When Premchand wrote on CRICKET and its malpractices

September 26, 2021 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

The legendary writer and author Munshi Premchand is known for his path-breaking stories that show the mirror to the society. Through his novels, short stories and writings, he brought various social evils to light.

But it would come as a surprise to many to know that Premchand not only took interest in cricket but also wrote extensively about it. The late artiste used to write editorials in the newspaper Jagran back then and some of them were about cricket.

Premchand was born in 1880 and passed away in 1934. Hence, he wrote on cricket at a time when the game was in its infantry stage in India. This makes it all the more pleasantly surprising to know about his passion for the game back then.

This facet about the writer is brought to light by author Ramachandra Guha in his acclaimed book A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport. But I came to know about this through the Instagram user Debjit Lahiri on his famous cricket page @forgottencricketmemories.

Guha’s book tells us that Premchand also wrote on India’s famous tour of England in 1932. The team was led by the Maharaja of Porbandar and it had some talented players, including CK Nayudu. But one needs to understand that these were very early days for the Indian team and one couldn’t expect them to perform like a strong team.

Premchand cricket — Photo by **Patrick Case** from **Pexels**

As per an excerpt from the book produced by Scroll.in, Premchand wrote, “The Indian cricket team returned home. Although it did not achieve such spectacular success, it showed England that India cannot be neglected even in the field of play. The truth is that the people of India can beat the world if they get opportunities in every sphere of life. The people of England take pride in cricket. This pride must have received a big shock this time. It is a matter of joy that the Viceroy honoured the Indian team and introduced himself as a gentleman.”

But Premchand was largely known for fearlessly jotting down issues that harmed the country. Hence, in his cricket columns, he also criticized the idea of spending a large amount on the sport when the country was reeling with economic issues.

He wrote, as reproduced by Scroll.in, “For the cricket matches, railways gave concessions, express trains were put into service, entertainers are moving to Kolkata with their luggage in tow. And here it is being said that there is recession and lethargy to reduce wages, to cut the salary of servants but there is always a boom in such occasions (cricket matches).”

Also read: When South Africa won 2 WORLD titles in less than 2 months

In one of the columns, Premchand compared the situation with the French revolution. He wrote, “It is said that before the French Revolution, people used to die of hunger and their rulers and zamindars and mahajans would enjoy drama and dance. We are witnessing the same scene in India today. There is an outcry in the countryside. In the cities, they are having a ball. In the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) extravaganza, there are aeroplane exhibitions on display and money is being spent with great cruelty.”

In one of the matches in Varanasi, Rs 25 thousand was collected from five thousand tickets sold. Questioning the flow of money at such a time, Premchand wrote, “At least twenty-five thousand rupees were collected from tickets. And where did all this money come from? It came from the same babus and rich people who might not offer a dime for any national work.”

Also read: He took a hattrick and never played again…

But that’s not all. Premchand also criticized the inclusion of influential people in the Indian team just because of their rich background, rather than merit. This instantly brings to mind the nepotism debate going on among the Hindi film lovers since recent years.

He wrote, “Any player the administrators like is the one who finds himself in the XI. The only player certain of a place in the XI is the one who is nominated by the officials. On behalf of India, the Viceroy sends the congratulations. The representation of India is in the hands of these officials. So why shouldn’t the power to select players be in their hands too?”

Interestingly, Premchand also wrote fiction pieces on cricket in his novel Vardan and the short story titled Cricket Match.

Note: Scroll.in’s article on Premchand’s written works on cricket was based on an article from the Hindi website Satyagrah. To read the article, click HERE.

When Milind Soman played an EVIL politician who orchestrated riots

September 18, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Think about Milind Soman and the first thing that comes to your mind is his physical appeal. It astonishes people on how can someone be so fit and good-looking even after crossing the age of 50. This is the reason why he has such high number of fan following among females.

But it would be unfair to tag Milind only for his good looks. He has also shown his acting abilities quite a few times but this side of his is often overshadowed by his looks.

Once such on-screen character of his that hasn’t been talked about much is that of an evil and communal politician.

Yes, you read it right. He played such a negative character in Jayprad Desai’s Marathi movie Nagrik (2015). Named Vikas Patil, the character was that of a young, fiery politician who is ready to take any step to gain votes and thereby acquire power.

In fact, Milind’s character not only uses religion to gain votes but also orchestrates communal riots where people from the minority community are killed. On top of that, the next day he visits the victims to display a fake show of sympathy.

Those who haven’t seen Nagrik might feel that someone like Milind isn’t suited for such a role. But the character was such that I feel he was the right choice.

Vikas Patil isn’t your conventional evil politician who is aged and speaks and behaves like a villain. The character, in fact, is that of a young and sophisticated politician who devices his evil plans in a calm and calculative manner.

Patil’s character is also seen boasting about being able to get votes from the people of Maharashtra by merely shutting down few toll nakas. This dialogue, which is also a part of the trailer, gave rise to speculations about the character being similar to that of Raj Thackeray. But barring this dialogue, I couldn’t find any similarity between Patil and the chief of MNS.

As a film, Nagrik is an interesting political drama. It sees Patil pitted against an honest and upright journalist Shyam Jagdale, played by Sachin Khedekar. Jagdale is known for his column ‘Nagrik’ in the newspaper he works for.

But when he exposes Patil in one of his columns, his editor, a part of the new management, refuses to publish it since the newspaper is getting an enormous advertisement revenue from Patil. Hence, Jagdale goes through an episode of frustration. However, he is not someone to give up so easily.

Nagrik is also one of the last few films of acting legend Shreeram Lagoo. He plays Milind’s political mentor, who is disappointed to see his pupil going ashtray.

There are quite a few reasons why Nagrik remains memorable. For me, the biggest one is to see Milind play such a negative character. He has played a couple of villainous roles in Tamil films though.

Also read:

Nagrik movie review

Asif Basra’s suicide in 2020 never triggered an uproar

Actor Asif Basra’s suicide in 2020 never triggered an uproar

September 5, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

It has been three days since the unfortunate passing away of actor Sidharth Shukla due to sudden heart attack. The last three days have witnessed countless posts on social media bidding emotional goodbyes to him.

But along with that, the internet is also full of conspiracy theories regarding Shukla’s death. Despite the actor’s family members admitting that there is no foul play, thousands of his fans are thinking otherwise.

From someone giving him false medicines at night before he passed away to the actor doing drugs, everything is being attributed to his passing away except heart attack. But the one that takes the cake are claims of the actor being murdered.

In fact, a group has been formed on Facebook with the name ‘Justice for Sidharth Shukla’ where some members are asking for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) intervention in the matter.

These theories aren’t new. Ever since Sushant Singh Rajput passed away due to suicide in June 2020 till today, conspiracy theories regarding his alleged murder are still doing rounds despite the CBI not finding any murder angle in his death ever since they took up the case since a year.

Looking at all this, it might seem that majority of people get too affected emotionally if an actor dies unexpectedly. It becomes like a personal loss for them. However, this is not the case for every actor.

Let’s go back to that fateful evening in November last year, five months after SSR passed away, when news of actor Asif Basra ending his life by hanging was broken. I was shocked and it affected me as much as SSR’s death did.

However, there was no uproar on social media. Basra ended his life in the same way as Sushant did. But nobody found anything suspicious in his death. Nobody cried murder and brought up those unthinkable theories. Like SSR, Basra too was an ‘outsider’ but nobody slammed the so-called nepotism gang of Bollywood.

News channels never felt like making an issue out of it and they never trended #JusticeForAsifBasra.

But come September 2021 and the social media erupts with countless posts on suspicious death and murder when Shukla’s own family has confirmed that it’s a natural death.

This easily gives an idea that people get affected on social media in large numbers only if the actor is young, conventionally good-looking and, most importantly, someone who fits in the image of a ‘hero.’ Supporting actors or character artistes aren’t precious enough to get such reactions.

Basra has appeared in a list of prominent projects including, Black Friday, Parzania, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Kai Po Che, Krrish 3, The Tashkent Files, Paatal Lok, Hostages (both seasons), The Family Man (season 2), etc. They might not have known him by his name but his face is sure to make you feel you have seen him at least few times on screen.

One might still argue that people might not know who Basra was since he wasn’t that famous. But after reading or watching news about his death, people did know about him.

And they also came to know the cause of his death.

Also read:

#JusticeForSSR now has NO place on news channels. Who gained? Who lost?

Rann keeps getting more relevant and that’s not a good sign

What will happen to Sooryavanshi and 83?

September 1, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Circa March 2020. The trailer of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi promised an out-and-out cop entertainer. The film was set to release later that month. In the following month, Kabir Khan’s keenly-awaited 83 was due for release. The makers were getting ready with its teaser and trailer. Hindi film fans felt they are in for a treat.

However, a villain in the form of COVID-19 attacked India and theatres were shut for an indefinite period. Both Sooryavanshi and 83 were forced to abandon their releases and wait for the menace to end in India.

Today, after one and a half years, there is still no clarity on the release of both films.

Theatres did re-open at the end of last year which saw the release of few new Hindi films like Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Indoo Ki Jawani, Madam Chief Minister, etc. Although only 50% occupancy was allowed, it was still good news to see cinemas back. There was hope for the occupancy to increase in the coming months.

In January and February this year, few other films released and it felt the occupancy would increase soon. However, the second COVID-19 wave hit the nation and it turned out to be deadlier than the first one. Needless to say, theatres were shut again from April onwards and there was lockdown once again in the country.

Just when it felt Sooryavanshi and 83 would finally see the light of day, things became worse again. For those not in the know, both the films are produced by Reliance Entertainment. The former stars Akshay Kumar in the lead while the latter has Ranveer Singh.

Theatres have been re-opened in various major states in India recently. But Maharashtra, the biggest hub of Hindi cinema, still has its cinemas shut. So, you can’t expect too many big films to release in such situation. Of course, mainstream movies like Bell Bottom and Chehre did release recently. But their business hasn’t been encouraging.

In fact, even if they had released in Maharashtra, it still wouldn’t have made any difference to their box office performance. Somehow, not many people from the Hindi film audience are turning up for these films. Right now, only 50% occupancy is allowed in theatres. But both new films have not attracted even that much audience per show.

It won’t be right to say that people are scared to visit theatres due to the COVID-19 due to various reasons. The biggest being that new Punjabi movies Puaada and Chal Mera Putt 2 have been doing impressive business. The same happened with the Tamil movie Master earlier this year, not just in south but also in places like Mumbai. Plus, people are happy to gather in large numbers at markets and devotional places.

Hence, going by the current Hindi film performance at the box office, it doesn’t look the producers of Sooryavanshi and 83 would be willing to release their films now, even if theatres open up in Mumbai.

One important point here is that both the films are big budgeted and would need to earn huge at the box office in order to become successful. And to achieve that, they would need shows to go full even at 100% capacity.

We should also realize that both films have been in the waiting since a year and a half. This also increases the film’s cost because it increases the interest rate they would need to repay the banks. Naturally, in one and a half years, the rates would have gone significantly high.

Unfortunately, the threat of the third COVID-19 wave is also looming large as various experts have predicted its arrival later this year. So this raises a question whether it would be right for both films to wait for few months from now on.

In other words, neither they can wait nor they can release the films right now.

When South Africa won 2 WORLD titles in less than 2 months

August 21, 2021 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Before the start of any world tournament, be it the 50 over World Cup, T20 World Cup or ICC Champions trophy, discussions start making rounds on social media on whether South Africa will win its ‘first ever’ world title this time. The same is the case with the arrival of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021.

There is nothing wrong in having this discussion, except to believe that South Africa has never won a world title. The Proteas have won not one but two world titles already. And a lot of us seem to have forgotten that. It is widely believed that the team has never even reached the final of any world tournament, which is so wrong.

The first ICC Champions Trophy started off in 1998 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was also called the ‘Mini World Cup’ or ‘ICC Knock Out’ back then. It followed the format of eight teams participating in quarterfinal stage at the start. The four winners would play the semi-final and the last two the finals.

South Africa met the West Indies in the final, which was touted to be an exciting contest and this is exactly what it turned out to be. West Indian opener Philo Wallace, who was a star back then, scored 103 off just 102 balls. It looked like they would easily cross the 300 mark but Jacques Kallis’s 5 for 30 ensured that they got all out for just 245 in the last over.

In reply, South African openers Daryll Cullinan and Mike Rindel started well and put on 54 runs. But they kept losing wickets and were reduced to 137 for 5 at one stage. But their late captain Hansie Cronje was going strong. He scored 61 off 77 balls under pressure and had two useful partnerships with Dale Benkenstein (27 off 40) and Derek Crooks (24* off 21) to see his side home by four wickets.

Highlights of the 1998 ICC Knockout Final

This was the first time South Africa lifted a world title. But this achievement is still somewhat remembered by the cricketing world but the other one isn’t.

Cricket was introduced for the first time in the 1998 Commonwealth Games (CWG). It saw the participation of 16 countries, which is much more than what we see in any World Cup. It had West Indian islands Jamaica, Antigua-Barbuda and Barbados participate separately. It also saw the participating of non-regular teams like Canada and Northern Ireland.

Of all the test-playing countries, only South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe fielded their strongest teams. During the same time, India also had to participate in the Sahara Cup, the bilateral series against Pakistan that used to take place Toronto, Canada. Hence, they split their main team into two and sent two teams each for the Commonwealth Games and Sahara Cup. Pakistan sent a second string team.

Shaun Pollock’s spell in the final against Australia in the CWG 1998. There is no video of the highlights of the game. This one was posted just two months back

The two best teams of the CWG, South Africa and Australia, reached the finals. The Aussies batted first and were bundled out for just 183. Shaun Pollock was the star as he picked up 4 for 19. While chasing, Andrew Hudson (36 off 39), Rindel (67 off 106) and Kallis (44 off 96) helped South Africa win the final in a comprehensive way by four wickets. They were without the services of Cronje in this series.

CWC matches didn’t have the stamp of the ICC (International Cricket Council). But it was still a world tournament nevertheless and the matches were played in all seriousness.

Interestingly, South Africa won two world titles not just in the same year but also in a span of less than a month and a half (CWC final: September 19, ICC KO final: November 1).

Those were the days when South Africa was the best team in the world, at least in ODIs. At the end of the previous year (1997), they had also won the quadrangular tournament in Pakistan. Once again, they won the final while chasing.

Also read:

Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

He played 1 test but has ZERO tests to his name

10 years of Anna Hazare andolan: Where do we stand now?

August 14, 2021 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

Kisan Baburao Hazare aka Anna Hazare started his non-violent fight for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill in April 2011. But his movement gained tremendous momentum only on 15 August 2011 when he sat meditating at the Gandhi Smarak at Delhi. He announced fast unto death from the next day onwards if the bill isn’t passed with the points included by him and his NGO India Against Corruption.

People got attracted to the sight of Anna meditating and started joining him. It had a similar effect on me as I was watching it on TV. I vividly remember a young man telling a news channel reporter, “This is the first time in my life that I am feeling patriotic.” These scenes instantly had an effect on me.

Anna Hazare at Raj Ghat on 15 August 2011

From the next day onwards, rallies and agitations started taking place in Mumbai through IAC’s city wing. I didn’t even feel the need to think before becoming a part of it. All these years, I was eager to do something for the country but didn’t know how. This movement finally became an answer.

We were determined to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill in practice. I had gone through it and I was convinced it would help eradicate corruption. Deep inside, I was wondering how, when and whether it would be implemented. But I repressed these thoughts back then and was pretty successful at that.

Anna Hazare at hunger fast — Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh during the 2011 andolan [Photo source: Annahazare.blogspot.com]

Similarly, I found thousands of youngsters with a similar patriotic zeal. They too always wanted to do something for India but never had the means. They finally got one. This was visible from the loud slogans hailing Mother India and Anna during the rallies. We walked and walked without any pain in various rallies.

The most memorable moment was the mega rally planned from Bandra station to Juhu Circle. The distance was long but I, like others, never felt that. On top of that, there were heavy rains but we kept marching on without umbrella or any cover.

People around me and on social media claimed that we are lucky to have got a chance to take part in something similar to India’s freedom movement and I believed them instantly. I always felt I should have been born before India got independence so that I could have taken part in the freedom movement. This dream was getting fulfilled in 2011.

Another memorable incident was the protest outside MP Priya Dutt’s house at Pali Hill, Bandra. Even four police vans and a large number of cops called in for a small group of non-violent protesters didn’t scare me even a bit. Under normal circumstances, I would have been frightened.

Outside Priya Dutt’s residence in August 2011

In the meanwhile, we were also keeping an eye on the happenings in Delhi where Anna was on hunger strike. Apart from having grave concern for Anna’s health, we were rejoicing at popular celebrities like Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and Sonu Nigam showing open support for Anna.

Finally, after days of extreme protests, the central government agreed to the demands (at least, this is what was told to us) of Anna and IAC. He was finally going to end his fast.

The moment when Anna did that by having lemon juice through the hands of two little girls was a moment of triumph. The IAC organizers literally spelt out the names of the communities the two girls belonged to – Dalit and Muslim – but I was too naive to understand the politics behind it.

After we were told that the government has accepted the demands of the IAC for the Jan Lokpal Bill, we returned to our normal lives. But later on, it was said that the government has taken a U-turn and Anna will be sitting on fast yet again in December. The location chosen was Mumbai and my joy new no bounds.

The agitation that started on 27 December 2011 couldn’t achieve much. Not many people turned up at the venue at BKC, Bandra. Finally, Arvind Kejriwal, one of the main members from Anna’s core team, decided to enter active politics and the agitation was called off. Anna stayed far away from this plan as he didn’t believe in becoming a politician.

This was probably the end of the struggle for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill. After doing some protest against the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi in 2012, Kejriwal went onto start Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). His party has fought three elections in Delhi out of which they won two with miraculous numbers.

Kejriwal might be a better CM than few others in India. But he or anyone from his party are not even uttering the term ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’, leave alone doing anything to implement it. He became the CM for the first time in 2013 by targeting the then CM Sheila Dixit. He had vowed to initiate action against her in corruption cases in 2013 but that too didn’t happen [she passed away in 2019].

Of all the people from Anna’s core committee, Kejriwal has benefitted the most. Their other core member and ex celebrated cop Kiran Bedi too benefitted in some way. She tried her hand in politics by contesting for BJP in 2015 Delhi elections but lost by a large margin. But she was later made the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.

Anna Hazare with Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal — *Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare during the 2012 andolan*

The whole movement got another jolt in December 2013 when Anna agreed to the terms of the bill passed in the Parliament by Congress and BJP.

The scenario today after 10 years:

Looking at the larger picture, it seems that the aim of the whole movement was to bring BJP in power in India. I also realized that a lot of people had taken part in the movement just because they wanted BJP in power. And it worked out so well for them!

I also found news reports about Right Wing groups being in charge at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan when Anna was on fast. This was also a major indication.

The scenario in India is completely different after a decade. Earlier, corruption was the villain. Now there is an addition of rampant hatred for anyone who doesn’t believe in the problematic ideologies of supporters of one political party. They want us to believe that things have become so much better and if you don’t agree with them, you become an anti-national.

Around 10 years ago, our motto was to make India great. Today, after 10 years, we are just hoping and praying that things shouldn’t, at least, become worse than what they are right now.

Takeaways:

I have no hesitation in accepting that the whole Anna Hazare movement has yielded nothing good and has, in fact, made things worse. Like me, I know others who feel that they have been played with.

During the 2011 agitation at Azad Maidan, Mumbai

But at the same time, I can’t deny that I gained interest in politics or in the current affairs of the country only because of this movement. Before that, I didn’t know the difference between MP and MLA. So, at the most, it has helped me at a personal level; not that this is a major achievement though.

Like many others, I too feel bad to see Anna not even speaking up [I really don’t want him to fast or do something like that] against the wrongdoings of the current government or people who are a part of it. It’s clear that he was concerned for the country only pre-2014.

Anna has always been a practitioner of Gandhi’s non-violent ideology but he doesn’t find it necessary to at least speak up against the violent events and speeches that have taken place in recent years against innocents.

There have been few instances in recent years where Anna has announced to go onto a hunger strike against the current government, mostly for the welfare of farmers. But it always ended soon or didn’t begin at all after he got some assurance from someone from the ruling party.

Today, I am not a supporter of Anna. But maybe because of his achievements at Ralegan Siddhi and his various other contributions to the society, it’s difficult for me to hate him.

Also read:

An open letter to Arvin Kejriwal

When Sanjay Manjrekar & Rahul Dravid teamed up in a musical show

August 10, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Sanjay Manjrekar was known as an effective middle-order batsman for Mumbai and India during his playing days. He continued the legacy of his father Vijay Manjrekar, a popular batsman of his era. After retirement S Manjrekar is known for his work behind the microphone as a commentator.

But in between these two roles, somewhere lies Manjrekar the singer. This might come as a surprise to people who started watching cricket after the cricketer retired but he is a pretty good singer.

I came to know about Manjrekar’s fondness and talent for music when he brought out a music album called Rest Day way back in 1996, the year I started following cricket.

Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid [Photos courtesy: Newsbyminute.com and Asianlite.com]

The album contained favourite Hindi songs of Manjrekar’s teammates sung in his own voice.

Here’s what he sang for which cricketer:

Mohammad Azharuddin – Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein from Anokhi Raat (1968)

Sachin Tendulkar – Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhta Chala Gaya from Hum Dono (1961)

Anil Kumble – Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna from Chalte Chalte (1976)

Javaga Srinath – Ruk Jana Nahin Tu Kabhi Haar Ke from Imtihan (1974)

Manjrekar also went onto sing ‘Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aai’ [Buddha Mil Gaya 1971], ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ [Blackmail, 1973] and ‘Barson Hue hain Dil Mein’ [ghazal].

Listen to the album above

But there was a surprise package too. Vinod Kambli, who was known for his aggressive batting, also showed the singer inside him and sang ‘Tumse Achha Kaun Hai’ [title song, 1969] and an original track ‘Hum Kasam Khayenge’ along with Manjrekar and Arvinder Singh.

As I kid, I was ecstatic to see our cricketers trying their hand [rather, throat] at singing. The trailer of this album used to appear on TV almost daily and I used to watch it with wonder and excitement.

I still remember Manjrekar had impressed me with his singing. Mind you, it was an era where auto-tuning a person’s voice was hardly or never practiced.

Manjrekar showed his singing talent again later on in the same year [I guess]. It was the cricketers’ special of Zee TV’s musical game show Antakshari. He was paired with Rahul Dravid; Sourav Ganguly with Nayan Mongia; Sunil Joshi with Salil Ankola and Eknath Solkar with Madan Lal.

Manjrekar ruled the show with his singing and overshadowed Dravid. And it seemed like Dravid didn’t have any problem with that.

And as I am writing this, I realized a good soul has uploaded the entire cricketer’s special Antakshari video on YouTube just less than a year ago. See below:

How to donate for Maharashtra FLOOD victims?

July 28, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Over the past several days, torrential rains have created havoc in various parts of Maharashtra. There have been floods in a number of regions in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts of Konkan being the worst affected.

The floods have killed over 200 people as of now, left several others missing and rendered lakhs of people homeless; struggling even for the basic necessities of life.

In such a situation, it is extremely necessary for the people of India to come forward and share a helping hand to our fellow citizens who have been punished for no fault of theirs.

It won’t take much effort on our part to make some donation for the people severely struggling to survive. The donation can be made in terms of money as well as necessary items of daily living in the form of packaged good, good clothes, items of hygiene [Dettol, phynoil, soaps, oil, etc].

Floods in Maharashtra 2021 — An Indian Army personnel rescuing a woman from a flood-affected area [Photo source: DD News on Twitter]

Khana Chahiye is a genuine NGO through which you can make donations. I can personally vouch for them as I have been observing their work. I also personally know the person, Advocate Rakesh Singh, who started the NGO in last March to provide meals to the hungry and homeless during the first COVID-19 lockdown.

Till now, they have provided close to 65 lakh free meals and over 61 thousand grocery kits to the needy. It started off by providing meals to people of a certain area in north Mumbai but it started growing in no time with more and more volunteers joining them.

Khana Chahiye has now extended its services for the flood-affected regions of Maharashtra.

To donate, please send an email on contact@khaanachahiye.com or a What’s App text on 7669800470.

Similarly, Khushiyaan Foundation, another NGO, is also collecting donations in the form of money and other essential items mentioned above. You can call or message them on 8828494926 and 7666657964.

He took a hattrick and never played again…

July 22, 2021 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

Taking a hattrick is one of the most jubilant days for any bowler in any format against any team at any level. It also brings the bowler instant fame. That’s what happened recently with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj taking a hattrick against the West Indies in a test match.

But there are some very few exceptions. A case in question is that of Australia’s Anthony Stuart. He just vanished from the scene after taking a hattrick.

Born in 1970 Newcastle, New South Wales, Stuart made his ODI debut against the West Indies in the ending stages of the Carlton & United triangular series on 5 January 1997. It was a high-scoring match that Australia lost but Stuart took 2 wickets on debut, including the one of the great Brian Lara.

His third match, which was against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), turned out to be a dream-come-true. With Australia bowling first, Stuart picked up Aamer Sohail and Zahoor Elahi at the start. But the best was yet to come.

Anthony Stuart [Photo courtesy: Twitter]

In the same spell, he got Ijaz Ahmed caught behind by wicket-keeper Ian Healy for 1. On the very next ball, he got Mohammad Wasim out in the same fashion. He bowled a classic outswinger that got rid of the courageous Moin Khan caught at first slip.

Stuart took a hattrick in just a third ODI of his career. As you can see from the video below, the young man was jubilant and unable to believe what just happened.

It was just the 12^th hattrick in ODIs. Interestingly, less than 15 days prior to that, Zimbabwe’s Eddo Brandes had taken a hattrick against England. [See the list of all ODI hattricks by clicking HERE]

On a side note, although Pakistan finished at a low score of just 181 for 9, it turned out to be a close encounter with some fine bowling from Wasim Akram (4 for 25). Australia were reduced to 148 for 7 at one stage but Michael Bevan (79*), as per his old habit, got them home in the last over.

Click on ‘WATCH ON YOUTUBE’ to see the hattrick video

This was the last league match and Australia’s last in the tri series. They were already knocked out of the tournament with Pakistan and West Indies reaching the finals.

This meant that Australia played next in the test series on their tour to South Africa in March that year. However, Stuart got a blow as he wasn’t even included in the squad of 14 players.

One can understand his exclusion from the test side since he hadn’t played any tests. But he wasn’t even considered for the ODIs. On the other hand, Andy Bichel, who debuted with Stuart and played all the three matches he played, was taken in the squad.

Unfortunately for Stuart, he was never again selected even in the Australian squad, leave alone being part of the playing 11.

The hattrick match where he had glorious figures of 5 for 26 turned out to be the last match of his international career. His 12-day career saw him take a hattrick and a 5-wicket haul.

As per some articles online, Stuart went through a loss of form in the period after the triangular series. After not being called back again to play for the Aussies, he also lost a place in the domestic New South Wales team as well.

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Why Byomkesh Bakshi continues to win hearts in the OTT era

July 14, 2021 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

Over the last couple of years, shows on OTT platforms have become a rage in India. The shutting down of theatres from March 2020 onwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a major reason for that.

A large number of these OTT shows are crime thrillers or mystery dramas that have something related to crime. But even in such a scenario, Basu Chatterji’s crime detective show Byomkesh Bakshi continues to wow the audience on YouTube. The high number of views it keeps garnering is a proof of it.

For those not in the know, Byomkesh Bakshi was first aired in 1993 on Doordarshan. The show is based on the written works of author Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The stories revolve around the character of Byomkesh Bakshi, played by Rajit Kapur.

Bakshi is a detective but prefers to be called truth seeker [satya ki khoj karne wala]. His best friend-cum-assistant Ajit is played by KK Raina while Sukanya Kulkarni plays is wife Satyavati. Each episode starts with a crime and ends with Bakshi solving it. Few stories are divided in two episodes.

There are various reasons why the show continues to be popular on the internet amidst thousands of new crime stories on OTT platforms from India and abroad.

Nostalgia: For those who have grown up in the 1990s, the very mention of Byomkesh Bakshi is enough to make them nostalgic and go back to the bygone era. The show reminds us of the times when we used to watch Doordarshan with the whole family. We have hundreds of TV channels today but they are no match to the national television of that era.

Simplicity: The stories explored in the show are based in the eras from 1930s to 60s. Hence, we get a glimpse of the simple times in Kolkata, all thanks to the production designer Jadab Bhattacharya. But apart from the setting, there was ample simplicity in the making of the show as well.

Despite dealing with an issue like crime, Chatterji stayed miles away from adding any sort of melodrama or forceful thrill through the background score. It was a show where the crime used to be introduced in a simple manner and the mystery used to be solved in the same way. This ensures that you don’t lose interest even if you predict the mystery at the start itself.

Characters: In a lot of shows and movies detectives being shown as heroes or someone with an unusual way of living. But the characters of Bakshi, Ajit, Satyavati and whole lot of others in this show were simple, common and everyday people. Hence, it was extremely easy to relate with them. Even after Bakshi solves a truly complicated case, he is never portrayed as a hero.

Performances: Rajit Kapur’s performance as Bakshi was the backbone of the show, apart from Chatterji’s handling. There are various moments where he cracks humour out of nowhere. Similarly, there is also an undercurrent of humour in his performance which is a hallmark of a great actor. Raina too gave perfect support to him and added the right amount of curiosity for the audience.

Title Music: As soon as you hear the title tune of Byomkesh Bakshi, your mind is sucked back into the era of the 1990s. Composer Ananda Shankar has added thrill in the score but not gone overboard by retaining the simplicity of the show.

Peace-inducing content: I am sure this point will come across as either surprising or weird. But this is my personal observation. There is something about this show that induces peace. Watching an episode of Byomkesh Bakshi fills me with calmness, though it’s a crime show.

When the show was re-run on Doorsharshan in 2013, my grandmother used to feel the same. She said on numerous occasions how shaant she felt after watching the show. She said she never felt this way while watching other crime shows like CID.

Watch Byomkesh Bakshi on YouTube by clicking HERE.