Thursday 15 July 2010

Holland vs Netherlands

Circa 1995-96
Characters:
Me 11-12 years old.
A, My brother 2years younger to me

Scene: We both were alone in the house. While surfing channels, my brother came across a football match on some Sports channel. Being an avid sports fan (as he proclaimed then), he got hooked to the match. I was not a keen sports enthusiast. All I wanted to watch was “MTV”.
Me: A, change the channel.
A: (royal ignore)
Me(ordering): Didn’t you listen, change the channel. I don’t want to see that stupid match. Its not even a ‘LIVE’ match!! Some old match..
A: Let me watch na di..
Me (tried snatching the remote from him)
A (successful in seizing the remote to himself)
Me: (got up from the couch and stood in front of the screen making weird body movements in order to not let him see the TV screen at all..
A (annoyed) ; kya hain di.. get lost. Have I ever done this to you? Why do you always does this? I..
Me (yelling): You don’t even know which two countries are playing this match, and still you want to see the match! huh..
A: I know..I know (still trying to catch a glimpse of the match)
Me (in my cunning Judge avatar) : ok, you have to earn the right to watch the match..I ll ask you a question.If you get the right answer, you can watch the match and if couldn’t then I ll have the remote. Fine?
A: (perplexed but seeing that this is his only chance to view the match uninterruptedly) Okay. But it has to be something of my standard, ok.
Those were the days when we were ardent followers of “Bournvita Quiz Contest”. So quizzing each other on current affairs and general knowledge was our time-pass.
Me: ok. It would be an easy one. Tell me, which 2 countries are playing this match?
A(fading smile) : oye..!! let me at least see the screen. I cant even see their jerseys.
I moved from the screen and checked that the score –board was not poping at any side of the screen at that moment. After a good 15 second. I moved back to my place of being a wall in front of him and TV.
Me: So tell me..
A: Give me time..
Me: Ok , I will give you a hint. One of the team is “Holland”. How did I guess?(proud of my knowledge) Because they are wearing the ‘Orange’ jersey. Orange is their national colour of sorts. Now tell me which country the other team represents.
I myself had no effing idea about the teams.
A: (blank face but impressed by my knowledge of Geography and football)
Me: Time up! Give me the remote.
A: (like a dignified loser handed me the remote): But you first have to tell me which is the other team? (ah, the thirst for knowledge;))
Me: Stupid, you don’t even know this and then you proclaim that you are a know-all in sports. It’s between “Holland” and “Netherlands”!! (still suspecting that I might get caught on my ‘high-risk' bluff)
A (with a saddened face and nodding his head) : ohh..
Me (controlling my laughter hard changed the channel to MTV and still couldn't stop grinning all the time of her master-stroke and awaiting her parents to tell them the incident).
That was the age of stupidity of my brother.
Later in the evening, this story was told in front of the whole family how my brother came to believe that Holland and Netherlands were different countries and I know for sure, I would be narrating this story of their father's knowledge to his kids also.. Yes, wicked me:)