Princely Patrons
Today a story from Ram Guha on Princely players, the early patrons of the game in India. Guha also picks his all-time Princes eleven in this writeup.
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The contrast between the two kinds of cricketing princes is beautifully captured in a story set in Ajmer's Mayo College sometime in the 1960s. Here, sitting next to each other at lunch, were the Maharaja of Kashmir and the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar. Both were patrons of a school meant to make English gentlemen of the sons of the Rajput nobility. "Ranji, apne Kabhi anda banaya," asked the Maharaja. ("Ranji, have you ever scored a duck.")
"Bahut baar (very often)," answered the great batsman.
"Maine kabhi nahin banaya: (I have never scored a duck)," responded Kashmir.
Silence prevailed, but then the enormity of his achievement hit the unvanquished soul. Summoning the Principal to his table, he announced: "Aaj school bund kar do aur baccho ko chutti de do (close down the school today and give all the kids a holiday)."
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The contrast between the two kinds of cricketing princes is beautifully captured in a story set in Ajmer's Mayo College sometime in the 1960s. Here, sitting next to each other at lunch, were the Maharaja of Kashmir and the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar. Both were patrons of a school meant to make English gentlemen of the sons of the Rajput nobility. "Ranji, apne Kabhi anda banaya," asked the Maharaja. ("Ranji, have you ever scored a duck.")
"Bahut baar (very often)," answered the great batsman.
"Maine kabhi nahin banaya: (I have never scored a duck)," responded Kashmir.
Silence prevailed, but then the enormity of his achievement hit the unvanquished soul. Summoning the Principal to his table, he announced: "Aaj school bund kar do aur baccho ko chutti de do (close down the school today and give all the kids a holiday)."
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posted by Sriram Veera at 2:41 AM
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