Villagers chip in to get cable TV

SAMDA, India, March 1 AFP - For the residents of one small Indian village, it took 15 days of hard work and generous donations to ensure they could see the World Cup cricket tournament.

The village of Samda, some 15 kilometres from the state capital Lucknow, did not have cable television until a group of local men took the task of providing it on themselves.

Villagers chipped in to raise 30,000 rupees and pulled in a 6.5-kilometre cable wire to ensure telecast of the mega event from southern Africa.

"It was a difficult task for us to have such a long wire, but we wanted to make sure we did not miss the match," said Shambhu Mishra.

"It took us 15 days to manage the show. It's a collective effort and every family of this village donated money for the cause."

Villagers have been gathering in common areas to watch the World Cup - and today offered special prayers to ensure India defeated its arch-enemy Pakistan.

Tractors were used as television stands and generators and car batteries put on stand-by in case of power failure during the high-profile match.

"After doing so much we had to have a contingency plan," said Jagdish, who risked his life by connecting a television set to a high-voltage overhead electricity wire when the power went off during India's match against England.

Watching cricket is important for the villagers - even if some did not know the names of prominent Indian players who enjoy nearly godlike status in more developed parts of the country.