futebol

back in sultan bathery without a reputable spacebar and enmeshed in the humanity. sights, sounds, and the Odor of some special funk on the computer-savvy may understand.

understanding.

it's the worldcup somewherewhen and here in kerala amidst the sweezy blaring of a chennai and clouds of bus exhaust one distinguishes -- por todos lados -- huge posters of brasilian and argentine faces and uniforms, poised happily/aggressively (war is peace, aggression is happiness) around a soccer ball. a futbol. a fuchiboli, as it were.

everywhere. in seven months of mango'd wandering i ne'er saw a fo'otball and now they are everywhere. kids for once are not playing cricket but aiming penalty kicks through bamboo goalposts. brasilian and argentine flags are everywhere, with the occassional red burst of england. the other teams/countries don't seem to exist. maybe they don't. i have no idea who is in the world cup anyhow but according to indian propaganda its brasil, argentina, and england.

certainly not india.

these posters, i am told, are set up by fan's clubs, mainly, it seems, for the purpose of advertising and sponsorship. not sponsoring the teams mind you, but the posters. i imagine the hysterical excitement this creates is somehow tied to boosting the economy, or underwritten by the (mammot) keralan gold industry.

enough. just so you know futebol is alive and strong here and i already have two sandals and a thousand business cards with (detourned version of) the brasilian flag to show with whom my alleigances lie.