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12 Jersey (Kindly bought by my traveller brother, from the
Arsenal store in UK), Passport with Entry Visa, Boarding Passes
Del
to KL & KL Jakarta and the Matchday Ticket
THE ARSENAL PILGRIMAGE
Ihave seen more than I can remember. And I remember more than I
have seen
From as far back as the Champions League final that we lost, I
remember thinking, if in life theres one
thing I do, and only the one thing that I do right, it would be
to see Arsenal live. For years, I have struggled,
made plans, coerced friends into joining me in a trip to the UK,
but to no avail. The closest I came tofulfilling this promise to
myself was last year, when Arsenals trip to the Bukit Jalil Stadium
in Kuala Lumpur
seemed just within reach. That too unfortunately, fell through.
Next year, I promised, next year, come
what may.
Landing in Indonesia via KL, the irony wasnt lost on me, of
having travelled an extra thousand odd miles to
fulfil my pledge. I felt a strange sense of calm, almost
detachment, when the officer stamped my passport
with the entry visa and with benevolence bordering on the
surreal, said the magic words Enjoy your
stay in Indonesia. For all I knew, I was being ushered in to
Utopia itself.
Making friends was easy; and one of the first things I noticed
as a solo traveller was how interested
everyone around me was, to share in my story. Not wanting to
leave anything to chance, I went to the
ticketing counter at Pacific Place straight from the airport.
The genial cab driver gave me a fill-up on the
soccer frenzy that had gripped Jakarta with Arsenal leading the
roster, being followed by Liverpool &
Chelsea within a few weeks. We developed such a rapport in the
short ride that I entrusted him with my
baggage while I ran up to procure the precious ticket.
The elevator attendant was bemused when the only two passengers
in the elevator, a guy my age and I,
started talking as if we were long lost friends. What had
transpired was that in giving directions to her,
both he and I had inadvertently spoken out the same store on the
5th
floor. From there, to establishingArsenal fandom and the short
hop to sharing the excitement of our maiden Arsenal live match was
but a
formality. He and I while in queue for the tickets, discussed
opinions and views on everything from
highlights of previous seasons to the transfer window. I was
pleasantly surprised at the depth of
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knowledge and the passion for the club. The queue ambled on, as
everything from Girouds form to
Walcotts contribution in the upcoming season was dissected by us
and we attracted quite a few
comments in the discussion from supporters around us some from
Indonesia, and some from as far as
Singapore and Australia !
Match-day brought with it, the threat of rain hinted at by grey
skies above.
Decked out in the kit, I paced around for a while and when I
couldnt stand the waiting anymore, went
downstairs. Again in the elevator, I ran across Jonny, who like
me was in the Arsenal kit. This time though,
he recognized me before I could place him as a Gooner. Owing in
part to my Home kit, and his vintage 79
FA Cup Final kit, which has a striking resemblance to the away
kit in the upcoming 13 14 season, that I
understood his dad had seen live. Tales of Highbury and London
dominated the conversation and I soaked
it all in, while a short ride later, we were there.
Thousands of Arsenal fans a sea of RED & WHITE !
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Patient queues punctuated by horns, drums and spontaneous
breakouts of Arsenal! Arsenal!! rendered
the air. The stadium a behemoth to rival the cricketing stadiums
back in India, seemed to swallow up the
meandering river of support and as I stepped in, with almost an
hour to go to kick-off, the seemingly unreal
sight of thousands of Gooners united in their voice made my
knees tremble. I was here!
A quick word on the responses generated by the players Monsieur
Giroud was easily the favourite with
the ladies (and quite a few had turned up) while Prince Podolski
and Theo drew equally rapturous
applause. Warm chants of Jack, Jack were reserved for Wilshere,
while Ryo who had a late fitness testinvited supportive applause
whichever section of the ground he neared. But the loudest applause
was
reserved for Monsieur Wenger himself and the decibel levels in
the stadium increased dramatically with
his entrance.
The match in itself has been covered extensively. While the home
team was lauded in its efforts and drew
encouragement whenever it ventured forth, it was the Gunners
that everyone had come to watch; and by
Jove, they didnt disappoint! Crisp finishes from Walcott, Giroud
and the youngsters ensured we finished
the game with a healthy scoreline of 7-0. What a first match to
see live!
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The fun did not end there. While I thought that Jonny and I
ought to have a picture clicked to remember
the day and Australian fan and an Indian fan met halfway in
Jakarta as Gooners,
we were quickly besieged by our Indonesian friends who insisted
that fans from other nations ought to
have commemorative pictures clicked with them as well. The
result being, that for twenty odd minutes
after the Terima Kasih banner had been unfurled, we were still
at it in the stands, getting photographs
clicked and clicking some in turn. The warm, hospitable
countenances, happiness at welcoming us to their
country and above all, the spirit of Arsenal still live loud and
clear, in my heart nearly a month after my
pilgrimage.
I spent two weeks travelling in Indonesia, all by myself and the
spirit of the welcome that I received in
Jakarta stayed with me through the duration. The energy of the
people and the easy smile that welcomed
wherever I visited, have led to another promise to myself that I
will come back to this wonderful country
soon. Of course, the original entry in my to-do list has been
modified thus.
Watch Arsenal live someday at the Emirates Stadium in a
competitive game someday!!!
Fans who adopted Jonny and I, as long lost friends
