KATHMANDU, July 4: Bald heads with long tupis (peak tails). White-yellow, dhotis, red-blue underwares. Young children with bare feet running after a football. Football fever, which is currently taking place in Russia, did not spare even young students of Bhagawat Sanyas Ashram and Gurukul on the premises of Pashupati Temple.
Gurukul students, who are receiving ancient Vedic education, have also blended themselves with the football tournament.
The students who are engrossed in the vedic rhythm every morning pass their time playing football in the afternoon.
They preach Om Shanti, Shanti as a mantra in the morning and enjoy shouting out goal … goal in the afternoon.
“Veda provides us peace while football gives us happiness,” said a 10th grader Umesh Pokharel said. “He likes Shankaracharya among the religious personalities and Ronaldo is his favorite among the footballers.
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I like him irrespective of his wins and losses. Thai is why I am now playing wearing the vest of his country.
They get up at 5 am every morning, carries out daily chores, preach gayatri mantra, recites veda and offer prayers.
They study both traditional and modern education. Then, they play football in their spare time. A total of 40 students aged between 10 to 18 are in the Ashram.
Gurukul has made no arrangements for them to watch World Cup football. It has made them a little sad. However, they get updates about world Cup football through newspapers every morning.
“We glance over the newspapers every morning,” seventh grader 13-year-old Rajesh Parajuli said, “ We get updates about World Cup football through newspapers.”
He likes Japanese team. Honda is his favorite player. However, he has no complaints for being deprived of watching his favorite football team on TV because of Gurukul regulations.
He wants to watch World Cup football love on TV to be held in 2022. I will have finished my Gurukul study by then.
Dressed in modern jersey with cleat shoes (studded shoes) on, they are playing in traditional attires.
Some people do not wear shoes even if they put on jerseys of their favorite countries instead of underwares.
“We don’t feel uncomfortable to play football in dhotis,” eight grader Hari Sharan Neupane said. Messi’s fan, he is not sad even though Argentina crashed out of the round of 16, rather he is hopeful that the team would do better in the future.
“Actually, they are allowed to only play on the occasion of Ashtami and Pratipada,” school teacher Ashok Paudel said, “Since the World Cup football is going on, they rush out to play football as soon as the class is over by flouting school rules.” “They are happy to play football.” “They are happy with both the traditional knowledge and modern games,” he said, adding, “They like Dandibiyo as well as football.”
They play in a team. They designate themselves with funny names, sometimes Dhunga-Mato, at times Bar-Pipal. Sometimes Ronaldo and Messi while at times, Balmiki and Shankaracharya. “Bar defeated Pipal today,” eighth grader Shreedhar Badal told Republica Online on Tuesday. “We are happy with both the wins and losses.”
Video by Dipendra Rokka/Republica
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