Para Cricket At Graffiti Lane

Para Cricket at Graffiti Lane

“What was my score?”

Cricket, the most popular sport in India, is played throughout the year, not only on parks and grounds, but also on the narrow lanes and by-lanes of cities and towns throughout the country. Few weeks ago, I came across one such small and young group at what is known as the Graffiti Lane of Calcutta. This narrow lane (along with a few more nearby), off Mirza Ghalib Street (former Free School Street), is known for the bright wall graffiti on both sides.

The local Bhajji bowling

The local Bhajji bowling

Para (neighborhood or locality in Bengali) or Gully (narrow lane in Hindi, Bengali) Cricket, as it is known locally, tests the patience of the players a lot. Continuous disturbance from pedestrians, bicycles or even cars is common. Add to that the problem of the ball getting lost if a batsman tries an adventurous shot and ends up sending the ball inside some house or walled area. But at the end of the day, all these make the total experience much more fun.

Trying To recover the lost ball

Trying To recover the lost ball

Trying To recover the lost ball

Trying To recover the lost ball

My bowling now

My bowling now

And the game resumes

And the game resumes

16 Comments

Kendall

Love all of those photos, they’re so colorful and really tell a story. Everyone looks like they’re having so much fun playing cricket! I’ve heard of it before but never seen it in action. Oh, and your photos are gorgeous!

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Kristin

Those boys looks like they are so happy, their own little place to play and make some amazing memories. Thank you for sharing.

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Tam-uh-ruh

It looks like all the challenges and obstacles presented would make the game even more fun. Who wants to play a predictable game anyway? I’m glad they enjoyed themselves.

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Alison

These are great photos! You know, I’ve never played Cricket and I honestly don’t think that I really know anyone who does, but it looks like it could be a ton of fun! Mayne something new to try this summer!

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