Rooney to my rescue!

August 2006

LOSA, an aggrandized cultural extravaganza of Southern TN is easily the most awaited event in anyone's school life out in the south. Having been a part of the substitute quiz team, I got my first serious task at PSYNA college in the suburbs of Madurai as the celebrated regular quizzing teams of my school had to focus on studies. My team eventually came second in the tournament and were in the reckoning for LOSA's second team.

LOSA, being a event conducted and financed by TVS school's Alumni on a five lakh budget, the quiz was expected to be a tough nut to crack. Sports quiz qualifier went on smoothly and we cruised to the final. General Quiz prelimns had more than expected questions on sports and entertainment, so we luckily entered the finals. Finished third in General quiz, after enjoying the lead for few incredible moments in the initial part of the quiz.Being a second team from my school, qualifying itself appeared one mega achievement and coming third in it made me feel on top of the world.

I noticed all the variants of girls - cute, hot, dumb, trendy and smart (which was the reason I was there in the first place ;) ), as I walked along the corridors leading to the sports quiz venue after my skit team had bagged the first place in Movie-spoof competition and I was on an all time high. I had one fine final chance to prove my prowess as an accidental yet decent quizzer. The Sports quiz team comprising of me,Ram and Aniruth were perched nearest to the audience, who were sitting behind us in the cozy and cool lab with projector. The quiz organisers(TVS alumni) shook hands with us with a easily noticeable false smile and wished good luck, cursing under their breath, " u gona be bad losers this eve"...

Infinite bounds round of 40 questions.
After 39 questions, the scores stood as follows

The home team(TVS) at 80
My team - 75
The perpetual Mahatma(my school) - TVS rivalry reached new heights after this tight situation. The entire quiz organisers team were TVS alumni and everyone shot cold stares at us.

I forgot I was an atheist for a moment, the rest of the teams were looking at the quiz master, who winked at the TVS team on top of the charts.
Damn, he was from TVS too. It was a direct question to us.
All my sensory organs were so focussed at the quiz master.
Sweat trickled down my neck.. AC? It was on at 21 degree celsius!

" IF he had the citizenship to my country I would love to have him play for my country... Who said this about whom ?"

I blurted out Maradona and errr..err...
Ive come across it somewhere before, somewhere... I slapped myself, hoping it ll turn on my rusty brain and the answer surfaces. Aniruth and Ram sensed my anxiety and asked me to make a wild guess.
Quiz master announced that it wont have any part points.
I know you biased swine.

Everything look blurred to me, time stood still suddenly, I felt myself locked up in some dark room. I couldn't hear any noise around the room and even the smirking rival team already half celebrating their victory noisily. I shook my head vigorously for a moment hoping it comes to my head magically.

The quizmaster's voice loomed spelling doom to us, " ten seconds"
Wait you fuckin idiot
I turned back at the crowd who were right behind us (literally). A guy was stealthily tugging at Aniruth's t-shirt from behind and he shrugged. I lay back and read the words on the back of Aniruth's t-shirt...It read

ROONEY
Time resumed. Light filled the room and the door was thrown wide open.

The quiz master was about to mouth the words 'times up' and I squeaked WAYNE ROOONEY. The whole room fell silent for a second and the rival team stared open mouthed at me.
The quiz master looked shocked in disbelief for a moment and stuttered, " Corr..rrect a.an..an..answer" .

We leapt in joy at our unprecedented hour of glory. I stood up, and involuntarily my middle finger pointed towards the professor who intervened in the general quiz finals,which had cost us the second place.
The august month eve proved to be one of the most august moments in my life, thanks to the stranger who made it possible by stroking my team mate's shirt once.

Bless Aniruth for wearing Rooney's jersey. Bless Body Language apparel shop where he got it. Bless Rooney for being what he is...