CHANDIGARH, April 30: The Indian cricket team never had it so good. Even after its departure to England for the World Cup, the people are in no mood to stop from wishing the team good luck, of course. It's not merely lip-to-lip prayer, but has become a national phenomenon, with the corporate world jumping in to join the bandwagon.Come May 4 and the people of Chandigarh and its surrounding areas will get a chance to wish the Indian team through a signature campaign promoted by Parle India, in association with M.Net. Already full of scrawls from thousands of people across the country, the promoters hope to add another 60,000-70,000 on the massive cricket bat and a jumbo ball on a giant float in its three-day stint in the City.
The campaign, to be run in 20 different cities across the country, will come to the city after its successful journey through Bangalore, Mumbai, Indore, Lucknow and Delhi after it was launched in Calcutta on April 9. The caravan is also expected to move through Chennai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Cochin, Guwahati, Coimbatore and Thiruvanthapuram among others.
The Good Luck bat and the ball will later be presented to the captain of the Indian team, Mohammed Azharuddin before the side's first match against South Africa on May 16.
The local Member of Parliament, Satya Pal Jain, will launch the campaign in the city from the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium at 3.30 p.m.. The float will then move onto different strategic points in the city (Rock Garden, Lake, Sector 17 Shopping Piazza, hotels, colleges, university, cinemas and popular eating joints) the next three days, stopping and welcoming fans to sign their wishes. Among those expected to sign are Nek Chand, Jaspal Bhatti, Milkha Singh, Kiran Bedi, I S Bindra, Yog Raj Singh and D P Azad, and of course, you.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.