate. But how do we get there? To get to the media gate, we had to go through the middle of the Dharamshala Government College. There were college students, school students who were brought to watch the match, and a long line of spectators. I couldn’t get through. I’ll save the story of how I finally reached the gate for later. How did Dharamshala feel? That’s a story too.
