Almost a month back, Indian Cricketing Legend Rahul Dravid announced his retirement. Ok, Ok, Don’t assume that this blog is something about Cricket that only cricket fans will enjoy.. Infact this is my own story, sad story.. (சொந்த கதை, நொந்த கதை, சோக கதை). My Colleagues started speaking of how they will miss seeing Dravid’s batting. I pressed the “rewind” button of my life to the day when I came to know about Cricket.
It was mid 80’s, when I had started to read and write alphabets, that my grandfather held me on his laps, and sat right in front of our old Black & White Solidaire TV, introducing the game of Cricket to me. We sat so close to the TV that any mistimed hook shot would come to us. I can’t recollect which teams / players were playing that day. All I knew was that those men in white were playing a game called Cricket.
After a few years, when I grew taller than a cricket bat, I started knowing some names like Ravi Shastri, Vengsarkar etc.. There entered my child-hood enemy “guest uncle & guest aunty”.. By the time the Toss is over, they perfectly enter the house. Seeing my puzzled face, they ask me if I'm able to identify them ("என்னடா, நான் யாருன்னு தெரியலையா ?" ). Very soon, my father would say “Vivek, Switch off the TV and go inside and study”..This must be a dialogue that most of us would have heard during our childhood. That time, many thoughts were on my mind including this one “who told that TV should only be in the Hall ?” Most of the cricket matches in that part of my life had only one result “match washed away due to Guests”.!
Few more years later, 3 young cricketers (who went on to become legends in a couple of decades) made their debut – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid & Sourav Ganguly. That was the time when cricketing satellite rights were sold to ESPN. We were not so well to do at that time, and that Solidaire TV only had DD1 and DD2. A cross connection of cable lines resulted in some channels appearing with 50% visibility , where the only players you can identify were the West Indian players, that too not in specific. At that time, there was also this Hindi Commentary in radio for matches happening in India. Being in Chennai, and being mostly amongst Tamil-speaking crowd, my Hindi was just at a beginner’s stage. So, 50% Video + a commentary in a stranger’s language were what Cricket was for me. Thankfully, it atleast improved my Hindi to an extent. And for matches happening abroad, it was just the highlights from next day’s Hindu newspaper.
When Sachin batted in 90's..I used to get ready and wait ,so that i can leave to college once he hits his ton. But he never does that. The moment I leave my house and walk in the streets, i hear my neighbours celebrating his ton.. Why this kolaveri, Mr.Sachin ?
When Sachin batted in 90's..I used to get ready and wait ,so that i can leave to college once he hits his ton. But he never does that. The moment I leave my house and walk in the streets, i hear my neighbours celebrating his ton.. Why this kolaveri, Mr.Sachin ?
This continued for a few more years, by which time I had completed college. Now, I’m in Bangalore, working at HP and staying in a PG closeby. This “Paying Guest Accomodation” was a good experience, but not for cricket-watching.. With the common TV in the dining room, one fellow wanted to watch Malayalam movie, one will want to watch Cricket, one will want to watch MTV and the common channel that we ended up watching was “Cartoon Network..!!
By this time, conditions at my home in Chennai had improved and now we had a Dish connection. When I went back to Chennai for Convocation, that was the day of 2003 World cup finals. By the time the convocation ended, all of my college friends vanished from the spot without even wishing their ex-classmates.. all because of Cricket..! And what happened that day in the match, all of us know..!
That's when my colleague introduced cricinfo to me. Sooner, I vacated the PG accommodation and rented a house to stay of my own. The first thing I bought ??? yes, a 29" TV with a cable connection.. And that was a quiet time when not much cricket was happening. And finally when action was lined up, there comes another obstacle – Star Cricket. Most cable operators did not have this channel as it was new, and all further matches would be broadcasted on Star Cricket.
I had to fight with the cable operators, swap the connections, and somehow got that channel. But because of the work timings & match venues / timings, I could not see that also. Back to Cricinfo.com.
Years passed by like this, and when a good domestic season started, I had one more obstacle – Neo Sports. Seems like all domestic cricket satellite rights were sold to Neo Sports and I had to again fight with the cable operator for tuning to that channel. Ufff.. what more to come ??
What continued was a series of events that kept questioning me – is Cricket important than anything in your life ? Frankly speaking – No. I have never been a Hard-core cricket fan, neither do I play cricket so actively. It’s just that I prefer spending my leisure time – An evening, a weekend or a holiday, watching a good close cricket match.. Ok. Who was the first one to raise this question ? Any guess?? Yeah.. it was my wife..During our courtship, I asked her for a "day off from roaming around" to watch a cricket match.. So, what special match was that ?? - That was the last test match for Sourav Ganguly, who announced his retirement during that series…!! Just in the fourth paragraph of this blog, I had mentioned about his Debut, and before even I could observe him closely, he retired. Ok, not a problem, I atleast have two more legends still around in the team.
Within a few years, I became a father – not a “Church-father”.. But, a father to a beautiful baby girl. With her initial days, medical needs, shopping, convincing her when she cried etc., I didn’t have any leisure time where I could watch cricket.
This was when the IPL dominance started.. With each match longing for a little more than 3 hours, I could allott some time for it, and with most matches starting by 8pm IST, I was able to start watching cricket.. But this time, 90% of the players were new to me. Then came the next dialogues – “arae yaar, this IPL is full of match fixing, Why you are watching it”. It’s unbelievable how few people believe that all close matches are definitely fixed. Some of them give a running commentary as if they got the end-score card by SMS..!!
These IPL matches mainly happened during April-May, peak summer in India, and whenever we have a close match, there is mostly a power cut, whether Chennai or Bangalore.
And yes, I have also faced the same problem that most of the married men face in India.. fighting with wife over Remote control: TV Serial Vs Cricket.. I always fought for justice with my punch dialogue “If you have the rights to cry over a TV serial, so do I to cry over a cricket match..”
In 2011, I moved to South Africa for my project assignment (where I’m currently living), and from here, even the matches happening in India were untimely because of the time difference. But still a day-match happening in India would end by 8 Pm SAST. By the time I rush to home through the Jo’burg traffic to see the final few overs, the post match presentation ceremony will be going on. And who is hosting it ? Ravi Shastri - the name i first knew in Cricket, the name i first mentioned in this blog. . That shows how time has travelled..!!
I tried going to the stadium to see a cricket match India Vs South Africa, twice, and it was rain-affected. Why this kola-veri, Mr.Varun ?
In the middle of this, I see the news headlines that “Rahul Dravid has retired”. And I keep asking myself, did I ever watch him play his trade-mark cover drive ?
Now, (April 2012) when I sit in front of the TV in the evenings to get a glimpse of the IPL, my daughter comes and stands right inbetween me and the TV and asks to teach her some rhymes, or to help her in fixing some puzzle. (அப்பா, பாபாவோட தொப்பி அவுந்து போச்சி, போட்டு குடு..Or அப்பா, எனக்கு hot-cross-bun rhymes சொல்லிகுடு ”); And even before I think of convincing her, my wife repeats that question which she started asking 3 years back.
By now, it is time that the first enemy of my cricket-watching is going to appear again. Those guests uncle and aunties.. But this time, after facing such situations in my life, I’m not going spoil my daughter’s childhood memories. I will switch on the TV with whatever channel she wants to see, and will quietly pull the guests to the garden or terrace or balcony ..!!
There is no better teacher for us than life itself.
It seems cricket-watching was always an out-of-syllabus item in my life.
இந்த கொடுமை எல்லாம் ஏன் சார் எனக்கு மட்டும் நடக்குது ?
(why such unfortunate things happen to me only ?)
ok ok.. time for toss.. CSK Vs KKR.. catch you later..
Boss..Criccinfo boss..!!
