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| The Journey of Cricket in India | | | Yash Bhasin | 4/5/2011 10:53:52 PM |
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If second RSS Chief Guru Galwalkar was alive today he would have reprimanded LK Advani for celebrating the victory of Indian cricket team against Pakistan, in the semi-final, at Mohali, on Mar 30, by cutting a cake and the same distributed among and eaten by his family members and admirers, late at night. He would have also reprimanded BJP National President Nitin Gadkari for joining many other dignitaries and celebrities in watching the final of the world cup match between Indian and Srilankan team in Mumbai on April 2.
Alternatively Guruji’s hostility and antipathy towards the foreign game of cricket, a legacy of British imperialism to India might have chained with the passage of time, observing this foreign game becoming the most dominant factor in fastering national unity and a source of display of patriotism and nationalism by the masses from Kanyakumari to Jammu, if not to Kashmir and from extreme South to East in the country.
I vividly remember the RSS Chief, Madho Raoo-Sadha Shiv Galwalkar, popularly called Guruji by RSS Swayam Seveks and others, at an RSS rally held in 1950 at Pathankot, sharply criticising and reprimanding the first Prime Minister of free India, Jawahar Lal Nehru for playing cricket. Describing about mental salivary among Indian leaders to the British customs and civilization, Guruji referred to Nehru playing cricket as a symbolic to encourage the Indian players of the game. He remarked Nehru should have felt ashamed for eulogizing and playing a foreign game and encouraging its popularity in India. “ Jawahar Lal Nehru ko sharam ani chahiye” Guruji shouted at a largely attended rally at Pathankot. Since the ban imposed on RSS in 1948 which was lifted in other parts of the country, was yet not lifted in Jammu and Kashmir, RSS workers from J&K too had gone to Pathankot to attend the first RSS Shivar held after lifting of the ban, at Pathankot. I, as an RSS activist at the age of 18 then and a college student of intermediate, was one of over two hundred participants from Jammu there.
Perhaps, Guru Galwalkar had then not imagined that one day this game of the British, which they had introduced in India with the spread of their empire in this land as well, will be so adopted in this country, that India would leave England far behind in excelling and making a mark in this game of English and above all that it will become a symbol and a source of patriotic and nationalistic fervor displayed by the country men cutting across regional, religious, caste and class barriers.
The game of cricket has come a long way in India, since it was brought here by the British rulers, who played the game with some Indian princes and rulers of the British princely states. Bhav Sahab of Jam Nagar was the first Indian prince, who excelled in the game and beat the English players. High tributes are paid to Bhav Sahab of Jam Nagar by an English writer in a write-up, which I read in my English course book, prescribed then for intermediate classes.
During the British rule in India the game of cricket in this country was played only by the royalty and few other aristocrats, decorated by the British rulers for their loyalty to the British Imperialism. Some rulers and princes of British controlled princely states played the game with some high-ups among the British rulers, taking pride in having equation with them and emulating their customs and habits. It was not so popular among the common people here. Hockey was more popular in many parts of India included in Jammu. Teams from Marray College Sialkot, which is hardly 40 kilometers from Jammu city, very often visited Jammu to play cricket with the Prince of Whales College team at Jammu. This was the only one degree college in the entire Jammu province then, whereas Kashmir valley had two degree colleges, both at Srinagar, Sh. Pratap Singh College, named after the third Dogra Ruler Maharaja Pratap Singh and Amar Singh College named after the brother of Maharaja of Pratap Singh and the father of Maharaja Hari Singh.
The prince of Whales College at Jammu was established to mark the visit of prince of whales of England to the state. A year after the independence of India i.e. in 1948, the nomenclature of prince of Whale College Jammu was changed into Government Gandhi Memorial College.
After country’s independence and British rulers leaving India the game of cricket started gaining popularity in independent India, like many other customs and symbols of western civilization here. This includes English language. Like the English language which is the common medium of exchange of conversation between the people in the North and in the South in the country, the game of Cricket has assumed the character of a binding force in the country, displaying national unity and solidarity as well as patriotic and nationalistic fervour.
The semi-final played between Indian and Pakistani teams at Mohali, on March 30 was surcharged with extreme patriotic fervour and nationalist sentiments. The victory of Indian team over Pakistan was enthusiastically celebrated all over the country, with nationalistic sentiments running very high and even touching the border of Jingoism. While the ruling politicians of India and Pakistan were playing bonhomie at Mohali, the mood of the common man was in some what contrast, displaying even bazaree jubiliation over vanquishing arc rival Pakistan in the game of cricket as has been the case on the war front. However, in the Kashmir valley the defeat of Pakistan at the hands of India had descended a pall of gloom and diffidence. The TV channels which screened the mood of jubiliation in all parts of the country totally ignored the contrasting popular mood in Kashmir valley. India TV which telecast celebrations of victory in various towns of the country, showing common people celebrating the same with high pitch showed only men in olive enthusiastically celebrating Indian victory over Pakistan in Srinagar ignoring the contrast among the people at large there.
The enthusiasm and the spirit of patriotism and nationalism demonstrated all over the country over India lifting the World Cup, defeating Srilanka in final in Mumbai on April 2 and the subsequent celebrations have established beyond any doubt that cricket has come to play a most prominent and dominant role in cementing the national unity and imbibing nationalistic and patriotic feelings among the Indians all over the country and even abroad. This is besides the game becoming an instrument of fastering international goodwill and friendship.
This is notwithstanding some unhealthy and negative trends associated with this game, the betting by bookies to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees is one black spot associated with the game.
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