Where Solkar Dared !!

Traditionally Indians have always been bad fielders the only exceptions being MAK Pataudi, Ghulam Parkar ,Brijesh Patel who stood like a rock in the covers ,Mohd. Azharuddin at slip and Gully , Abid Ali at mid-on/mid wicket and to the recent Ajay Jadeja/ Yuvraj Singh at backward point.
All these fielders were exemplary and achieved accolades for their courageous attitude and daredevilry on the field. However all these positions were ‘’SAFE’’ and the chances of getting injured was negligible if not impossible.
People who have played cricket at a reasonable competitive level reckon the position of ‘’Forward Shortleg ‘’ as a suicidal position to be in for any fielder of any calibre. Once the ball leaves the bowler’s hands and it pitches on and around middle and leg it is the natural tendency of the batsmen to heave his bat either for a flick or a pull which is enough for the fielder at forward shortleg to take evasive action. Instinctively the fielder will try to save his face and groin for these are some of the most sensitive body parts prone to get hit and if you do get hit YOU STAY HIT!! Atleast while Playing gully cricket (that too with tennis and rubber balls)most of us –including me always avoided that position and opted for safer areas like the slip cordon or at best be the wicket keeper.
In the ‘’PRE-HELMET’’ era of the early 1970’s E.D.Solkar – Eknath Dondu Solkar played for India who created his own space and stood within handshaking distance of the batsmen. Mind you there were no shin guards to protect the knees from getting hit and it was left to providence and destiny if they were to survive any onslaught from the batsmen.
It is said that LEGENDS are BORN and NOT MADE.
Born in perpetual penury his father struggled to make ends meet by working as a groundsman at Hindu Gymkhana where a hut in the far corner was home to Eknath and his 5 siblings.
Clad in tattered clothes he used to fetch the cricket balls in a jiffy for the fielders from the boundary.
Drafted in the Indian team he was a complete utility player who could play at any position and also bowled medium pace and spin as per the situation.
He had a very good reflex further complemented with a hawk like eye- sight which made him a predator on the prowl at the most enviable but dangerous position.
He played 27 tests and took 53 catches which is a world record for the highest average per test- which comes to 1.96 catches per test (for all fielders except the wicket- keeper who have played a minimum 20 tests).
The first ever overseas victory over the West indies and England in 1971 was a team effort but his contribution in batting /fielding in those twin victories is still talked about in cricketing circles.
During a recent effort while launching the Eknath Solkar academy his erstwhile team mates had come to talk about his super human efforts his colleague and of his most dear friends BS Chandrashekar, was choked with emotion and could barely speak about the long and fruitful association of the duo who mesmerized batsmen with the scoreboard often reading: caught Solkar bowled Chandra . Solkar took some amazing catches of his bowling and many debated whether it was due to the exceptional ball or the unbelievable catch that was taken. He had the ability to catch the ball inches off the ground and often threw himself forward, sometimes landing at the batmen’s feet. In the later stages when batting form deserted him he was included in the side just for his fielding exploits justifying his abundant talent and skill.
India’s famous overseas Victories over the West indies and England in1971catapaulted him to be acknowledged as the best close in fielder in the World and some odd dropped catch made Headlines!
England batsmen like Allan Knott and Fletcher lost confidence because of his close proximity which rattled their concentration and which ultimately resulted in losing their place in the test squad.
The legendary West Indian Batsman Vivian Richards made his debut against India in 1974/75 series and who treated every bowler during his playing days with disdain and contempt was shocked by the audacity of this slenderly built man with rolled up sleeves standing next to his shadow . He had to frequently nudge him with his bat to stand at a little more distance fearing that some of his shots could hit, maim or even kill the fielder who stood dangerously close for comfort. The greatest tribute paid by Richards was : “”Man! I am not afraid of your Chandrashekar (one of the best leg spinnners in the game) but this man gives me the goose bumps . This man is preventing me from playing my natural game and I really cannot concentrate’ . I can bet no one will field this close and even when he was hit on occasions there was not a flinch or grimace.
ED Solkar or 'Ekki' as he was fondly called by Chandrashekar became immortal on 26th June 2005 at a young age of 57, I reckon he had already attained that stature in his mortal state amongst his innumerable fans for his acrobatics and dare-devilry.
We were privileged to be born in an era and proud to have witnessed and heard about the exploits of this talented Cricketeer who was very humble and never discussed his on- field heroics and waived it off with a smile.
The image of the crouching fielder ever eager to pouch half chances that came his way shall always be vivid in our memory.

New cricketing terms and rules have come into existence and the ‘’FORWARD SHORTLEG’’ Position is now called as ‘’SHORTLEG’’ perhaps justifying the truth that –NO fielder will ever dare to stand in that fatal Position where ONLY SOLKAR DARED !!!

Grave Mistakes

The Govt. recently issued a circular which imposed a moratorium on the number of SMS being sent using security and enforcement of law and order as a pretext . A bill is on the anvil to gag or stall social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google which could empower the govt . authorities to force articles which it justifies to be deleted on the grounds of formenting communal divide, racial discrimination and inciting adverse reactions or take action against the writers on the grounds of defamation. Although facebook reluctantly has agreed to fall in line with the controversial legislations ,It is heartening to note that Google refused to buckle under the pressure and clarified that it would not be a part of its agenda to gag the ‘’ freedom of expression’’. Any one challenging the actions of the govt. are subjected to harassment ,threats , coercion and veiled attacks from paid goons.. Day in and Day out the Govt. is coining new measures to stifle any democratic movement against them and sabotage all honest attempts at reviving the anti-corruption crusade. The over whelming response and support by the youngsters to this crusade against corruption invoking their own innovative methods using SMS’s and social networking sites has prompted the authorities to tackle the issues in a very crude manner which is provoking them into making GRAVE mistakes which could catapault it into digging its own GRAVE..

The Amazing Sketchman- Mario Miranda

Obituaries and more obituaries. The legends are passing on to another world in a jiffy and falling like 9 pins. One of the latest casualty is the legendary Indian Cartoonist –Mario Miranda. The deep abyss left behind by these legends probably will never be filled as they were possibly handpicked to leave the indelible mark on mankind with their creative, unique craftsmanship daringly different yet refreshing. Circa 1970’s. The Children studying in English Medium Schools in the early 1970’s in the 2nd and 3rd Standard had Balbharati text book replete with the characters Tim, Mini and Robert. They were effectively complimented by sketch or murals or cartoons whatever name you may call. All these carved sketches had a distinct stamp and a trade mark at the bottom of the photo, signed by the inimitable Mario Miranda. The Sketch seemed to talk to the readers on behalf of the dumb characters, so vivid and complete was the insight provided by the thought provoking caption less masterpiece. The trademark stray dog or Cat at the bottom of the sketch as visualized also lent its silent meaning which defied the now familiar statement : The Pen is Mightier than the sword. For the soft spoken Mario the Paint brush was his talking tool which depicted all the things going on in this world from Current affairs to office jokes to everyday anecdotes which caused instant smirk amongst the viewers. It was the same Times of India Group which had rejected him earlier citing poor artistic skills which later on placed him on that unshakeable pedestal and linked him to its publications like the Illustrated weekly and Femina. The unforgettable characters of Miss Fonseca and Miss Nimbupani and the Sardar sitting in a bulb Specially created for Khushwant singh’s column will continue to entertain and endear the readers for generations to come. .

Last Man Standing

The demise of the evergreen star of Indian Cinema Dev Anand signifies the end of the nostalgic era of the early 50’s which mesmerized the Cinema goers with pristine music, exquisite and mind-blowing lyrics and un-hyped acting. The masses identified the characters on screen with themselves as they found everything so natural, down to earth and which synchronized their humble dreams unifying them with the celluloid print focused on the giant screens by a noisy projector beaming black and white images. Dev Anand along with Raj Kapoor were the trend setters which saw heroes who solely merited their presence on account of their handsome good looks. Prior to this people accepted disheveled, bearded or any ordinary looking guys and a good story coupled with good music alone guaranteed sure shot box- office success. Dev Anand was the last man standing as all the rest of his colleagues /co- stars of the magical era of the 50’s and 60’s had predeceased him. The puffed up hairstyle was plagiarized from the legendary Hollywood icon- Gregory Peck who as admitted by Dev Anand was his idol. Geogory Peck and Clint Eastwood were famous for their Cigarette smoking cum talklng acts which only a handful few could enact with such dignified charm and grace. Dev Anand too has enacted the MUST SEE scene in Hum Dono with aplomb with the cigarette dancing up and down in his mouth while chatting with his colleague in his customary style. The close resemblance between the actors(Peck & Dev Anand) has an interesting story which happened in the late 1960’s.Someone close to Gregory Peck told him of the amazing resemblance which raised curiosity and rustled his egoistic feathers and prompted the need to have a peek at the so called Indian film star. He didn’t waste an opportunity to Visit India when called upon to give the filmfare awards in the 1960’s. An amazing photo was clicked (this snap had appeared n the now defunct magazine- The illustrated weekly India) which showed Peck with a wry smile admiring Dev Anand from a distance. Dev Anand was simply gushing at the prospect of meeting his idol but perhaps the Hollywood idol himself was at his wits end calculating who was the better looker. Waheeda Rehman his co star in Guide had rightly pointed out that the magic touch waned rapidly in the 1980’s and some whimsical and eccentric films stumbled out of the once famed Navketan Studios. Yet the magic weaved earlier in films like Hum Dono, Solvaa Saal,Prem Pujari,Tere Ghar ke Saamne,Johnny Mera naam, Jewel Thief and Guide was good enough to keep his die- hard fans by his side despite the shortcomings as a Director in the later stages. True to his ever youthful image he didn’t wish to die with Cotton sticking in his nose and wished to have a funeral in some distant country where his true fans wouldn’t have a glimpse of see his lifeless body. His wish granted , even in death he remains an enigma difficult to decipher yet difficult to ignore. As the flames consume his MORTAL remains the SMOKE emanating from the funeral pyre would probably hum the IMMORTAL lyric: Har Fikr ko Dhueee mein Udddaaaaaa thaa Chalaaa Gaya !!!!