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A short thread on India winning a game and what it meant to my maternal Grandpop. 1/n
So, my maternal Ajoba (grandpa) was from Jabalpur. That’s where I was born. Parents shifted to Madras from Delhi when I was about 18 months old. So, mum and everyone in her family were educated in Hindi medium and my grandpa used to work for ITC of those days. 2/n
Understand he used to play hockey for the local ITC team. He also used to love Cricket. Over Hockey 3/n
Jabalpur did not have any sporting events and so when we moved to Madras my granpa figured it was a good way to spend some time with daughter and grandkids and used to come to Madras whenever any test cricket was on – that was the only cricket those days anyway. 4/n
But coming to Madras means, he had a problem. He could not speak Tamil and he was not comfortable navigating in buses around the city. My mom had somehow started picking Tamil and the kids due to the surroundings in a typical tam brahm community got well versed with Tamil. 5/n
I picked a bat when I was like 18 months and used to love playing cricket. Given TV was not around & even when it started to make its way , we could not afford and my dad used to take me at early morning to the bungalow of Nalli Silks owner next to our house in T.Nagar. 6/n
So, the whole neighbourhood used to gather in a tiny room where the Nalli Silks guy used to turn the TV on for the duration of the match. It used to be fun standing and watching. I was way too short those days and hence my dad used to put me on his shoulder. 7/n
But then the test matches started happening in Chepauk and I would want to go and watch but Dad always used to tour a lot for months together and there was no opportunity to go the stadium when I was like 5 or 6. Enter Ajoba. 8/n
He would land up from Jabalpur and he negotiated a deal with my parents that I would accompany him for all the 5(6) days (including rest days) to the stadium. 9/n
This mean I could bunk school on all those days and call in sick. My grades were ok & this was typically Pongal time when the tests used to happen. So I could get off with 2 or 3 days of bunking. My close friends knew I was attending test matches but official reason - sick 10/n
All 5 days I would go with him in Bus No. 13 from T Nagar to Triplicane and get off at Wallajah road and sit in my favourite Stand D right behind the bowler. Used to go early so I could pick all the caps & other paraphernalia like team sheets/scorecards that were given out. 11/n
Watched multiple series with him including the Kallicharan team, the Brearley team and the Kim Hughes lead team in Chepauk. It always used to be fun waiting for him to come and more importantly a test match to be awarded to Madras. 12/n
He was a fanatic of the Indian sports team and he could never tolerate a loss be it cricket or hockey. So if an India team won, the whole neighborhood would get sweets and if they lost there would be choicest galis in hindi and he would not eat for 2-3 days.13/n
If India won in Madras he used to go to this specific shop close to Ranganthan Street called Brijwasi – only reason that guy could speak Hindi. And he used to sit & chat with him for an hour or two & make his way back to our home. The treats usually was Samosa and Jalebis. 14/n
He passed on in 1987 and I moved out of Madras to study in a place where test cricket might never come ever but there was a lot of QT cricket. 15/n
As I was going through the excitement and adrenalin rush of what transpired today, I was wondering how he would have reacted if he was around to see this match. The whole of Powai might have got a feast from him. Miss you Ajoba and remembering you today! n/n
