Peaceful Rivalry Plays Out at USC

Their nuclear-armed nations appear to be on the brink of going to war, but you won’t catch a hint of that when Indian and Pakistani students at USC square off against each other on Friday nights.

The Trojan Cricket Club, organized in 1992 by South Asian students, now has about five dozen members, mostly Indian and Pakistani graduate students and a handful from England and Sri Lanka. From 6 to 8 p.m., everyone can join in the weekly game. But from 8 to 10, it’s a serious match between teams of Indians and Pakistanis.

“You won’t find this kind of thing happening either in India or Pakistan without riots breaking out,” Iftikhar Burhanuddin, a doctoral candidate in computer science from Madras, India, said only half-jokingly as he watched his friends play at Cromwell Athletic Field on a chilly night. “In spite of what’s happening in the outside world, these kids seem to be playing as if nothing has happened.”

The players say cricket--a sport as popular on the Indian subcontinent as baseball and football are in the continental United States--symbolizes friendly relations between students on campus from both countries.

“We play together, and we study together,” said Salman Khan, a Pakistani graduate student in computer engineering who is president of the club this year.

“We talk the same language and eat the same kinds of food,” said Jigar Shah, an electrical engineer from India, who was club president last year.

Pakistanis and Indians, who belonged to one British-ruled India before it was partitioned after the 1947 independence, have a lot in common. Physically, it’s impossible to tell them apart. They also understand each other’s languages, because Hindi and Urdu--the most prevalent native tongues on the subcontinent--are similar. In addition, the two peoples have in common not only the legacy of British colonialism, but similar customs, such as in wedding rites; familiarity with each others’ culture and religions; and a keen sense of humor.

These commonalities, plus being away from home and their shared passion for the sport, offer sufficient bonding to transcend politics in their native countries, they say.

The historical enmity between the South Asian neighbors over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir--the source of wars between India and Pakistan since their independence--appears to have hardly any bearing on the friendships the international students have forged in Los Angeles.

Since a December suicide attack on India’s parliament, which the New Delhi government has blamed on Pakistan-based militants, both countries have mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops along the border. Numerous militant groups are fighting India’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, where tens of thousands have been killed in 12 years of rebellion.

“Bahut Sahi!” (“Really nice!” in Hindi), Indian students yelled on this Friday night whenever their team scored a run on the well-lit field.

“Bahut Aala!” (“Very nice!” in Urdu), Pakistanis cheered when their team moved ahead.

The Indian cricket team has more students to pick from--there are 839 Indians registered at USC, the largest international student group on campus, compared with 72 Pakistanis. But on this night, the 11-member Pakistani team had the final word: “Shabash! Shabash!” (“Well done!” in Urdu). It won, 181 runs to 126.

Nauman Moazzam, an electric engineer from Lahore, Pakistan, who has been playing with the club since 1999, said he was looking forward to a special treat to celebrate.

When the Pakistani team wins, Dr. Saida Aamir Malik, the wife of a player, treats the winners to a Pakistani meal in their home, Moazzam said. One of the team’s favorites is her spicy chicken karahi, which she serves with thin bread and sweets.

Osman Javed, known as O.J., says there is no game like cricket for his people, even though field hockey is Pakistan’s national sport.

“Everybody plays [cricket]--in the streets, on the roof, every place you find some space, people play it,” said the electrical engineer from Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. “It’s in our blood. We can’t explain it. We can sit in our homes for five days watching it on television. We simply love it. It’s our way of life.”

Not to be outdone, India’s Shah, said: “Cricket is everything for an Indian. It’s more than a game. It’s lifeblood for an Indian. When there is a cricket match, the whole country stops.”

To play on USC’s Cromwell Field, where joggers use the running track that circles the grass, players have made minor adjustments. They use a soft ball instead of a hard leather ball. The modification averts potential injury and saves extra expenses in pads and other gear, which they can ill afford.

“Sports is just a global feeling,” said an Indian cricket player, Ram Koundinya, an electrical engineering student. “Everyone playing is the same. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Hindu, Christian or a Muslim.”