SS Ray, cricket and me

Siddhartha Shankar Ray was directly linked in crushing a cricket tradition! It was because of him that the men’s cricket world cup came out of UK and began to be hosted around the cricketing globe.

Let’s go to the incidents involved in July 1983. When India reached the final at Lord’s to meet West Indies, the BCCI president NKP Salve, a brilliant lawyer and Mrs Gandhi’s cabinet minister, requested the English and ICC cricket authorities for two tickets, complimentary or against payment.  Salve wanted those two tickets for his former colleagues, SS Ray and his wife Maya Ray.

The ICC authorities turned down the request. Just two tickets for the final between West Indies and India, they could not cater for one of the finalists! After India’s miraculous world cup victory, Salve met Mrs Gandhi at New Delhi and informed her of the humiliation. Dhirubhai Ambani took the next flight to meet Indira Gandhi and Salve. The trio discussed their strategy to shatter the ICC tradition of monopoly hosting in UK.

At the next meeting at London to decide the dates and formalities of the following world cup in England in 1987, suddenly Salve raised the issue that India was keen to be the next host! The ICC members were stunned for it was inconceivable to think of the cricket world cup away from Britain.

Visionary Salve’s next move was to raise the guarantee money to all teams! Although the white nations objected, the decision was a foregone conclusion. Salve, to rub it in, offered total hospitality to all officials of all teams! In an act of superlative diplomacy NKP Salve invited Pakistan to be the co-host. The world was stunned with this joint Indo-Pak venture.

Mrs Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 and it appeared that India would back out for lack of funds. “The blank cheque was meant for India’s honour. Please use it,” said Dhirubhai’s sons, Mukesh and Anil. PM Rajiv Gandhi and his cabinet went full steam ahead. India hosted the tournament to perfection with the final at Eden Gardens in deference to its iconic status.

Denial of two tickets for Siddhartha Shankar Ray and his wife Maya started a new, healthy trend in world cricket.  Homage to the Gandhis, Ambanis and particularly to NKP Salve for their patriotism that transformed world cup cricket forever.

***

Let’s look back. SS Ray was the CM from 1972 to 1977, During his tenure the Emergency was imposed around the country. As the Congress lost at the Centre, Ray too lost in the 1977 assembly elections.

 During his tenure came up the Indoor stadium within the huge Eden Gardens complex. He named it after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The Club House at the cricket arena was also his contribution. He did not name it in his own name! Rather paid respect to former Chief Minister Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy’s memory. Yes, that was the kind of class we used to have at Calcutta.

Let us now go to Ray, the man. Ray possessed an unimpeachable character with the blood of Deshbandhu in his veins.

 Ray also happened to be a cricketer who represented Calcutta University in the 1940s and the Kalighat Club in local club matches. His love for cricket was paramount even in the midst of his rise and rise in the legal profession and the political ladder.

In 1976 Chief Minister SS Ray decided to take a cricket team – under the nomenclature of CM XI – to Darjeeling to cement his relationship with the Hill people, whom he adored. In that team along with SS Mitra, Chuni Goswami, Gopal Bose and other prominent Bengal Ranji Trophy players, I happened to be one of the last choices.

As we reached Darj, we were herded to the Governor’s House to meet the CM for lunch. Chunida led the way into the dining room where Ray and his wife were awaiting us, sitting at the head of the wide table side by side. Reticent and shy, I was the last to enter and found that the seat on the column to Ray’s right was occupied by Chunida. And the seat beside on the other column to Maya Ray’s was vacant. I smiled as she gave a gentle nod of welcome to sit.

Ray began by welcoming us. Chunida mentioned how privileged we were. But others found nothing to say!  Hardly any conversation happened as the lunch was served in style and splendor. Then Ray said, “Maya, this is Raju. A young cricketer, full of promise, who does not want to play cricket.” She gave me a warm eye-brow query. I said, “I find cricket a waste of time.” She smiled, “Why? What do you want to do?’

“Well, I really do not know.”

Ray intervened, “Which school?”  When I mentioned, he went into reverie: Xavier’s? That’s where I began. But my maternal grandfather CR Das would have none of any foreign influence on me. He brought me to Mitra Institution, closer home in Bhabanipur, early enough.

I interrupted: My dad was in Mitra Institution as well. He told me once that you were his classmate. Would you remember anyone by the name of Karun?

Ray was lost in memory: Karun, Karun. Fair complexion? Came from Coochbehar?

Very excited, I said: Yes, yes. You still remember?

Ray, the champion raconteur, gave a roaring laugh, “Oh! Lord. After Mitra Institution, he did his Intermediate Arts with us at Presidency, then the silly fella went off to get married!  Lost all contact.”

Lunch over, she asked Raja and me to come again for tea the following evening, if we were free.

Raja wasn’t free! I was hopeless at ‘adda’ sessions with peers; knew not the difference between spades and hearts; hated smoking; was yet to enjoy ‘drinks’; avoided jay-walks. So had enough time to spare!

The Rays were ready at 5 pm, the scheduled time. Ray asked, ‘After school where did you go?”

I was a very earnest sort of a person at the time. Not easy with casual chats. I replied, “After St Xavier’s College, I did my Masters in International Relations at Jadavpur University.”

Ray was on fire: Whaaat? Jadavpur University, of all places? What’s wrong with you? Son as silly as dad!

 Instantly Maya Ray came to my rescue. A righteous barrister she was and would not take Ray lying down: What’s wrong with you, Manu? JU is Rishi Arobindo’s university. Raju studied his favourite subject at whichever place he liked. He had every right.

 I was stunned to say the least. A lady who did not even know me was defending me in front of one of the top lawyers of the country and a CM at that. Not to forget that the dreaded Emergency was in operation! Little did I know that she herself was a qualified lawyer. I was born lucky.

CM calmed down and gave his billion-dollar smile: Raju, everything about you is Congress and Mohun Bagan. I cannot imagine you with those leftists.

Now I was full of confidence: I am no leftist. I am a staunch believer in Swamiji’s socialism.

Maya Ray, God bless her, nodded. Ray gave me a long warm look of appreciation, “Tell me about yourself. What are you doing now?”

I said: Now am concentrating on research work. The topic is Sports & International Relations, with particular emphasis on Muhammed Ali and the Vietnam War.

Maya Ray: Who is your guide at JU?

I said: Dr Jayantanuja Bandyopadhyaya.

The baritone voice boomed: What a man to have as guide. He is among India’s foremost intellectuals. Whenever Mrs Indira Gandhi sends cultural delegations abroad, her first choice is the honorable professor from JU.

Although I knew my guide was very deserving, nevertheless I was still thrilled that Dr Bandyopadhyaya had such a high international rating. I found my voice:  Sir, he never belonged to the Congress Party. He has leftist leanings.

“So what?” he calmed down, “We know who the deserving people are, whichever group they may belong to. We hold him in highest esteem. He is very highly regarded abroad in academic and cultural spheres. Can there be a better choice than he? Lucky you are to be guided by him.”

 

Years later Sourav Ganguly, the India captain, got on the wrong side of match referee Clive Lloyd because of time-wasting tactics. When late evening after the match Lloyd announced a ban on Sourav for a few vital matches, Jagmohan Dalmiya appealed against the decision. He made all arrangements and asked me to study the full game on screen that very night. To prepare a note to save Sourav. Honestly, no way the captain could be defended cricket-wise.

I decided to bring ‘nature’ into my report. My contention was that owing to heavy dew in the evening, the Indian players were forced to dry the ball after every delivery. Consequently the delay took place. I headlined the report “Time lost; not time wasted”. Next evening a call came from Dalmiya, “Raju, we have won. Our lawyer was SS Ray. He has conveyed his thanks to you for the excellent and appropriate reasons prepared by you.”

This is typical Siddhartha Shankar Ray. The brilliant lawyer’s argument carried the day in an international podium in front of a Justice from New Zealand, yet he found the time to think of a non-entity who prepared the ‘defence’ case. Ray congratulated me; but the man who escaped the ban found no inclination!  That’s life in a nut-shell.

God has been very, very kind to me. Got much more than I deserved. Truly blessed.

 

 

 

 

Monohar Aich & BJP

Monohar Aich was among the first sportspersons in India to join a political party. Sportspeople devoting time to political ideologies were almost unheard of in the 1990s. Tiger Pataudi and Palvankar Baloo were exceptions.

 In the 1991 general elections in India, actor Victor Banerjee was a BJP candidate for the parliament from Calcutta north-west constituency. Champion body-builder Monohar Aich, winner of Mr Universe title in US, joined BJP and was at the dais during campaigns.

With his world-wide experience, he harped on the issues of ‘one nation; one law’ (as is normal in almost all countries) and the Kashmir problem (Sec 370). The themes in India were of course originally conceived by Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Bharatiya Jan Sangh) and later advocated by his secretary Atal Behari Vajpayee (Bharatiya Janata Party).

At an election campaign in 1991 when the prominent BJP leader Tapan Sikdar was told that Monohar Aich would be one of the speakers, he politely asked who the gentleman was. One man told him, “Tapanda, ooni amader Pocket Hercules.” Parliamentarian Sikdar was taken aback but instantly recovered, “Great news. My boyhood hero. Sorry, I had forgotten his actual name!”

Sorry we are going ahead of the actual sequence of events.

In 1951 when Monotosh Roy returned from USA with the ‘Mr Universe’ title, the Indians were aghast. No one could visualize that an Indian was capable enough to compete with the world’s best and become a world champion at an international body-building contest.

Thankfully Amrita Bazar Patrika of Calcutta – a newspaper involved with the nationalist movement in the pre-independence days – highlighted the news item to show that the Indians were in no way inferior to any other nationality in the world in any endeavour. Independent India actually had a world champion among us in an individual event.

The Olympic hockey gold medal we were used to, but a world champion in an individual contest, especially body-building, was beyond belief. Born in 1916 Monotosh Roy spent a life in total devotion to his worship of the physical self. He knew and preached that a healthy body meant a healthy mind. He was a trail-blazer as a coach to numerous Indian body-builders.

***

 In the following year in 1952 another man from Calcutta, Monohar Aich created a sensation in US. He walked away with the ‘Mr Universe’ title with ease. Extrovert and demonstrative, he held the audience in awe.

Monohar Aich was just under 5 feet in height. Initially the judges were not too impressed because of his height. But when he began to display the supple movements of his muscles, the crowd went into raptures. The judges were unanimous in granting him the title.

The media in United States began to call him ‘Pocket Hercules’. The name stuck and even today people identify him more by his nickname than by his actual name of Monohar Aich. One really cannot blame Tapan Sikdar!

Monohar Aich continued with his worship of ‘body-culture’. Observing his dedication, hundreds of young men began to congregate at gymnasiums. A distinct culture of ‘body beautiful’ emerged.  Monohar Aich maintained his amazing body till his last breath in 2016 at the age of 104.  Hundreds of his disciples as well as his numerous admirers mourned his departure.  

Both Monotosh Roy and Monohar Aich were not recognized by the Government of India for their exemplary service to the nation. Both gave a distinct respectability to the culture of body-building in India by winning the world crown. But their contribution went unheralded. We seemed to have had no time or inclination to honour our genuine world champions.

The stories of Indian champions should be in the text books of children. Only then we shall be able to spread the sports culture to every nook and corner of the country. High time we highlighted our sports heritage.

In the picture Monohar Aich is in the company of Vishnukant Shastri, myself, Sukumar Banerjee (then president of Bengal BJP) and Tapan Sikdar while campaigning for Victor Banerjee at Netaji Indoor Stadium in 1991.

 

 Syama Prasad Mookerjee and West Bengal Day

20^th June is a very significant date for the residents of West Bengal. On that day in 1947 a resolution was passed in the then Bengal assembly that the western part of Bengal would remain a part of independent India.

Prior to this day, a meeting was held in early April at the temple town of Tarakeshwar by the Bangiya Hindu Mahasabha. The leader was the educationist-social worker turned politician Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

My grandfather Amulya Ratan Mukherji – a distant cousin of Syama Prasad and an active member of Bangiya Hindu Mahasabha – attended the meeting at the Shaiva-teertha and remembered the historic date till his last breath.

That particular conference helped to mobilize public awareness among the Hindu population in Bengal and finally led to the creation of the State of West Bengal. Without the great role of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, there would not have been any West Bengal on the India map today.

Initially Syama Prasad was against the partition of Bengal from the Union of India. Despite his best and tireless efforts, when Syama found that the partition of India was almost confirmed and that the entire State of Bengal would become a part of the new nation of Pakistan, he was at his eloquent and energetic best.

Full of logic and courage, analysis and authority, he declared that if Bengal would have to be divided then the Hindu-dominated parts of Bengal should also have their rightful due. Thankfully the majority of the political personalities involved concurred with him. Thus the State of Bengal was truncated into West Bengal and East Pakistan.

Without him there would not have been any West Bengal at all. Syama Prasad’s idea of West Bengal was not only for Hindus: it was open to all religions as well as to atheists and agnostics. It was not only for the Bengali-speaking population: it welcomed all communities and faiths who wished to make Bengal their home. This was the vital contribution of this exemplary visionary.

In the late 1930s Syama Prasad Mookerjee joined Hindu Mahasabha who were fighting for the Hindu majority of the population in the country. Later he formed his own political party Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the forerunner to the BJP. His personal secretary Atal Bihari Vajpayee always admitted that he learnt political etiquette, ideology and administration at the feet of his guru, Syama Prasad.

My Dadu always maintained, “Syama would never say ‘Jan Sangh’. His booming voice would always say with pride ‘Bharatiya Jan Sangh’. He was that kind of a patriot. For him the word BHARATIYA symbolized national unity. Great soul.”

 Cricket followers may be reminded that Syama Prasad was among the first to raise his voice against inter-community cricket championships in India, which was ultimately banned in 1946. It began in 1892. For him the inter-religious faith competition went against the basic concept of national ethos.

This year – thanks to the political progeny of Syama Prasad – on Saturday the 20^th of June the birthday of West Bengal will be officially acknowledged for the first time. It took us 79 years to celebrate our own birthday!

                                                                                 

 

Syama Prasad Mookerjee: Selfless, Patriotic, Visionary

Did he have any interest in sport? He did. Never wrote on sport but the visionary in him made a startling observation on cricket. I heard from my paternal grandfather Amulya Ratan Mukherji, “As early as 1930s Syama confided in us that the inter-community cricket tournaments fuel friction and divisive tendencies and so should be stopped immediately.” Later with MK Gandhi’s intervention the Pentangular inter-community cricket tournament was stopped in the mid-1940s. But rather too late:  by then the partition was a mere formality.

Thankfully the inter-community cricket tournament was banned and the inter-State Ranji Trophy championship became the most prominent cricket championship in the country.

Syama Prasad’s family members never used his name for personal glory unlike the family members of his political adversaries. Syama Prasad himself never took advantage of his father’s name and credentials. The Mookerjees of Sir Asutosh’s family were at the helm of their respective professions through individual merit. My paternal grandfather was his distant cousin. ARM was 5 years senior to SPM and was very close to his elder brother Rama Prasad, a legal luminary, who was of Dadu’s age.

First-class first in graduation. Repeat first-class first in post-graduation. Vice-chancellor of Calcutta University at 33. Forget politicians, wonder how many exceptional scholars anywhere in the world have achieved such exalted academic status so early in life.

Law studies at Calcutta followed by qualifying for the Bar in UK courts. But law was not his main interest. He went abroad primarily to study the functioning of academic education in UK. Although a die-hard patriot, Syama Prasad Mookerjee had the vision to realize that to succeed in the international arena Indians must be exposed to western education, particularly in technology, science and research.

This approach was unique indeed. Most wealthy Indians would go abroad for higher studies to further their own careers. But young Syama was different. He wanted the best of western education to be made available to all keen Indians here in India. This all-inclusive approach makes him an extraordinary personality.

Syama Prasad’s selfless attitude was the principal difference between him and all his adversaries in the Indian political scenario. Syama was stunned by the self-centred nature of political parties of various hues in the sub-continent. Unity was the last issue they had in mind in resistance to the ruling colonial power. Communal ideas, ‘class’ prejudice and provincial bias seemed to be their main concern. He decided that he would get into politics and fight the problems from within the political domain.

He was quick to realize that the colonial power was determined to drive a wedge between the two most prominent communities. He made desperate attempts to make the prominent leaders of all factions in the Indian political scenario to see reason: We must all unite and not let our country be partitioned. But our leaders had different agendas. So ambitious were they that they could not see beyond themselves. For our leaders the appeasement to one particular community overshadowed all reasonable arguments.

 In 1942 the Bengal Famine – artificially created by the colonial power – made SPM dive into social service on a scale rarely seen in India. He came under the influence of Swami Pranavananda, whose Bharat Sevashram Sangha devoted time and attention to the millions of refugees who came to the western part of Bengal to escape the tyranny unleashed on them.

Despite his best and tireless efforts, when Syama found that the partition of India was almost confirmed and that the whole of Bengal would become a part of the new nation of Pakistan, he was at his eloquent and energetic best. Full of logic and analysis he showed the Brits as well as the major political parties that if Bengal would have to be divided then the Hindu-dominated parts of Bengal should have their rightful due. Reluctantly, all the others had to agree that his points were absolutely to the point. Thus Bengal was truncated into West Bengal and East Pakistan.

Without the magnificent presence of Syama Prasad Mookerjee there would have been no State of Bengal on the India map. According to his biographers Anirban Ganguly and Avadhesh Kumar Singh, “It was his forceful leadership and intervention that saved a part of Bengal and the historic and strategically important city of Calcutta from going to the Muslim League-ruled Pakistan. This was arguably the greatest achievement of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee’ life.”

Without him there would not have been West Bengal at all. Syama Prasad’s Bengal was not only for Hindus: it was open to all religions as well as atheists and agnostics. It was not only for the Bengali-speaking population: it welcomed all those who wished to make Bengal their home. This was the vital contribution of this exemplary visionary. I know because my Maharashtrian in-laws while fleeing from riot-torn Lahore, settled down at Calcutta most willingly. Thank God they did!

In the late 1930s Syama Prasad Mookerjee joined Hindu Mahasabha because they were  fighting for the majority of the population in the country. It was obviously not Syama’s fault that the majority of the population in the sub-continent was of Hindu faith and that the land was known as Hindusthan. The Hindu majority population desperately needed a leader and Syama Prasad was the unanimous answer.

Patriots as diverse as Veer Savarkar and Mohandas Gandhi welcomed his presence at Hindu Mahasabha. By 1948 he resigned on a point of principle and formed his own political party Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the forerunner to the BJP. His personal secretary Atal Bihari Vajpayee always admitted that he learnt political etiquette, ideology and administration at the feet of his guru, Syama Prasad.

My Dadu always maintained, “Syama would never say ‘Jan Sangh’. His booming voice would always say with pride ‘Bharatiya Jan Sangh’. He was that kind of a perfectionist. For him the word BHARATIYA symbolized national unity. Great soul.”

Initially in 1947 he was a vital part of independent India’s first cabinet and was given the most important ministry of industries and supplies. In 1952 as a member of his own party – Bharatiya Jan Sangh – he was in the cabinet, again with the industry portfolio. Almost overnight corporations like Hindusthan Aeronautics Ltd, Damodar Valley Corporation, Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, Sindhri Fertilizer Plant, among numerous others, came up. In just two years he concentrated on both private and public sectors and gave India the much needed industrial infrastructure for self-sufficiency that the nation required at the time.

Here it may be of interest to know that Syama did not study at the prominent missionary schools of Calcutta. He preferred the Bengali-medium Mitra Institution, which was close to his family residence at Bhabanipur. His major subject in Presidency College and Calcutta University would surprise every reader. It was, believe it or not, Bengali. Yes, Bengali. Amazing love and respect for the motherland by an academic topper.

In 1953 his gruesome death in Srinagar at just 52 is too well documented for further elaboration. Suffice is to mention that he went into Kashmir (an Indian territory), was jailed in solitary confinement (without medication) and finally God took him away. No enquiry was ever conducted!

Syama’s mother’s fervent request to the then PM for a proper enquiry was not attended to. A cabinet minister died under mysterious circumstances and no enquiry was held!

Syama Prasad’s fault was his rational, unbiased ideology:  India is One Nation, no individual State should receive favoured treatment; and that a common civil code should exist for all Indians of whatever faith.

That’s Syama Prasad Mookerjee in a nut-shell: “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high… “