Myth surrounding U Mumba's trophy parade in Mumbai locals debunked
On 23rd August, U Mumba beat Bengaluru Bulls in the final of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi season 2 to spark wild celebrations. The U Mumba camp decided to take the trains to commemorate their historic win.
So, the very next day, Mumbai locals were graced by the presence of the U Mumba players along with their coaches and team owner. The trophy parade saw the U Mumba camp travel from Andheri to Churchgate on the local train before taking a jeep ride to Marine drive as a part of the celebratory procession.
Kabaddi is an aam aadmi sport, so we celebrated by taking the local train & were treated with dignity everywhere! https://t.co/Zrpx4Pi0N3
— U Mumba (@U_Mumba) August 26, 2015
However, people mistook their unique way of celebrating as a move forced upon them for lack of funds. They could be forgiven for making the mistake as a few years ago, the Indian women’s kabaddi World Cup team were seen hailing an auto right after their trouncing England to win the tournament.
The trophy parade in the Mumbai local was a grand success. Locals thronged to the first class compartment where the players were lodged as they gracefully obliged star-struck fans and well-wishers with photographs and autographs. The players were seen playing pranks and singing Bollywood songs in their compartment amidst tight security.
Felt like a Mumbaikar: Anup Kumar
The train ride helped the players get a taste of the city and this was acknowledged by U Mumba captain Anup Kumar (who hails from Palra, Haryana), who admitted that he felt like a Mumbaikar due to the train travel.
"I felt like a Mumbaikar, travelled in a train, met fans. It's a memorable day," Mid-Day quoted U Mumba captain Anup Kumar as saying.
The team’s star defender, Jeeva Kumar, put a timeline on the team’s celebrations. Jeeva revealed that they reached their hotel at 7 in the morning the next day after a night of partying and took to the train despite sleep deprivation.
"It's been a crazy day for us. After the final, we went to the Taj and were partying till 5 am. We reached our hotel (Courtyard Mariott in Andheri) at 7am. Since we had to get ready for the victory parade, we barely got three hours of sleep, but it's worth it," Jeeva said.
In a world where teams and players arrange for open top bus parades around the city after a big triumph, this brilliant move of celebrating among the masses by travelling like them by Star Sports Pro Kabaddi franchise – U Mumba, was a welcome change and much appreciated.
