Part -2
Chapter – 4
Speed of the Ball
On beaches, we usually don’t bowl seam in cricket. I don’t know the exact reason, but I assume it’s because of the sand—bowlers need to run on sand all the time, which tires them more than other players. Running on mud or grassy ground is much easier compared to sand. When you run on sand, it creates deep marks and depths on the bowling side and the running path. Another reason might be that we don’t know how to bowl properly. when running on sand; the ball loses control. So there was a rule among us, don\’t bowl fast. You have to use your skills in spinning and turning the balls also where you pitch the balls.
Cricket became popular in my region after 2007 when the Indian cricket team won the limited-overs championship. I was in third grade then. Our earlier generation introduced cricket to the village, so it\’s our duty to take it to the next level, now as our national team won a cup. We have to introduce the fast bowling in the region. We participated in a tournament held at the nearest cricket ground, which required us to walk five kilometers to reach. Back then, no one had scooters; now, every home in my village has at least one. We only had two bicycles shared among twenty people. Nine of our group were spectators, very young, around six or seven years old. I was eight but a comparatively good player, so they added me to the list. I brought my local bat, made at a local woodcutting shop. I give the shop a wood which I stole from the supply my grandmother bought for the house roofing. Since it was already rectangular, we only had to cut it to size and shape a handle. Another wonderful thing is , in those days, we didn’t have grips on our bats.
Ok, so we were going to—the tournament!
We crossed through other areas of the village to reach the ground, because it was in a neighboring village. Along the way, friends from other areas chatted with us, trying to scare us by saying; \”hey, you can’t face fast bowlers without practice\” \”You would lose with these teammates\”. And they suggested we take a player from their area who had experience in speedball cricket at school. He studied at an English-medium school with wealthy kids—they had proper equipment and players who knew how to bowl seams. So when we cross area after area our team becomes big with new additional players.
When we arrived, it was time for the toss. They asked us to list the players\’ names. That’s when the oldest member who is the captain of our team broke the news—I wasn’t going to play. It was a painful experience, like realizing your girlfriend cheated on you. I cried and told them I wouldn’t lend them my bat. But who needed it when they had proper bats provided by the tournament and new players from other areas? But the happy thing was, my team lost badly in that game. Our captain got bowled on the first ball, that visual made my happiness into fulfillment. Totally, watching that game was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.
But the one thing I noticed was the resilience of our last two players—my brother and a friend—the final batsmen. When the fastest bowler faced them, they flipped the ball to the backside with a simple deflection. No hard strikes because they didn’t know how. They just defended, not getting out, and nudged the ball backward. These two scored the most runs for the team. It’s not always about strength; intelligence and smart moves make the difference. Part of my heart wished for our team to win because of those two.
Chapter -5
Television and Cricket
When I was seven, my father bought a television. It was a 30-inch Onida. At the time, not every household in our village had a TV. Only families with someone working in the Gulf, or those who were rich or educated, owned one. So, it was a bold step for my father, who loves cinema. He started fishing with his uncles when he was eleven. His mother would travel to sell fish and return home late at night. She gave the kids money to buy food, and as the eldest, my father looked after his siblings. My mother’s story is similar, but I’ll share that another time.
My father traveled extensively, fishing from Trivandrum to Rameswaram, even to the Sri Lankan sea, and from Poovar to Kasaragod and Punjab borders. This was the 1980s—imagine an illiterate fisherman venturing into new worlds that is unknown to all the people around him. He loved films, especially those with his favorite actor, Kamal Haasan. Perhaps he had uncomfortable experiences watching TV at others\’ homes. Even though they watch films in the theatre, once they wish to watch it on television that is too hard for them. He was a skilled fishermen, so every where he goes he learnt new things and taught new things. Made money. So he can manage to save some money to buy an entire TV.
He went to the shop by auto-rickshaw, and the news spread quickly. I remember that day, during the usual power cut time in the village, everywhere was dark with little candles in the homes, all the children, many neighbors, and I gathered, anticipating something new. When the TV arrived, everyone wanted to see it. One memorable moment was connecting the cable. There was no antenna, so a local cable operating shop guy climbed the electricity post to connect it. He had a small torch, and as we all watched, he plugged a wire into a box, which was hanging on the electric post. Then a tiny red bulb blinked. Suddenly everyone standing around me cheered, as if we’d won something. The technician smiled like he had done something to the world\’s happiness from the above electric post. He felt like a hero.
That’s how television came to our home, and soon, it became a trend. Other houses bought TVs, with similar celebrations everywhere. I’d watch and gather for the cable connection part with my friends.
Why do I tell this story? Because, television allowed us to watch movies, cricket, and sports like football. I noticed that the best players in the area either had a TV at home or watched games at friends\’ houses regularly. We had no coaches; watching games taught us how to play better and pick up new techniques. \”The medium is the message\” – Marshall McLuhan.
It’s not the same with radio. I surveyed people in coastal regions for a community radio project. In the past, they didn’t buy radios. I thought radio would be ideal since most of our people are illiterate. But even though they couldn’t read or write, television had a much greater influence on them. The mainstream language and their preferred discussion topics on the radio didn’t appeal to my people. But when television arrived, they could watch and understand by observing; they simply skipped the language part. Smart moves, like my brother and friend diverting the ball to the backside, only require intelligence. Although we the fishermen community may lack formal education in the past, we were intelligent.
(The end…)