The Hindu : Sport : Either way, Lanka is set for a carnival

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Saturday, Apr 28, 2007
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Either way, Lanka is set for a carnival

B. Muralidhar Reddy

The hopes of millions of fans are tinged with optimism and anxiety

Mahela Jayawardene's mother offering prayers at a temple in Colombo on Friday. — PHOTO: AFP

COLOMBO: Will history repeat itself? This is the question uppermost in the minds of Sri Lankans as the boys of the island nation gear up to take on the Australian cricket team on Saturday.

The hopes of millions of Sri Lankan cricket fans are tinged with optimism and anxiety: there are sweet memories of 1996 when their boys beat the Australian side to emerge world champion for the first time, while the impressive record of accomplishment of the Australians in the last few years haunt them.

While everyone is praying for a victory, there is no visible frenzy in the country. As for the people, it is almost a kind of mass nirvana — we are with you, do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Positive outcome

However, the case of the Government and its managers is different. They see a positive outcome as an excellent opportunity to counter the global adverse publicity generated by the daily dose of bombings and killings because of the conflict.

The spin-off effect of a victory could lift the tourism industry from the virtual abyss in which it now is, and rekindle interest among foreign investors. In the words of Sri Lanka Tourist Board Chairman Renton de Alwis, the cricket World Cup provides an outstanding opportunity to lure holidaymakers. Tourist arrivals dipped by 16 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

"The exposure we have had during the World Cup is simply priceless for the country's image. The team's success has generated enormous awareness about the country. It's a shot in the arm for us," Mr. de Alwis said.

The Government believes the occasion offers scope to market Sri Lanka as a multi-ethnic and cultural society in all its colours and hues, and to promote much-needed harmony among various communities.

The state-run Daily News ran a front-page report to drive home the point. It read: "Yesterday we received a letter from one of our readers living in Norway. A Sri Lankan Tamil, Raman. This is what he had to say. Win for Sri Lanka. He is from Norway. We are Tamils, but Sri Lankan. We never carry anything other than the Sri Lankan flag. We are born to one Mother. Like that, we are sons of Sri Lanka. We are celebrating all Sri Lankan matches and preparing for celebrations coming Saturday. We will pray for the Sri Lankan players. We have to win this match."

Chief cheerleader

The political parties are driving their own agendas, pitching on the tournament. President Mahinda Rajapaksa flew to Barbados two days ahead of the final to be the chief cheerleader right at the venue.

Paying rich compliments to the team for its performance so far, Leader of the Opposition and United National Party (UNP) chief Ranil Wickremesinghe counselled the Rajapaksa regime to learn from the country's cricket team in running the nation's affairs.

Taking a dig at the President, party spokesman John Amaratunge said at a news conference here: "When the whole country is gripped by crises, chaos and LTTE brutality, and the people are in starvation, the President's pleasure tour to witness the World Cup cricket finals reminds us of Nero fiddling when Rome was burning."

He argued that the trip would have been all right if peace and plenty had been prevailing in the country. "The match is between Sri Lanka and Australia. Is the Australian Prime Minister making a tour to witness the match, even though Australia is not plagued by monumental problems like ours?" he asked.

The island's tourism industry has mounted a massive campaign to cash in on the international media exposure the players and the spectators were getting, drafting students to grab the attention of TV crews and the international press in the Caribbean. The students held traditional masks, balloons and placards describing bleached-haired Lasith Malinga as a "lad like no other," and Sanath Jayasuriya as a "master blaster like no other" — playing on Sri Lanka's tourism slogan, "a land like no other."

National broadcaster Rupavahini is believed to have made more than double the amount of money it spent to secure the domestic broadcast rights from selling air-time at a premium. A 30-second advertising spot was selling at Rs. 1,50,000 ($1,400) after Sri Lanka entered the semi-finals last week, according to advertising industry sources.

For the common citizen of the country, battered by conditions of undeclared war and 20 per cent inflation, the game is a great stress-buster. The entertainment provided by the cricketers is a great solace in these troubled times even if it is for a short interval. Irrespective of who wins the Cup, Sri Lanka is all set for a night-long carnival on Saturday.

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