PLAYING FOR FUN:

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.