STUART HESS | World Cup tour diary: Firecrackers and Fokofpolisiekar light up India

Diwali

A spectacular lights show at the Gateway of India in Mumbai was one of the big public celebrations of Diwali — the Hindu festival of lights. On the streets it may not be as spectacular but it doesn’t lack enthusiasm. Firecrackers to fireworks, of all decibels and brightness, take over neighbourhoods.

And that’s before the private parties. One, at a rooftop bar near the Gateway, saw an elderly man unleash his inner Les Grossman ... “plaaayer!”

The Ambani Tower

Given they’ve bought into South African cricket — through a TV deal with Cricket South Africa and as owners of one of the SA20 franchises — you know the Ambani family, which runs the Reliance Industries conglomerate, isn’t short of a few cents. Their multistorey home is on Cumbala Hill, where it is a central feature in what is known as “billionaires row” in South Mumbai, on account of, well, the name says it all.

With amenities such as a 168-car garage, a ballroom, nine high-speed lifts, a 50-seat theatre, terrace gardens, a swimming pool, spa, health centre, temple and a snow room that spits out snowflakes from the walls, Ambani Tower — or to give its real name, the Antilla building — is an unmissable addition to the Mumbai skyline. Presumably if the MII Cape Town side wins the SA20 they can host an after party in the snowflake room?

Leopold’s Cafe

Having survived five days in Ahmedabad, where alcohol is verboten, an ice cold Kingfisher Ultra Max — with an alcohol content that according to the label is anywhere between 5% and 8% — was the perfect refreshment on a Mumbai evening when the temperature hit 32°C.

The Leopold Cafe was made famous in Australian author Gregory David Roberts’ novel Shantaram. That made it a popular destination for tourists, but after the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which 10 patrons at the restaurant were killed, it has become more popular with locals — seen as an act of defiance.

It’s a fast food joint and the pizza is good. Watch out for the waiters, however, who will delay bringing you the bill so they can tempt you into trying one of the many colourful cakes at the front.

Eden Gardens

There is concern — for the Australians mainly — about rain forecast for Thursday’s semifinal. But “the Eden” has undergone several reforms — besides the capacity being reduced — that will allow play to resume quickly once the rain stops.

“Below the top soil surface, Eden has three layers — pipes, gravel and sand,” reported India's Telegraph newspaper. “The soil, however, makes the ground 'slushy'. So to alleviate this, they 'injected sand' into the soil, a process called 'core aerifying'. Try that in the garden this Saturday.”

The sounds of the Proteas

Much has been made of the music tastes of the South African team at this World Cup. At Tuesday night’s training, the mobile speaker blasted out Rock you like a hurricane by German rock band the Scorpions. DJ Dino Bravo was also reportedly heard by one of the Australian media contingent.

To be fair to them, the playlist is varied. Since the team have started blasting out music at training, everything from hip hop classics by Biggie Smalls to Fokofpolisiekar (Rassie van der Dussen’s favourites), Black Coffee and Bok van Blerk have made an appearance.