New Zealand Diary: Sachin Tendulkar, the best-seller

Sachin Tendulkar and John Cleese stare out from a book shelf at the Sydney airport as I wait for the connecting flight to Christchurch. Aussies love Tendulkar in general, though some in their media do snigger a bit about his involvement in the Sydneygate where they think he “lied” to save Harbhajan. “Cleese’s memoir is just about everything one would expect of its author – smart, thoughtful, provocative and above all funny,” read a review in Washington Post. Enough to record here that Tendulkar’s book has sold well.

Belgian baffles

A fellow passenger, from Belgium, wants to smoke but finds out that there is no smoking zone at the Sydney airport. It’s not that it’s a nation of non-smokers. And he does what smokers do. Stands in immigration queue for an hour, goes out of the airport, smokes out a half-pack, and gets in through after another round of immigration. I am enthralled by the commitment.

Suit-up for Cup

Spot Alan Wilkins, the former player turned TV commentator, at 1.30 am at the Christchurch airport. Shiny shoes, crisply tucked-in shirt, and a lovely smile. It’s 1.30, Alan; can you not look as if you are ready for a piece to the camera?

A Re:start

What do you do after earthquakes have destroyed your malls and shopping complexes? Plank big shipping containers and sell stuff from there. Tastefully decorated and brightly coloured, the containers sit adjacent to each other, selling from food to premium suits and what not. It’s aptly called Re:start container mall and considered an “icon for recovery in Christchurch” by the government. “We shall miss them when they are gone,” says a local.

Christ church

Trams crisscross the central part of the town, chugging past an English Canterbury Cathedral to Re:start mall. Hop-on and hop-off in three of them and see cheerful old men drive and double up as guides. Discover that the ancient cathedral that took 40 years to build and now damaged severely by the earthquake is at the centre of a public-church face-off. The church chose to demolish it in accordance with the process for earthquake-damaged buildings and had started breaking it down when citizens intervened with a stay order in the courts. Confident of the support from the engineers who are confident that it can be restored to its full glory without having to tear it down, the ‘restore Christchurch cathedral campaign’ has managed to stop the church for now. Ian, a tram guide says: “Church wants it down, we want it up. Surprising, isn’t it?”