Cauldron of mixed emotions: With hardly 2 days left for final showdown, Ahmedabad going about business as usual

Rohit Mahajan

Ahmedabad, November 17

Is the World Cup final really just two days away? You wouldn’t know if you were to roam about Ahmedabad. The megacity simply seems to be oblivious to the big game, seemingly going about business — which it’s rather good at. There are some signs of cricketing activity when you close in on the eye-popping Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, located just off the Ahmedabad-Patan highway. Some of those posing for photographs in front of the main stadium gate are travellers attracted by the sight of the mega-stadium, the biggest in the world; some have come from the city to get themselves photographed.

The box office is closed. There’s no question of tickets being officially procured for love or money — unofficially, they’re reported to be available for upward of Rs 30,000.

There’s a crowd inside the stadium, but most of them are cops or dancers, who would entertain the crowd during the innings break on Sunday.

The dancers, mostly college students, are the only ones who seem to be enjoying themselves inside the stadium — their joyous squeals ring around the small ground next to the stadium.

But talk to them, you find that they’re sad, too — they wouldn’t be able to watch the game. “Can’t they give us some seats? We’d have to go out?” a young dancer, a college student, asks Rakshit Vyas, a dance coordinator who’s only 24 but has made a name for himself in the garba circles here. Rakshit is young but knows how the world works. “The tickets are being sold for at least Rs 40,000, why would they waste them on us?” But the young dancer is insistent: “There are one lakh, thirty-two thousand seats in the stadium. Couldn’t they have given us only 500 of those? We’re also performing for the country!” No way, says Rakshit. “You’re performing for your career, and you’re also getting a fee,” says the worldly wise dance coordinator.

Another fun moment was created by the Surya Kiran, the Indian Air Force’s aerobatic team, which will put up a 10-minute performance before the start of the final.

Away from the planes and the squealing dancers, there’s an overbearing sense of control across the stadium. The place is crawling with cops, many of whom are clicking selfies with the awe-inspiring ground and stands in the background. Some are trying to peer through holes in the black cloth which have obscured the nets.

The nets have been swathed with black cloth, for they don’t want the media to see how the teams are practising, and you have to trudge a long, roundabout route to get a distant, aerial glimpse of the nets.

Heightened security is understandable, for PM Narendra Modi is expected to be present at the final.

Businesses booming

Business is booming, however. Hotels have doubled, trebled and even quadrupled tariff — elite hotels are charging up to Rs 2 lakh for November 19, the day of the final.

Airlines are operating extra flights, but the ticket prices on the days before and after the final have rocketed. The day after the final, a seat on Ahmedabad-Delhi flights is available for upward of Rs 21,000. Operators of chartered airlines have reported a surge in enquiries. Hotel associations are expecting up to 30,000 visitors to touch down for the final, belying the tepid interest across the city.