PLAYING FOR
FUN:
There was
only one University in Orissa during 60s.That was Utkal University. After 1967
two more were added, Sambalpur and Berhampur Universities. The Students used to
say proudly during different interviews--“I am from Utkal University”, because
that name had a good reputation not only in the National but also in the
International level. Due to good administrators and some very good dedicated
teaching staffs, the education standard and character building of students were
at par with other universities. No road block or student’s unrest for tough
question papers. The students who could get admission to Ravenshaw College were
considered to be fortunate enough to be part of that famous and prestigious
college of Orissa under Utkal University.
Teachers’ of
different colleges who were interested in sports and games used to play along with
the students in the practice and friendly matches during Sundays and Holidays. They
used to coach the students for different games along with the PTI teacher. It was
really difficult to get 11 College students as players who could hold the bat
correctly or hit the ball or bowl properly .Many did not participate due to
financial constrains and being hit by that hard ball. A team selection match
would be arranged a week before the intercollegiate match under the supervision
of college officials. The new pads, cricket balls, few Kashmir willow bats
would be purchased with the available cricket budget for that year at the last
moment. The bats have to be oiled with linseed oil or else it would have no
punch or it may break in to two pieces if someone played a cross batted shot. Tail Enders were asked to use broken or
rejected bats. After the team selection the team with maximum of 12 to 13
players would leave for Cuttack by train or state government bus. For many
years Cuttack was the only venue for intercollegiate tournament which was
played after Puja vacation in colder months. The teams were put up in the
different college hostel’s common room or verandah. The PTI would be the team
manager or a newly appointed lecturer would accompany the team but stayed somewhere
else not with the team.
Breakfast
consisted of one small size Tushar sliced bread and half a dozen of small size
plantain .Lunch on match days consisted of six pieces of slice bread and mutton
curry with more potato than mutton piece or egg curry in disposable saal leaf container
plus two plantains. On non playing days rupees five were paid to each player
for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Drinking water was available from a newly
purchased earthen pot kept near the players open air pavilion or one had to
help himself directly from the municipality tap. The mode of transport from
hostel to ground was either walking or in rickshaw. Rickshaw fare was very
cheap in those days at Cuttack.
The Matches
were played at village ground near Barabati Stadium, Ravenshaw College, Medical
College, Engineering School and Stewart College grounds. All the matches were
played on matting wickets. The final was a two days affair where as other
matches were of one day duration, with maximum of fifty over’s for each side
but no limitation of overs for bowlers. Majority of the college teams were getting
out within ten to twenty overs. College teams from Cuttack, Berhampur, Regional
engineering college, Rourkela; Burla Engineering colleges were the top teams.
The spectators were mostly road side passer bye or school and college students.
Their numbers were little more than the number of spectators one would find in
a present day Ranji trophy match. Some
of the talented players were not only good in studies but also in debate, as
singers, in athletics, cricket, and football but also in college drama. A
student participating in university team for two different games used to get a
college blue, a prestigious recognition indeed during the college annual day
celebration.
Inter
college cricket matches were fought fiercely by the teams, even though there
was nothing to gain financially except the pride for the college. Science
students were finding it very difficult to participate in sports and a game
because, missing practical class means a huge loss of internal assessment marks.
NCC was also compulsory for students.
One particular
year the star attraction during the inter college cricket tournament was the
visit of first lady in space Valentina Tereshkova and Yuri Gagarin in an open
jeep at Cuttack. Few of the players who had come to play cricket, had dream
come true experience of shaking hands with the astronauts at Ravenshaw College
square.
In a
semifinal match, an over confident Ravenshaw college team met Khalikot College
team of Berhampur at village ground of Barabati forte near the present Barabati
Stadium. That team from Berhampur was an unknown entity –a dark horse. Khalikot
cricket team had many new players. Few of them were with a south Indian back
ground. They batted first and got out for 78 runs. Ravenshaw had many University
and few state level players, who were over confident. The captain of Ravenshaw
College team told his openers to make it for no loss. He invited all his team
mates for the evening Tiffin party at college square. Unfortunately the team
got all out for exactly 78 runs. That was a tied match. The Khalikot team captain knew the rules well
and asked the Ravenshaw captain to go for a toss of coin to decide the winner.
There was lots of argument and confusion regarding that tied match. The players
were about to go for a fight when better sense prevailed. A replay was
suggested by the Ravenshaw college team members but Khalikot captain did not
bulge an inch. Lastly official were called with rule books and the match was decided
on toss of coin. Ravenshaw lost it. That year Burla Engineering College became
the champion.
The Utkal
University team used to represent the students of Orissa. Some outstanding
players from the university team used to be selected in later years for the
state Ranji Trophy team. The university team constituted of players mostly from
Cuttack colleges and few more from Engineering and other peripheral colleges,
who performed exceedingly well during the intercollegiate matches.
That year
the team had to go to Banaras for the all India Inter University Cricket Tournament.
Those who were selected for the Utkal University team were very much excited
because majority of them had not seen Banaras and BHU campus. During that
period the best way for a student to visit a new place was through playing
different games. Train journey was the only mode of travel, which used to take
almost 36 to 42 hours to reach Banaras from Orissa via Howrah.
Like any other outside tournament a luggage
boy would accompany the team with a big trunk containing few pads, bats, and
gloves etc which were commonly used by all the players. The trunk was used as a
sitting tool for players while in train or in railway platform. The team had to
take its own cricket ball for the matches and also for practice. At times two
to three years old moth eaten cricket balls were sent along with the team,
which hardly kept its shape after 10 overs. When the university supplied balls
were exhausted, new ball were purchased from the local shop with lots of
hesitation on the part of the manager. At times the captain of the team was
also the team manager because teachers were reluctant to accompany the team
with a shoe string budget. The extra players were asked to put Vaseline and rub
the ball at night for the next day match. One of the playing eleven player with
thick hairs would be asked to apply generous amount of oil on his hairs so that
while passing on the ball he would apply some on the ball. Due to poor and
uneven out fields a ball would lose its shine, shape and thread within a short
span of time.
One Prince
was selected that ‘Yuri Gagarin year’ for the Utkal University team. He became a central cabinet minister after
few decades during congress rule at the center. Few of his team mates became
IAS officer, some doctors, engineers, professors and bank managers in later
part of their life. Few are still alive, some are in sick bed, and others are
either dead or not traceable. The other team members used to enjoy his (Prince)
presence in the team, because of him from time to time, baskets of choicest
fruits and sweets were brought for his ‘highness’ at different stations on the
way from Howrah to Banaras. With in no time the container would get emptied without
his knowledge as if those players had come from a famine stricken areas? The ‘prince
charm’ would just smile and would not say a word of disapproval.
There were
two groups of players one, who were sophisticated and came from well to do
family and other group came from peripheral colleges and un-smart shabbily
dressed students. During the team’s stay at BHU campus hostel, some players would
find it exceedingly difficult to communicate in Hindi while giving order for
their food in the mess and during marketing. Trying to bring a souvenir or two
for their parents from Gadhuli market of Banaras, some of them took the help of
some of their team mates. Few of them managed with ‘odiyadized’ Hindi words
much to the amusement of senior players and the onlookers but they were able to
communicate what they wanted to say.
Majority of the players became home sick and
ran short of money and were happy to have lost the semifinal match narrowly.
The manager left the team in the midway to bring more money because he never
thought that team would win so many matches. Remember no money transfer or ATM
during those days.
With dirty
stinking cloths and socks stuffed inside the bed holder the players made their
two and half days home ward journey via Calcutta. Bed holder was used for
keeping dress, boots, towels, bed sheets, pillow, books and one can say everything
except a cricket pitch. No one carried a separate suitcase as the name of the
bed holder was “Hold-All”. The luggages were kept in left luggage room of
Howrah platform and the players would rush to Chowringhee. They would have some
mutton raganjosh lunch at Anarkali Hotel, sweet dish at Kalpataru restaurant and
noon show in an air-conditioned Metro or Light house cinema hall. That last
part was the star attraction for many of the players. They would board Puri Express
for their last lap of the journey. No reservation those days, so the coolies
used to keep seats at a price for the players by entering the compartment at
Santragachi shunting yard before the train entered the Howrah station.
Those days
inter university matches were of three days duration and were treated like
first class matches and many of the Indian famous ex-test players were picked
up from University level; Dilip Vengsarkar was one of them. But slowly the university
matches lost its charm as fake students started playing as students for
different colleges and universities. Now a day no good student can afford to
play any game due to the present education system. Even if he or she is
interested and has talents for extracurricular activities they have no time to
breathe even, due parental pressure, tuitions after tuitions and career
building dreams.
Like other
sports, cricket too had no financial support. Sponsorship was never hard off
during 60s and 70s.The present generation of cricket players are lucky because
an average player can make a living out of it just by playing few first class
matches and a few club level games.
Today’s
cricket owes a lot to the players of those by gone days, who played the game with
true spirits but with much hardship. They played for the desire of playing it and
love for the game and not for money, otherwise the game would have died slowly
and cricket would not have been what it is today. It’s the foundation stone
laid down by those mad cricket lovers, and dedicated players which sustained
the game or else cricket history would have taken some other turn in India. Let’s
salute those players who made cricket what it is today.
--Concluded
Sanjoy Kumar
Satpathy
Ex-
University, Ranji Trophy, SAIL and Zonal Player of Cricket.
