Sunday game at Chandigarh College of Architecture: Not just cricket but a bond

For most people, Sundays mean lazy mornings and lavish breakfasts. But for cricket enthusiasts like us, they begin at 6:30 am with a game at the Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA) inside

Punjab Engineering College campus. What started a decade ago as a one-time casual meet up, has now become a ritual none of us want to miss.

We are no cricketers, just a bunch of thirty-somethings trying to hold on to our college days. Honestly, even an under-ten gully team could probably beat us.

But that was never the point. The idea was to meet, laugh and remind each other that no matter what life throws at us, it is okay, it shall pass. Everyone is fighting a battle of their own and these Sunday mornings remind us that we are not alone in it.

Our spirit was tested during the Covid years when the campus was out of bounds. Still, we refused to stop. We tried every patch of open ground we could find, from market parking lots to neighbourhood parks. The park near the ISKCON temple became our home turf for a while, until CCA finally called us back.

The ritual always ends with breakfast. It began at Indian Coffee House in Sector 17, then ICH 36, Kartik in Sector 15, StuCee at Panjab University, Shree Ganesh “Appe Uncle” which later became Chennai Maratha, and lately, Chotta Banaras. We are now greeted like regulars everywhere.

I have a transferable job and have lived away from Chandigarh for years. But every time I am home, I know exactly where I will be on Sunday morning, bat in hand, surrounded by friends and a heart full of CCA. A shout-out to our ever-patient principal who has learned to expect our early morning calls, and she always smiles and lets us in. I guess she knows by now, it’s not just cricket. It's our way of staying connected with our alma mater.

Kamal Passi, Chandigarh