It was a bright and sunny March morning and 11 teams headed to ITC Sonar for the 9th Jungle Crows Corporate Touch Rugby. 

The players warmed up, did a couple of laps, squats and lunges before it was time to get set, go! With the weather being just perfect, the teams battled it out on the field, while the spectators cheered them on from the sidelines. 

The teams in the fray were PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Linde Group, British Deputy High Commission, ONergy, Terra Indica, High Life Management, Decathlon, Future Hope, Cultures Cuisine, ITC Sonar and t2 Tornadoes. Each team had to play a minimum of three matches and depending on how many matches they won, qualified for the Bowl, Plate and Cup rounds. 

Defending champion Terra Indica emerged with the Cup, while Cultures Cuisine was the runner-up. “The idea is to help people get fitter so they can work better. We are also planning to introduce a corporate fitness programme,” said Harinder Singh, manager, Jungle Crows.

The day ended with a sumptuous lunch by ITC Sonar, beer and bonhomie.

THE TORNADO DIARY

Convert Tornado

Jungle Crows and ITC Sonar invite t2 to participate in the annual Corporate Touch Rugby. We are thrown into a tizzy. What is touch rugby? Is it more violent that normal rugby? What can possibly be more violent than normal rugby? Why do they think we’ll enjoy having our bones crushed? Nevertheless, eight curious females, of varying ages and sizes, with little regard for their lives, sign up. Let it never be said that the t2 girls are chicken-hearted. 

On Day One, four stragglers turn up at 7am, bleary-eyed, attempting to stretch limbs that protest. We are asked to jog to the end of the field and back. Twice. We stand in a circle and toss the rugby ball around. The ball is deceptive. It’s mastered the art of slipping past your fingers and rolling away, so you have to make a wild dash after it while the coach rolls his eyes. Then we play a short game  — all of us versus the TDH (tall, dark, handsome) Coach Hari. Coach wins. 

Day One comes to a close and we troop away, feeling suitably unfit. We discuss the benefits of running every morning. We discuss buying appropriate shoes before we go running every morning. We agree we should have breakfast in Flurys because that’s the logical first step to a healthy lifestyle. 

At work, the others crowd around to listen to tales about the swift runner, the nimble catcher, the artful defender. We have a grinning selfie to prove our achievements. By 7pm, we begin to doze at our desks. Isn’t ‘early to bed’ the maxim of a healthy person? Maybe it’s time to give up the desk job and embrace the outdoorsy life. And rugby. At least we’ll never be fat again.  

Ramona Sen

Clueless Tornado

Day One of training: First things first, let’s take a selfie. No that one’s not quite right. Let’s take stylised pictures now. Oh, we have to run? Easy. No, it’s not. We haven’t run in the last decade and a half. We eat chilli pork and cupcakes and sit around. We have to catch a ball and throw it too. While running. Multitasking is hard. Why does the coach look so worried? Did he want to be in the selfie? Let’s take a water break. Oh wait, it’s only been warm-up. Mommmmmmyyyy!

D Day at ITC Sonar: We get there early. Look around. There are all these fierce people — tall, fit, doing strange stuff like lunges, squats, and all those fitness-y things. We need to feel confident. Let’s take a selfie. It’s a nice selfie. Confidence soars. Ooh look at those players. They move like lightning. Is it the same game we’ve been playing? It’s all a blur. Where’s the exit? Can we go? No, we can’t. Okay, let’s put on some sunscreen and smile. Where are the cute guys? Should we have a team dance routine ready in case we win?

Out on the field: We scored a goal! We did? Yes, we did. Run aimlessly. Pant. Call for replacement. Try to shout (respectfully) at the referee. Game over. It was a draw! Drink water, rest and sneer at other teams. Repeat the field action. Return to stands and eat a leisurely lunch. Return to field to find the other team waiting. Ignore comments from the sidelines. Did someone just push our teammate? Did they? We give it back: “Ladki ko maarta hai, badtameez!” Feeling all powerful again, we walk off the field. Well, at least we tried. 

Anindita Mitra

Fashionista Tornado

The biggest stress was what to wear for the final match. C’mon, after all we were t2 Tornadoes and we had to make an entry in style. We dreamt of cool captioned tees and pleaded for special jersey numbers (Messi and Kohli, 10 and 18, were taken, but thankfully the handsome Cristiano’s No 7 was mine!)

<Blush>.

Our WhatsApp group threw up 171 wardrobe-related messages in two hours. Given that this discussion was happening roughly 72 hours before the March 7 match, in a WhatsApp group, we soon realised we couldn’t ‘tackle’ trendy quick enough. Yet, our mission to look good on field could not be aborted. So we bypassed pink, dwelt slightly on maroon, and eventually settled for black tees and colourful bandanas that spelt out S.W.A.G. 

God must be a woman. Because on the final day, a couple of tough Jungle Crows players were assigned to our team. We saw those strong, fleet-footed players and it boosted our confidence like make-up lifts Kylie Jenner’s lips. But the funniest moment was the expression on their faces when they yelled ‘warm-up’ and we girls started to furiously slather on sunscreen!

Sunscreen done, it was time for our bandanas to come out. By the time we went on to play our first match, we were introduced as “the most stylish team, after all the t2  Tornadoes are all about style”. Mission accomplished #win 

(Pssssst: We did lose one gel nail during the practice rounds but we successfully pulled off three final-day matches in sunglasses.)

Pramita Ghosh 

Captain Tornado 

On March 7, the day of the tournament, the misfits (the ones who’d survived practice) reached the venue with pterodactyls in their stomachs. We were totally psyched when we saw our competitors. Each team had burly, buff men throwing around the rugby ball, running around the field with their calf muscles rippling. 

But hey, we were there to have a good time and we’ll do just that, we decided. We met the players from Jungle Crows — our teammates for the day — and felt better. They moved like bullets with the ball. 

The first match began. It was a blur. Before we could comprehend what was happening, a lot took place. We ran, we passed around the ball, we caught the ball and we scored! Four times, actually. The match ended in a draw and we broke into little jigs. We didn’t lose! We didn’t make complete (complete being the keyword here) fools of ourselves! 

The second match was just as action-packed and exciting, but we lost. We qualified for the semi-finals of the Plate, and were ecstatic! We disappeared for an elaborate lunch before the semi-final match (not such a good idea, we realised later) and returned to find the other team waiting for us, (im)patiently, on the field. We ran, dashed, tackled, fell, got up, ran some more.

No, we didn’t win. Yes, we returned home with sunburns and (slightly) fitter bodies. And some unforgettable memories.

Deborima Ganguly

 

Pictures: B. Halder