WE THE PIONEERS OF TWENTY 20 GACCHI CRICKET - THE TERRACE CRICKET

WE THE PIONEERS OF TWENTY 20

- Gachhi Cricket - The Terrace Cricket

 

As I pass by this site at Hughes Road ( Pandita Ramabai Marg) I imagine that there still stands the AJINKYA MANSION and ----

 ---- A tennis ball comes down the terrace. Thud --- it has fallen  on the roof of the temple opposite, another thud---it is down on the road below.---“Ball please”--- “Throw the ball, please”, we are all shouting from the gachhi (terrace)above. Ganpat and Laxuman already down on the road to fetch the ball. The ball is retrieved by Ganpat of course (he can spot or even smell the ball, it seems). Then you hear, “the whole team is out”. “Ha, ha, ha!”---- the laughter in unison of the opponents. “No way, it was not off the bat”. “It’s a tenner”. The scene ran past my eyes. I almost laughed out loudly.

 “Hey bhai, kanha khoye ho?”, a shout from the taxi driver, jolts me back to the reality. The Ajinkya Mansion stood no more.  but my journey down the memory lane continues.

Every Sunday afternoon (almost every Sunday) there would be a knock on the door.  Even without opening the door I would know that Sandeep had come to tell us that it was time to leave. It was our routine on Sundays- all four of us – Sandeep, Amar, Siddhartha and I would leave our house and assemble in the terrace of Ajinkya Mansion much before others would. Soon the other regulars would join. Jay, Viju, Badu, Kiran, Salil, Dilip, Amit, Laxuman and Ganpat were the other regulars. We, the regulars played practically every Sunday - the practice games. The other gang would join the fun on the Match Day ( a monthly affair). Mahesh, Suresh, Anik, Nrupal, Ashit, Paras and a few others that enabled us to form the two teams fighting for the Jenma Trophy (needless to say sponsored by Mahesh). Kunal must have come twice or thrice at the most. He had stopped playing ever since he had that verbal exchange with Kiran, his uncle. He had dropped a few catches and the uncle was very furious with him.  Nikhil and Pravin came once in blue moon. Akshay too came some times.

Mahesh and Jay would invariably be the opposing captains. In case I had done well in the practice game on the previous Sunday, I would land in Jay’s team, if not then was thrown in the other team and so was the fate of the other regular players as well. Viju always kept wickets for Mahesh's team and Jay kept it for his own team. Jay had a big say in making the rules of the game. We all know that cricket is a funny game and our rules made it more so. If a ball bowled went full toss out of the terrace the batting team would get a Tenner (ten runs). As the luck would have it – the first tenner ever given to the opponents was by none other than Jay. Then there was this funny concept of the Whole Team Getting Out. In case the ball hit by a batsman went down and out of the terrace, the whole team (remaining batsmen) was declared out. I remember – I was playing for Jay’s team (I remember quite clearly) and had opened the innings for them. After scoring some runs, I saw a juicy full toss from Mahesh and bang- I hit the ball – high-high it went- Oh no! Out of the terrace! The whole team out! The rule was soon abolished. Mahesh had a unique way of fielding – falling flat on the ball- stopping the ball, more by the body mass than his own anticipation. Ashit bowled both off breaks and leg breaks with same grip.( I confess now -  I always found it hard to guess which way the ball would turn) Laxuman’s grip was equally unique- holding the blade of the bat with his left hand and the right hand just lightly touching the handle – he would take the left - hander's stance and pivoting his body on his toes he would swing his bat with all his might. Either bowled or a six were the only possible result. Jay was an expert in the reverse sweep stroke until once Bandu ( playing for the opponents) had scored more runs by reverse sweeping. A new rule was immediately framed - Reverse Sweep not allowed.There was no running between wickets.(most of us were simply unable to run - being obese, bulky,over weight, etc. Sandeep and Kiran being the exceptions) No ones, twos or threes – We dealt only in boundaries. A hit on the parapet wall scored a ‘4’ and a full toss hit , a ‘6’. Then there was this tenner by default. Bowling was under arm and each batsman was allotted 4 overs, one each from four different bowlers. Thus each team would play around 20 overs.  So you see we were the first – to start the limited overs Twenty-20 Cricket. Had there been Under- Arm Cricket World Cup, many of us would have played for India.

We were free from match fixing. We fought fiercely. At times the tempers would run very high. There would banging of bats on the floor (thank God Ajinkyas and Dhurandhars occupied the floor below and not any tenant) and throwing of caps on the ground and shouts of “No way, no way” Nrupal , Kiran , Mahesh and Jay were experts in throwing tantrums. Perhaps Bandu was the coolest one. Umpiring was the prerogative of the batting side. Some times we did have a guest umpire, mostly Amber mama and whenever he did officiate, Mahesh’s team would invariably lose. All the umpiring decisions were then ruled in favour of the opponents. May be wanted to prove a point –that he would never favour his son or his team. Nevertheless, all of it was a great fun. In between the serious business of playing, we had some lighter moments too. Once, a ball had fallen down in the chowk below and Ganpat ran across and peeped down to spot the ball so that he could retrieve it without wasting time in searching for it. As he dashed across he banged against Sandeep who was also leaning from the terrace parapet. Sandeep’s spectacles went cart – wheeling down below and fell in the chowk as well. After the customary apologies Ganpat ran down.He soon found the ball the specs as well and then he shouted from the chowk , “ चष्म्याला काहीही झाले नाही, फक्त काच फुटलाय आणि एक कधी तेव्हढी तुटलाय. बाकी चष्मा ठीक आहे -Chasmyala kayhi zale nahi. Fakat kanch futli aani aik kaddhi tutli baki chasma thik aahe!” (Nothing has happened to the specs. Only the glasses are smashed ----)  Up until now Sandeep had taken every thing sportingly ( he had even remarked that it was just an accident) But now Sandeep was seething with anger! And it was like rubbing salt to the wound, when Mahesh joked " It's okay. Get them. Sandeep will use them as magnifying glasses". Now Sandeep was fuming. But then he was in Mahesh's team and even batted without the specs, scoring good runs for the team. That was sportsman spirit for you.He was declared the Man Of The Match.

After the match – the dinner party, the Revolving or rather Rotating Trophy (as it always remained in Jay’s Consulting Room) would be handed over to the winning captain with all the fan fare, snaps being taken, thank you speeches and what not. But most of us more interested in the glasses in our hands and jokes and gossiping sessions. Arvind  bhauji was always in his elements and enlivened the party with his crispy jokes. He was also informative, encyclopedia on Foods - what was good in the Police Canteen, which Irani served the best keema pav, where were the best Falooda or  Ferni joints, so on and so forth. (Kunal must have had his grooming lessons done here)  Sandeep has inherited this gift (to some extent). SANDEEP!--- that reminds me—Once after our match Jay had announced that Sandeep Patil was to come for the party as the chief guest. No one believed him .We thought that it was one of his usual dhap (bluff). But there he was! Sandeep Patil had come with Ramdas Padhey. Their wives too had accompanied them. Naturally he was offered a drink. Initially, he declined to accept our offer. But after a lot of coxing by all of us, he went, had some discussion with his spouse and he said, “I shall have a beer”. I do not know what made him change his mind or was he seeking permission to drink? There were others too, who hardly participated in our cricket matches but came and made these parties enjoyable. Kunal with his Striptease Act – the twisting and wriggling motion  of his torso, turning his neck from one side to the other, then removing the T - Shirt and throwing it in the crowd (at this juncture some one stopped him from going any further) – The whole act was a treat to watch. Nitin’s Don Scene – Khainke pan Banaras walla – was always fresh. (His sudden passing away was very shocking and sad).

 As I stand near this construction site, oblivious of the traffic and the people around, I look up --there isn't any terrace------ hear no shouts from above of 'ball please'---  huge metallic sheets block my view, hiding the site where once stood tall  - Ajinkya Mansion.

And clink - clank - the loud metallic sounds and the 'Haya hoosh' and 'Gop - Nikal' of the labourers is all that I hear..
But memories come rushing back ---Simply nostalgic.

Vinay Trilokekar

BLACK IS ALSO BEAUTIFUL!!!

BLACK IS ALSO BEAUTIFUL!!!

BLACK IS BOUNTIFUL 

 "IN  NO COUNTRY I AM BLACK. THEN WHY CALL ME BLACK MONEY?"

 

 " WE ARE THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL EVILS, WHAT RUBBISH!"

The other day (may be some months back) I read an article titled as above, by Mr. Jug Suraiya. He goes on to tell us how we, Indians, by and large, have aversion (I am an exception, I am not averse to) to anything dark. Be it sugar, flour or skin complexion, dark is out and white is in and the whiter the better. The exception to this colour- coded scheme of things, he adds, is money.  Indians, or at least some of us, he says, have distinct preference for so- called ‘black’ money. He then goes on to tell us how India remains a poor country while its wealth is stashed away abroad in accommodative places like Switzerland and the Cayman Island, which call themselves ‘tax havens’, a euphemism for the banking system (as he puts it) that  turns a blind eye to the sources of clandestine riches. He says Indians have more undeclared booty hidden away in secret accounts than all the rest of the world combined and quotes some statistical data according to which if this wealth stashed abroad were to be brought back to India our foreign debt would out some 13 times over, and there would still be some left- overs. Unfortunately for us (common citizens, honest tax payers, like you and me), there is no political will to do what obviously needs to be done or is it the fear of consequences?

I wish to divert myself a bit from this serious issue of black money (of course, which I don’t have, any way or wasn’t capable of making any, for that matter), but do wish to continue to on the subject matter of this article, may be in a lighter vein. No I do not fall into the category of those few Indians (class which includes politicians, business magnets, film personalities and sport celebrities), who have wealth hidden away in tax havens. Being a salaried person, I automatically became honest tax payer- hence an honest common man! But I am one of those Indians, who have no aversion to anything dark or black. Black is what I love, though I haven’t any black money (as I said before) I even drink black tea (with no sugar at that) these days. Of all the whiskeys that I have gulped down, I consider Black Label as the best. I remember a song, which went this way ‘Black is black, I want my baby back’ and as a child I loved that song. I was fascinated by the movie Black. My mobile too is black (not Black Berry but simple user friendly Nokia one). We have two black L.G. T.V. sets, black cooker and n number of black utensils (including non – stick ones) at home. Black here, black there and black everywhere! So, you see Black is indeed bountiful with us. And it would fair to say that I love all those people, who may not be fair outwardly, and may have darkest of complexion yet posses that inner beauty which oozes out from their pure heart. Black is also beautiful!

                                                                    ___ VINAY TRILOKEKAR

WE LOVED THEM, WE LOVE THEM BUT--

WE LOVED THEM, WE LOVE THEM BUT--

I saw a picture of an empty chair and I thought of using it in the current blog.

So I have penned my thoughts in this manner.

Treat your parents with loving care-------------------------Because you will only know their value, when you will    see their  EMPTY CHAIR, like the one above! So call
them just to say," I LOVE YOU!"

Aseem Chhabra, who writes a weekly column for Mumbai Mirror offering New York perspective on Indian Issues, once wrote in his column thus: (and I quote)

'Recently, a friend in Washington informed me of his father’s demise back home in India, and advised me to call up my father for no reason but to tell him ‘I love you’. I took his advice and dialed my parents.'

He then goes on telling how this sad news brought him face- to – face with one of the worst fears of those living in the U.S., away from their elderly parents, may be living alone. He goes on describing the ordeal one has to go through in such circumstances – bags to be packed – emergency flight arrangements to be made – visa issues to be tackled – everything being rushed through – with no time to mourn.

He states how his friend’s BlackBerry message rattled in another way and I quote again:

'I belong to a generation from India where we never said to our parents that we loved them. Sitting with them, talking to them, eating meals together was our way expressing our love. But the word ‘Love’ is hardly ever used to express what we feel towards each other.' 

He further explains how things are different in the U.S., with children and parents exchanging quite frequently the ‘I love you’. (How odd and almost mechanical it is!)  Every time the call from his son ends with the customary American expression. He has been saying it since he was a child. It seems this American way of expressing love has rubbed off on his U.S. born Indian son. He does not recall his wife or himself ever teaching his son to speak those words.

He did call his parents that very night. His mother picked up the phone and then passed it on to his father. But he did not say ‘I love’ to either of them. The parents too did not ask him why he was calling them soon after having spoken to them earlier. But his parents knew that it was his way of saying that he loved them.

I too belong the same generation from India where we never said to our parents, grand parents, uncles and aunties that we loved them. There was no need for that expression ever. In the same manner, we don’t expect our son, daughter – in – law and our sweet little grand daughter to say ‘I love’ to us when they call from abroad. We know that all of them do love us immensely as much as our daughter.  My little darling Sarah does say, “I love you, baba!” to me or “I love you, aai” to my wife.

RE: We all love one another and we know it!

Something on this line(quoting the said article) I had sent emails to my dear ones staying abroad. And this was the response that got from them (I've reproduced the same without  making any corrections or alterations):

• Email from my daughter –in - law:

 i sumtimes wanna say 'i love u' to u guys, but since v hv never said it, it just seems difficult. and i agree baba also, it is so normal n understood that v love each other n know it from our actions, that sumtimes i feel that love is better expressed thro' actions than words. esp whn u see so many people sayin i love u as a habit n not actually meanin it.
i am sure that even if v dont say it or u dont say it, doesnt mean that v dont know that v love and care deeply for each other. also, everyone's way of expressin love is not the same, as long as the love is felt amongst us, that i feel is the best way to express. isnt it?
one more thing, i find writing 'love u' is easier than sayin it :)
love all of u, tk cr

                   -Araina

• From my nephew,Harshul Nayak wrote:

Hello Vinay mama,

We were so happy to hear from you ...

Each generation is different.

Its true that our generation or the one before us which includes our parents and yourself don't follow the western way to say "I love You" but we have our own culture. Our own way of telling our parents that we care and love them. It happens only in our culture where children don;t forget and take care of their parents. With the ever changing world and times it nice to accept wht's nice. We personally would like and prefer to give best of both the worlds (east and west ) to our children and learn ourselves. One is never old for learning.

In this new world of instantification (?)and short tweet and face book updates, I find pretty hard adding more words in form of an email. But all said and done, we love our parents and you too. With the changing times we have to leave our house and move a little farther but we all love our parents. It's our culture...

Hope I was able to put in our thoughts and meant no harm.

Kindly convey our regards to Siddarth ,Aarina , lovely sarah , vidya mami and Maithili ...

With lots of luv and warm prayers

Harshul , Gayatri and "to be" ( today they have a sweet little son called Varad)

• My Nephew, Nikhil wrote thus:

Dear Mama,

First of all “Love you very much” I promise this will be followed up with a phone call on one of the weekends – though you will always be blamed for my premature baldness.

I agree to this article and the sentiments behind it. One of the reason why we over here say “love you” is that we tend to pick up good things from any culture and we don’t have any extended family here so the bonding is much stronger – your involvement with your kids in more stronger. I am sure it is true with Siddartha.  I agree we Indians tend to less expressive when sharing our love with our parents – and its largely because that’s how we grew up but  I see North Indians are a bit different than others – they are more more verbal and touchy with their parents / elders which I have seen with Shruti’s family.  

I appreciate your email and thoughts behind it. One think you should always remember, that I always remember you guys but “time” is the only scarcity we have here due to time difference. I am sure if we were in the same time zone you would have heard more from me. I am of course sad that when Aai passed away none of you guys were around at her funeral but that is the price you pay when you want to be away from your roots. I must say that Aai over the years after my dad passed away became more aware of her strengths which she didn’t have the avenue to demonstrate earlier. I always tried to give her space and do what she wanted. I am a bit disappointed with myself that I should have thought of getting her remarried. But by the time I realized it was a bit late. It didn’t even strike me that I should think of it seriously even when few of my American friends use to ask me if she is going to get re-married. The way think is – hey you live until 80-90 years – an everyone needs companion – but coming from that culture it was initially a bit akward to think but then I realized my mistake..

Over the years Aai had begun to love US as I could see her adaptability to go to stores, library and travel by herself. She was to a large extend dressing more in pants, t-shirt and shoes too. I believe she was at peace (she looked also very calm on the death bed) and wanted to pass away in my house and in US.

Fortunately for me there is an Indian family who treats me as their son and this lady Shah Aunty (My US mom) took charge and took care of me as a mother and guided me through Aai’s  ceremony and continues to exert right over me as her son.

Well it was very nice to get an email from you. We have been lucky that we come from a broad minded and educated background. We should surely keep in touch and continue on these lines.

Take care, regards to everyone and of course LOVE YOU.

       

       - Nikhil