HILL NOTES

Learning about keeda jadi - Himalayan viagra

As you drive past Joshimath towards Tapovan you enter into the picture-postcard territory of Uttarakhand. The Rhododendrons have bloomed, so have the luscious khumane and plums, the lush green Alpine forests stand tall on the himalayan slopes, mountain streams cross your road at times sonorously and at places hurriedly making a gurgling noise. 

The birds are full on!! The melody is compromised a bit but there is no shortage of enthusiasm and vigour in their singing. The snow-peaked Nandadevi stands tall on the horizon right through your drive - watching you benevolently.

I take a right detour and drive into a road less travelled. After off roading for a few kilometers I reach a small cluster of houses that boasts itself of being a village and interact with a farmer couple. Their pahadi dogs give us a sniff over and declare us safe enough for their master to interact with us!!

The story is the same - back breaking work throughout the year with marginal returns. Winters are miserable. Their cows ensure milk and ghee, their fields give an adequate produce of rajma, potatoes, finger millets and walnuts. But money?

That’s when I learned about “keeda jadi” - literally meaning the worm herb. It’s called cordyceps fungus in English. At an altitude of above fourteen thousand feet, where the glacier starts melting, one has to scratch the bare earth to discover them at strategic locations. The herb penetrates the larva and mummifies it. After it has nourished itself thus it emerges out of it taking the shape of a worm like herb. It is used to make ayurvedic medicine which claims to cure cancer, stop ageing, take care of impotency and so on.

And now comes the part which will remind you of the nineteenth century ‘gold rush’ of California and Australia - because one kilogram of this herb fetches you eight to ten lakh rupees!! The garhwali youth are attracted to search this as it gives them the opportunity to earn a fast buck. Most of it is smuggled to China and Nepal where it is extensively used as an alternative medicine. India has not legalised the use of this herb and on the contrary dissuades its people from climbing those dangerous slopes to make a quick buck. Obviously many deaths have been reported with people slipping and falling off from those treacherous cliffs. 

The farmer couple want their two sons to join the army or do some polytechnic course so that they can work in Dehradun. The last thing they want is for their kids to climb the treacherous slopes in the hope of making some cash. I couldn’t agree with them more. 

After a sumptuous lunch I bought some home made ghee and continued on the road less travelled.

ODISHA’S TRILLION DOLLAR PUSH: AN ECONOMIC VISION OR A POLITICAL MIRAGE?

Mr. Naveen Patnaik has clearly laid down the marker. At a time when most opposition leaders are busy painting a gloom and doom scenario for Indian economy he firmly believes that the time has come for Odisha and its people to take an exponential leap in its economic journey. For starters, such a mind-set must be appreciated especially when one observes Chief ministers of neighbouring states busy either clamouring for special economic status or deeply concerned about IT exemption for Durga Puja pandals. Secondly, it sends out a powerful and positive message to the nation at large. Growth and development narrative cannot be monopolised by the national parties. The States are a powerful engine of growth and they play a key role in achieving the larger economic goal of the nation. This announcement of intent  is a welcome development and comes in as a whiff of fresh air with the potential of re-aligning the tangled skein of center-state relations.

However, articulating a dream is the easier part. Converting the dream into a vision and translating the vision into a reality demands a high level of  statecraft and statesmanship.  Aligning the different arms of the Government, the divided political diaspora and the masses to achieve the seemingly impossible is the need of the hour. Recently the Indian Chambers of Commerce (ICC) was ideating in a day long seminar on the challenges in the Human Resources front to achieve this trillion dollar dream. While there was a consensus that a quantum economic growth is possible, speaker after speaker simultaneously gave the impression that somewhere the missing blueprint to achieve this  dream was becoming the biggest impediment for a tangible and co-ordinated ground level action.

Steel and Aluminium are two sectors where an exponential  growth is possible and merits a closer look. It’s manufacture critically depends on the availability of iron ore, bauxite and coal, all of which are abundantly available within the State. It is rightly said that Odisha produces more than 50%  of the nation’s aluminium and therefore has the bragging rights of calling itself the Aluminium capital of the country. However, talking in percentages is clearly indulging in self-deception. As a nation we produce a measly quantity of four million tonnes of Aluminium compared to China that produces almost ten times more than us. By producing 50% of this small quantity we cannot take comfort behind this figure. Juxtaposed along with the fact that Odisha is home to more than 50% of the nation's bauxite reserves and  30% of coal reserves it becomes clear that a quantum growth in Aluminium production and consumption is distinctly possible and so far Odisha has underperformed. We must face this fact square on otherwise we will continue to lull ourselves into complacency. Given our potential,we must now put a blueprint in place for doubling the Aluminium production in the next five years if we are serious about the one trillion dollar ambition.

Steel too has a similar story. Odisha’s iron ore reserves are humungus and can support a steel production Capacity of around 100 million tonnes by 2030 -  five  times of what it is producing today. These figures are not just plucked from thin air. They are rooted in the potential that is prevalent in the state. The Hebei province of China, for example, is producing a massive 190 million tonnes of steel. It occupies an area less than 2% of the country and yet makes a contribution of more than 4% of the GDP of China. Just one steel company - Hesteel produces more than 45 million tonnes of steel which constitutes almost 50% of what the whole of India produces. Clearly, we need to put an action plan in place that will ensure Odisha’s steel production to grow from 20 million tonnes to 100 million tonnes in the next ten years. Besides producing  steel and aluminium our focus should be on providing an ecosystem of downstream industries that will use this primary metal to produce the value added end products.

A similar deep dive analysis has to be done for other segments of the economy like agriculture and food processing, Small scale Industries, tourism and service sector etc.

60% of the population of Odisha depends on agriculture. The processed food market in India is poised to grow at a CAGR of 14.6%. Blessed with ten agro-climatic zones, Odisha can produce a wide array of crops ranging from rice to millets, mangoes to cashew nuts, sugarcane to tumeric, ginger to potato etc. It’s water bodies and coastline enables it to be a big player in fisheries and shrimps too. Odisha can easily become the food and seafood basket of the region and coupled with food processing and value addition the entire rural sector can move up the value chain and usher in a quantum growth in livelihood and prosperity.

A similar co-ordinated approach needs to be taken about the MSME sector. For far too long we have been stuck with the idea that a startup is possible only in the IT and Services sector. We must develop a fund for startups in the MSME sector also. This must be preceded with a proper analysis of the reasons of the sickness that plagues this segment followed by development of MSME parks at every district if not block of the State.

Tourism and Hospitality segment too is another fast growing sector and Odisha has enormous scope in making a quantum growth in this area. According to estimates Tourism is set to generate a revenue of over 50 billion dollars compared to 27billion dollars earned in 2017. For Odisha to be part of this growth curve it must invest in tourism infrastructure to make it world class. It has enough of beaches, heritage sites, wildlife and eco tourism to attract both domestic and international footfalls.

To be fair the government has set in motion a series of administrative measures that conveys its seriousness. The  5 T’s aim at achieving progress through Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation. Identification of aspirational districts is another positive step forward. Health, Sanitation and Housing for all has seen a lot of progress. This goes a long way in building a trust between the Government and its people. The urgent need of the hour however is to first sensitize the masses and positively enthuse them with the idea that quantum economic growth is an idea whose time has come. Secondly, Government must create multiple task forces and expert committees that will lay down the blueprint for each segment of the economy with specific recommendations and time frames to achieve the target. Changing the mindset of the people and empowering them will be the cornerstone of Odisha’s trillion dollar economy push.

ICC WORLD CUP: ENGLAND WON CRICKET LOST

Fate has come full circle to haunt us once again. From the infamous “Hand of God”, when Maradona scored that goal against England (1986 World Cup Soccer) to knock them out in the quarter finals to the now equally controversial  “Bat of God”, as English fans would love to call it, one can safely say that sports, like life, is a great leveller. Call it poetic justice or Karma coming around, the fact is, irrespective of who wins and who looses, for genuine sports lovers the outcome has left a bad taste in the mouth. You ended up grieving with England in 1986 and now in 2019 you end up grieving with New Zealand. What a sorry predicament for sports lovers!!

What bothered me most during this World Cup was that the lovely game of Cricket was losing on a regular basis right through the one-and-a-half month long tournament. First, the rain God’s did not relent. Matches after matches had to be abandoned or curtailed thanks to the wrong scheduling and absence of reserve day. Points had to be awarded to teams for not playing . And cricket was the loser every time it happened. What was even worse, and an embarrassment to the ICC, the ground management had thin strips of tarpaulin covering less that 20% of the ground for protecting the ground from rains. Sourav Ganguly was quick to  rub this point in as one of the things he has done for Eden Gardens was to get covers that spread over the entire ground and that too bought from England itself!! My heart went out to the cricket fans who travel from across the continent, book costly tickets in advance and have hotel reservations only for a day. How devastated would they be at the end of a frustrating rainy day with not a single ball bowled?

It would be appropriate to point out that here too fate dealt a cruel blow to India. If there had been no provision for a reserve day for rains, as was the case during the league stage, India would have made it to the semi-finals and not New Zealand. As it turned out it was on the extra day that New Zealand beat us fair and square and delivered the knock-out punch to break a billion hearts.

If weather played spoilt sport in the initial stages of the tournament, it was the fan reaction to losses that took center-stage in the later part of the tournament. Leading the pack were the Pakistani fans who just could not digest the fact that their team lost to India. Not only were their food choices, their waist line and fitness questioned but even their family was dragged in making for a very sorry spectacle. When England lost a few matches their critics too lost no time in delivering a few below the belt punches. They not only lamented the lack of variety in their bowling attack but actually saw ‘fear’ in the eyes of their captain when facing fast bowlers.

Indian cynics too had their plate full during the World Cup. Everything was hunky-dory when Indians were on a winning streak. But after loosing to England and winning narrowly against Afghanistan the knives were out. The number four position was again debated, the quality of spinners was doubted and the ‘bits-and-pieces player’ was unfairly pulled up. Cynicism and snide comments peaked when politicians and pseudo-liberals spotted a liberal dose of saffron colour in the Indian team’s outfit. But India’s lowest point came when Dhoni and Jadhav abandoned the run chase against England with full five overs to go. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar still fumbles for words when asked about his infamous slow crawl of 36 runs in 174 deliveries during a world cup match against

 England in 1975. He has used words like mental block and lack of experience to explain the phenomena. Dhoni is yet to come out with a logical explanation. However, it was Kedar Jadhav who was dropped subsequently for displaying a ‘lack of intent’ in the run chase. Why only one ‘junior’ player was pulled up and why was the other ‘legendary player’ let scot free will always be brushed under the carpet by the team management and the pundits who run the game. Ex- Pakistani cricketers were quick to point out that this was done intentionally as the loss prevented them from reaching the semi-final stage. This is no doubt a very serious charge but then this is what cricket has reduced itself to.

But the worst was yet to come. And it came in the finals.  England and New Zealand were tied on scores after fifty overs - despite the ‘Bat of God’ and four additional runs granted to England and Stokes. Displaying  grit, determination and nerves of steel they were once again tied after the super over. However, it was Englad that was declared the winner on the ground that they had scored more boundaries. Somebody clearly had a brain freeze while enacting this rule!! The rule is not just bereft of logic and commonsense but outright dumb. This was a classic case for declaring them joint winners instead of following this rule. Not just neutral spectators and lovers of the game felt shortchanged but even the player in question, Ben Stokes, feels that he will have to say sorry to New Zealand cricketers everytime he meets them for the rest of his life. Clearly a classic case for invoking the old Shakespearean phrase, “ Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”

On that fateful day, in another corner of London, God  decided not to smile on Roger Federer and his fans. Imagine the 37 year old legend, arguably the greatest player of the modern era, blowing away two set points in the haloed arena of Lawn Tennis – Wimbeldon. It was indeed a sad day for sport lovers. Can’t help the feeling that sports and indeed the world itself needs a better God.

QUALITY OF DISSIDENCE DETERMINES THE SPACE IT GETS

In the world of Post-Truth and rising intolerance the shrinking space for dissidence is a topic where nobody gets the privilege of having the last word. The debate can go on for ages without a semblance of consensus. Is the intolerance triggered by a right wing Government mentored by RSS hardliners? Is the government of the day hell bent on creating a Congress mukt Bharat? Has the line between being against the policies of the Government and being an anti-national blurred? Does the Hindu majority actually feels short-changed by minority appeasement? Is the Congress, Trinamaool and the Left, facing the specter of irrelevance, getting desperate and shriller by the day and hence seeking refuge behind a false narrative? There are questions galore but definitive answers will always elude us.

For starters we should consign to dustbin the argument that since we have a democratically elected government it should be allowed to function for five years without major dissidence. Democracy without dissidence is a recipe for disaster and a precursor to dictatorship. This once in a five year voting participation with a long interregnum of public hibernation is not what democracy is about. The ruling political class must learn to listen to the voice of public and of activists, even if they feel it is that perennially cynical segment which has not voted for it in the first place. Re-calibration of policies, to be in sync with the people’s aspiration, is an absolute must.

There are two major planks on which on which the edifice of the so called shrinking space for dissidence is built. Rising intolerance by the RSS mentored right wing Government and secondly, use of Government machinery to put opposition leaders in jail or hound them with false and fabricated cases to instill a sense of fear.

If one scans the media, both during and after the elections, one hardly comes across the fear factor at play that dampened and toned down the voice of dissidence.  The toxic and personalized comments  against Narendra Modi is a case in point. Phrases like “maut ka saudagar’, ‘chaiwala’, ‘neech’ have been used with gay abandon. In fact, the entire 2019 election campaign hinged around the slogan ‘chowkidar chor hey’. West Bengal too is a case in point. The belligerence and toxicity of  Mamata Banerjee shows no signs of  dilution in the wake of rising intolerance or fear being unleashed by the Central Government. Political killings continue unabated as does the decibel level of dissident shrillness in every public discourse be it within the confines of a university, prime time debates or public jamborees. If intimidation tactics was at work then at some stage these toxic comments would have ceased. On the contrary it continues to flourish.

The biggest take away from the 2019 General elections was the fact that the two biggest dynasts in Congress – Rahul and Sindhia actually lost in their respective bastions. The less said about the so called game changer Priyanka Vadhra the better. The message here is not the shrinking space for dissidence but the shrinking space for dynasts in this country – especially when they fail to live up to the job at hand.

 More than the so-called shrinking space of dissidence it is the shrinking intellectual base of the opposition arguments and reasoning that is a matter of concern. While we all realize that a shrinking economy resulting in unemployment along with farmer distress should be on top of the agenda just sample the cavalier and lighthearted manner in which the opposition goes about this. When the Indian diaspora in Huston was busy putting up the ‘Howdy Modi’ event, Rahul tweets - ’ Howdy economy’ and then disappears in one of his meditation seeking foreign jaunts. Chidambram goes one up in trivializing this economic crisis India faces  when en-route to Tihar Jail he flashes the victory sign and shouts “five percent” in an obvious reference to the last quarter economic performance. The Congress that made corruption in  Rafael deal as its major election plank is now actually reduced to criticizing the Government for ‘shashtra puja’ and ridiculing the two lemons place under the tyres. This is not dissidence but  juvenile  jibes which just does not resonate with the masses.

The Kashmir example illustrates the sorry state of dissidence and opposition disunity. Abrogation of Article 370 failed to get a national traction. The opposition was not effective because it was shivering with fear of repercussion at the hands of the Government but because they were a divided house. The fact of the matter is that it had the support of large sections of the Congress leadership as indeed many other opposition parties.

One needs to face the truth that the opposition is not able to speak with a common voice. Sadly, even the jailed opposition of Kashmir does not find a common ground to come together. The less said about the leaderless and rudderless Congress the better. They are clearly imploding. Just last week, their top leaders were caught in camera wondering ‘party kahan gayee’. By their own admission they are leaderless and hence bereft of any long term strategy or line of action. Both in Haryana and Maharashtra the Congress is conspicuous by its absence and to compound it further plagued by revolt, dissension and defections. They have virtually thrown in the towel even before the campaigning had started.

In such a scenario to postulate the theory of rising intolerance is to ignore the facts on ground and the sorry state of opposition which is bereft of ideas to take on the Modi juggernaut. Instead of blaming it on rising intolerance the opposition would do well to keep its flock together and face the right wing with will and determination. While mature debating skills and gravitas would be asking for too much at least  a unified and coherent attack on the Government economic policies is the least one can ask for.

THE CACOPHANY OF CRICKETERS TURNED COMMENTATORS

When Sanjay Manjrekar condescendingly called  Ravindra Jadeja a bits-and-pieces player, and not an all rounder, he not just crossed the line of decency but also opened up a can of worms. He is a serial offender who creates and thrives on controversy. This observation was made while on official commentary in a match where the player in question was not even playing. Michael Vaughn, the ex- England captain rebuffed him and Sanjay too hit back and followed it by blocking him in his twitter handle. Clearly there are two matches being played – one among the cricketers and the other among the commentators.

Over the past decade or so, the down slide in the quality of cricket commentary and even in the subsequent coverage in newspapers has been a matter of grave concern. Ever since broadcasters and cricket boards have started the trend of hiring ex-cricketers the thrill of listening to commentary or reading about it is diminishing by leaps and bounds. Their communication skills clearly fall short of the desired standards. Forget using apt phrases for graphically explaining the situation on ground they even fumble for basic words and spend a great deal of air time reminiscing about their glorious era interspersed with hollow laughter and giggles. There is a fine line between those who have played the game of cricket and those who explain the game of cricket with love and passion. Unfortunately most of the cricketer- turned-commentators fail miserably when it comes to generating love and interest for watching the game of cricket.

They are no doubt experts of the game but more often than not they see the game through a prism of their own biases and an outdated thought process. The viewer is constantly treated to their pearls of wisdom as to where the slip fielder ought to have been positioned, why the long leg fielder is not positioned finer as in the good old days, why should the long off fielder be brought up, who should be bowling next, how should the batting order be changed and so on. In case the ball goes through the gap which they had predicted or a particular bowler gets hit for runs about whom they had suggested should be dropped then all hell breaks loose.

These days even a false shot by the batsman is immediately met with scorn and contempt by the ex-cricketer turned commentator. In a sermonizing tone he is admonished not to play such a shot – with the foot away from the pitch of the ball and the head in the wrong position as well. In yesteryears and excited voice full of energy would have said, “ well bowled sir… the ball beat both the intent of the batsman and the bat itself.”

The more you listen to such cynical commentary the more you start missing those professional master craftsmen of words and wit like Nevil Cardus, (lovingly called the Shakespeare of cricket) Christopher Martin Jenkins, Frank Keating, John Arlott,  Bobby Talyarkhan, Suresh Saraiya, Pearson Surita, Anant Setalvad, to name just a few. They could come with descriptive lucid phrases that were born from an innate love for the game. Their knowledge of cricket was never used as a knife to shred reputations but to enrich the game itself and they had a sense of humour and wit that could light up even a dreary test match. Their greatest asset was that they retained an almost school boyish enthusiasm and love for cricket at par with an ordinary cricket fan. The crucial difference between these two generations is that while for the present lot winning is everything for the professional men of words of the past enjoying the game of cricket was everything. When a batsman of great class and repute would be out cheaply a Nevil Cardus would be quick to point out something profound like  – “There ought to be some other means of reckoning quality in this best and loveliest of games; the scoreboard is an ass for we remember not the scores and the results in after years; it is the men who remain in our minds, in our imagination.”

With their unique skill and style which was full of wit, wordplay and scintillating observations the viewer, the listener or the reader as the case may be always could transport himself mentally within a touching distance of his favourite cricketers. Above all one ended up loving the game of cricket and the cricketers irrespective of who won or who lost, who scored or who didn’t. Not once have we ever heard a Suresh Saraiya or an Anant Setalvad berating the batsman for a false shot. In fact it is their magical words that made a Gavaskar or a Vishwanath, a Salim Durrani or an Eknath Solkar a larger than life hero. Their failures were more often than not attributed to the fickleness of lady luck or just the unpredictable nature of the game of cricket itself.

I am firmly of the opinion that ex-cricketers should be restricted to summing up the match after the game or during the breaks. They can also contribute immensely during the pre-match show. But taking over running commentary and ruining it with poor wordplay and wrongly constructed sentences is actually diminishing our love for the game itself because invariably it is mixed up with a pinch of cynicism and an overdose of technicalities.

The mellifluous rendition of the commentators of yesteryears was as soothing as the crackle of the fireplace spreading warmth and comfort or a gentle breeze that soothed our minds and made us love our cricket and our cricketers even more. A far cry from what these cricketers turned commentators have transformed the game too – a strategy to win a war and an arena where reputations are made and tarnished with nationalism creeping in through the back door. 

And cricket will be poorer for that.

                                     

  

INDIAN CRICKET'S ACHHE DIN ARE HERE?

As India snuffed out the South African challenge in Pune to seal the fate of the series the focus shifted to the  modern day democratic version of the ‘night of long knives’ at the BCCI where a dramatic late night twist paved the way for Sourav Ganguly to become the President of India’s most powerful and arguably richest sporting body. A cricketing legend on the field and a Dalmia protégée off it, Sourav has all the credentials to turn around the image of BCCI which had taken a battering both under Srinivasan and the court monitored COA. Sourav, more than anybody else, would be perfectly aware that he wears a crown of thorns and carries a huge burden of expectations. The wolves never give up and at every opportunity they would try to get back at him.

While ‘Prince’ Sourav is all set for an eventful ten month reign in the Board room, ‘King’ Kohli  is busy ticking all the boxes and stamping his authority with an aggressive brand of cricket. These developments obviously augur well for Indian cricket.

The man of the match at Pune for me was Pandurang Salgaonkar the pitch curator. At the age of 70 this man’s tryst with cricketing destiny has had a long, controversial and chequered history. Arguably India’s fastest bowler in the seventies he was crucially ignored during his peak and a subsequent tweak in his bowling action paved the way for his eventual decline. He was not included in the Indian team that toured England in 1974 . India lost all three Tests by large margins. Relying almost entirely on spin, the Indian attack was ineffective on pitches favouring pace and seam. Wisden commented: "Probably the Indians would have benefited from including Salgaonkar, of Maharashtra, easily the quickest bowler in the country.”

 His stint as Pune’s pitch curator too had a fair share of controversy. From being ‘involved’ in tampering of the pitch and suspended for six months to the pitch being rated ‘poor’ by ICC in 2017, he has clearly been through hell and back. Last week’s pitch however was a beauty. It had pace, it had bounce even in the fourth day and the odd ball turned. This was a text book sporting wicket where the batsmen, the fast bowlers and the spinners all had a fair chance to excel provided they had the necessary skills. This is precisely what is needed for Test cricket to survive and indeed flourish.

The other great ex-cricketer turned pitch curator is of course Daljit Singh. He worked as the chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) grounds and pitches committee but was sacked in December 2009 after an ODI at Delhi was called off with the match referee declaring the pitch "dangerous" and unsuitable for play. His CV has an interesting detail. He worked for one year at 10 Janpath, where he prepared a cricket pitch inside the residence of the Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri for Shastri's son who was interested in cricket!! He is best remembered for the pitch at Mohali that has traditionally given bowlers the extra bounce and the batsmen the liberty to play on the up.

The reason why I mention Salgaonkar and Daljit is because they not only prepared great pitches but also, more importantly, created tracks that were not conventional dust bowls for India spinners to run riot with the opposition and wrap up the match in three days. Their pitches have ensured a battle between bowlers and batsmen and more importantly both spinners and fast bowlers had a chance to showcase their skills. This will go a long way in encouraging fast bowlers in India as well as challenging spinners to bring in more variety and deception.

The second aspect that cricket lovers in India must take note of is the attitude of Kohli. It gladdens the heart of the connoisseurs of cricket when they see captain Kohli touching the feet of Daljit Singh in full public view. It is no secret that India has been traditional lions at home decimating opposition with consummate ease. But right through the ages the pitch curators were mere puppets at the hands of administrators and the Indian captains. They had every right to throw tantrums at them in full public glare if they noticed a tinge of grass here and there. In fact they were not referred to as pitch curators but contemptuously dismissed as ‘maalis.’ This is what led to the creation of ‘dust bowls’ where the ball spun from the word go. While Indian tracks are still spin friendly it is no longer the case of the spinners just ‘putting it there’ and allow the pitch to do the rest. They are now forced to work harder on their skills.

Such has been the change in the attitude of Kohli that he has embraced the challenge of the changing nature of Indian pitches and encouraged his fast bowlers to put to good use their art of reverse swing. Our quick bowlers too are now excelling in these conditions and bagging wickets in both innings. There has been a crucial change in the mind-set of the Indian bowling unit under Kohli. They look to attack, they look to take wickets and more importantly they refuse to take the easy route of criticizing the pitch. It is this change in approach that will help India win matches even when the chips are down.

ICC would do well to take a look at the quality of cricket balls. For far too long now we have been discussing Kookabura vs SG and Duke balls. While complete standardization might not necessarily be the solution there has to be a set of norms on the quality of seam and the hardness of the ball especially after forty to fifty overs. If ICC can evaluate a pitch as ‘poor’ and deduct points then surely they can do something similar about different cricket balls also. Test cricket could do with more challenging conditions if it intends to survive and flourish.

SHANKAR BHATT ? WELL ALMOST

It happened at dawn in Berhampur around 56  years ago – a couple of months before I was born.

Around 5.30 AM at Dwarka Niwas in Giri Road, my mom entered the kitchen to make the morning tea. As she approached the platform there was a sudden loud hisss. Just a couple of feet away in full fury was a cobra. My mom shreiked loudly and fell backwards. Luckily the snake did not move. It only hissed and stood its ground swaying angrily as my mom crawled back to safety.

Dwarka Niwas in the sixties had a huge compound. We had our cricket pitch and badminton court surrounded by coconut, jamun, badam, mango, chikoo, guva, and champa trees. There was space for huge kitchen gardens too which was also the payground for the birds and the bees - not to speak of the snakes and scorpions. To our right was the sprawling Janana Hospital, to our front was Geeta Bhawan and all this on the Giri Road – Berhampur’s Champs Elyees which ran between Palace de la Giri residence to Arc de Tata Square!

The three houses where the Bhatts (Hindi lecturer in Khalikote college), the Krishnans (English lecturer at Khalikote college) and the Vardarajans (the house owners) stayed were built in a cluster, adjacent to each other without any gap. In the relaxed easy paced Malgudi days type ambience of the fifties and sixties it was almost like a huge joint family. Krishnans had five children, the Vardarajans had six off-springs  plus a sprinkling of cousins too. Buli, the self- invited and self-appointed brown stray dog, was our mascot and guard. Later we would have our own cat, dog and tortoise to add to the variety.

There was also a small, just a small, under-current of a South-North cultural adjustment issue that was getting slowly sorted out. We were referred to as people who eat roti and ‘capsule dal’ (rajma). There was also surprise expressed when parents would walk alongside for an evening stroll in Giri Road. In the mid-fifites of Berhampur such public exhibition of marital bliss was probably perceived as too modern a style statement! Parents were clearly on a learning curve.

My mom’s shriek in June 1960 was enough for the neighbours to descend in droves. There were concerned shouts of enna aachi, enna aachi (what happened, what happened). When they saw the spectacle there was a collective gasp. My dad had meanwhile got a stick to kill the posionous serpent. To his surprise he was not only stopped but also chided “ Shiva-Shiva-Shivaaa what stupidity”, they said slapping their foreheads with their palms.

God has come to your house and you want to kill it? Don’t worry, they said, it will go away. And yes, when the son will be born to you, name him Shankar. Mom was expecting and yours truly was curled up nice and comfortable in her womb when all this pandemonium was happening!

My dad had no option but to wait. The only North Indian family, in this far away land, the onus was on us to fine-tune our sensibilities.My dad pulled a chair near the kitchen door and sat there on a vigil waiting for God to go. Attempts to expedite his departure by prodding him with the stick proved futile. The cobra would hiss, display his hood and sway angrily before coiling back and dozing off.

In the midst of a continuous supply of filter coffee and idly-vada-sambhar from our friendly neighbourhood (our kitchen was out of bounds) it was also education time for my parents. You see, they were told, when a pregnant lady’s shadow falls on a cobra then it becomes blind. My mom was aghast. As it is she was in a state of shock. She had escaped near death. She was even worried about the likely effects her fall would have on her unborn child and now she was being held responsible for the serpents’ blindness and consequent immobility!

When by lunch time God had not moved and the crowd began thining, our six footer short-tempered neighbour from the adjacent compound made his quiet entry. He took the stick from my dad and assured him that he will shoo it away. Then without much fuss he proceeded to kill it.

Again my hapless father was subjected to tirade- this time on rationality. You are an educated young man in the noble profession of teaching, he reminded my dad. You have a small three year old kid and a pregnant wife to look after, how could you accept this kind of blind faith? With that he marched out in a huff.

My mom still remembers the grand funeral that was arranged for the snake God. Tulsi and sandal wood, milk, vermillon, kum-kum, incense sticks were arranged and amidst chants of shankara- shankara, ringing of bells and blowing of the Konch the funeral pyre was lit and the snake was reverentially burnt. Burning it was a must as my mothers’ photo was there in the snake’s eyes and if some other snake would see it there could be revenge! Some comfort.

Few months later I was born very early in the morning. My dad got to cuddle me in his arms by the time the orange sun was peeping over Berhampur’s eastern horizon. So he named me Arun- the rising sun. It also rhymed well with Anil -my brother.

Years later, when this story was told to me, I asked mom why I was’nt named Shankar? Oh, she said, you see Mrs.Krishnan was also expecting her baby. When they were blessed with a son they decided to call him Shankar. It would be so confusing to have two Shankars in the same compound.