Deccan Chronicle helps spread the word ~* Twestival Global
Posted on: 6 March 2010 (2 weeks ago) at 1824 - Comment
Twicket for the needy
Last year it was a rock concert, this time it’s a cricket match. Bengaluru, is back. An initiative by the Twitter users in the city, Twestival 2010 promises to reach out to the masses on March 28.
The festival is into its second year already. Internationally, Twestival is popular for rallying around an important cause. This is done by hosting local events to have fun while creating awareness.
Six teams will be finalised for the charity cricket tournament, the proceedings of which will be given to Concern India, who in turn will use the contributions to ‘raise cash for needy children.’
Each innings will be limited to 10 over, per side. Teams will have to play round robin matches and semi-finals before making their way to the finals. Interestingly, the games will be played with stitched balls.
“With IPL coming up, cricket fever is evident among people. So, we decided to use the concept for charity,” says Hrish Thota, a techie, also the head organiser of Twestival Bengaluru.
Some of the corporate teams that have shown interest in playing for the tournaments are Bosch, SAP and AOL.
Though, most other cities in the world will celebrate Twestival on March 25, it’s only on March 28 that Bengalureans will celebrate the occasion. This is because most corporate teams involved with the tournament will be free only during the weekends. But, March 25 will see the opening of the Twestival with a party at one of the popular venues. The organisers are in talk with Lucky Ali for a performance at the inaugural event.
“Twestival is associated with a global cause and a local one too. We kickstart the global cause on March 25,” says Rahul Dwivedi, an employee with SAP and an organiser.
Hosting a match to raise funds to support needy children from around the world may be an out-of-the-box idea. But, on a closer look, it’s the game of bat and ball that attracts the maximum crowd support.
“Over 90 per-cent of the public will not say ‘NO’ to cricket. After all there is a good cause attached to it. Also, cricket in itself is a world of fun in itself,” says Deepak Gupta, a twitter member who’s also in-charge of the event.
Already many are excited about being part of a brand new cricketing format — 10 over a side. For others, it will be an opportunity to bring forth their hidden talent. Says, Twitter user Vicky D, who works for IBM, “If my team takes part in the tournament, I will try and score a century in 10 overs, a world record in its own right,”
