It was a not-so-usual beginning to the sunny Sunday morning of April 6 in the hallowed portals of the newly commissioned Bauer Hall building of Olin Business School. By 8:00am, 20-25 sports enthusiasts had filled the Frick Forum with slogans and cheering:  “Come on”  and  “ Go big today,” in support of their most favorite team and players.

No, you guessed it wrong; neither were they hooting for the Cardinals nor for the Rams. This one was for the Indian Cricket Team that was battling against the Sri Lankans in the World Cup T20 Finals!

As the game gained momentum, the foyer was filled with more supporters, not only from Olin’s Indian community, but also from a few domestic and non-Indian Asians trying to understand why the game of cricket was not just a game, but a mere religion in the other parts of the world.

The event, hosted and organized by the Olin India Club (OIC), witnessed a grand enthusiasm, support and encouragement from both the student community and Olin’s administrative leadership. The OIC leadership also left no stones unturned by ensuring a variety of food and drink options for the audience.

Although the Indian team lost the match due to many reasons beyond the scope of this blog, the spirit of respect for cultural diversity, team work and prompt leadership, which form the building blocks of the larger Olin community, won the hearts of one and all involved in this historic feat. Team OIC looks forward to more collaboration and encouragement from the school’s management and the student body.

Signing off.

Vishwas Arora

MBA’15 & President, Olin India Club

 Cricket Image by Dexter Mixwith, Flickr Creative Commons