Just as Central Park acts as the lungs of Manhattan, so does Maiden Oval provide the same for south Mumbai. This open field is not known for leisurely strolls however. This place acts as sacred as any sport arena in the world. Yet unlike Yankee Stadium, Wimbledon or Wembley, entrance here is free - both to play on, and to watch India’s revered national game.

Palm trees are lined around the long perimeter, providing much needed shade from the hot sub-continent sun; whereas the rest is grass which has turned into a permanent tint of brownish green. The field needs much water and rest from those that use it; but as with the rest of Mumbai, there is no rest to be found here.

On weekdays you will find gentlemen dressed in white, in funny hats running after a ball that is harder than a baseball. They will break for tea, for lunch, and for tea again as games last as long as the sun shines. Sometimes they go on for days. Unlike Mumbai however, no rush is to be found here.

On weekends the number of games and participants multiplies. School is out and so to are the children. They are pretending to be the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar. The riskier ones call themselves Brett Lee or a fancier Shane Warne; but they are rare. These are Indian school children remember. Can you imagine a young Canadian wanting to be an Ovechkin over a Crosby, a Jagr over a Gretzky?

The pitches are so many they quickly begin to overlap themselves. Outfielders are soon standing on the pitches of 10 other games, not to mention the 50 games that are a step over to the right; but they make do. Imagine 10 baseball games being played on one field. To make it work you simply shift everyone, home plate included, over 10 feet and you can start a new game. Repeat until there is not a patch left for homeplate. This is the scene here on Saturday afternoons. Open space in Mumbai is a luxury – an open-air grass field is heaven. It is simply hard to come by.

But so too are the wickets and the stumps; the equipment needed to make this game happen. Rocks, garbage bins, sticks, popcans, old shoes, etc. will do just fine. The one thing they do have in abundance are people – which means more games are to be played. To an outsider it looks as if they are playing a poor, scaled down version of the game. To the Indians the spirit is alive within the sport more than ever, and they are all rich for being apart of it.

The scene is dramatic. The Bombay High Court and Mumbai University act as the ever present officials, towering over the grounds dressed in their neo-gothic architecture. It’s a formidable sight, both in style and location. The crowd is the city itself. It’s always packed to a full house

It’s a setting unlike anywhere else in the world. India has many of these, yes; but here on this ground, the Maiden Oval, it’s stronger. You see all of India’s history; it’s past, present and future rolled into this one story. From the game itself and the towering brick officials that the English build and left behind, this former colony still vibrates their former ties with the Crown. The present is displayed in real time, through the method and mode of the sport highlights India’s resilience and versatility to having and owning little but playing on, living on, indifferent to their situation. The future is shown through their eyes, for the promise to win and to be great is what fuels dreams for a better tomorrow. Many first learn to dream once walking on this field. It is here where they can dream of becoming great.

The saturated colours of this hazy, tropical city leave an imprint on the mind that no Polaroid will ever capture. These images carry more than pictures; they carry a substance which will only greet those who dare to experience it for themselves.

And it’s this idea that makes this country, mother India, so fascinating. Pictures of her will bring you a hint or a clue of what she looks like. All the possibilities will only be unveiled and unravelled to those in person. You must show your ticket before entering; accessing her beauty is not that easy.

Once you are in, it’s yours to explore. Through the good, the bad, the ugly to the downright difficult. Through the smiles, the crowdedness, the horns and the head wobbles. The street cows, painted foreheads, the bumble bee taxis and their numerous Hindu Gods. Through Bollywood and Big B, to curry and thalis, and the masala chai wallas; the experience is there for the taking. Go out and get it. Why not stop by the Maiden and catch some cricket while you are at it – the shaded areas are great for a long and lazy afternoon.