Gavaskar turns 60: Presenting a portrait and all that

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

NEW DELHI: As Sunil Manohar Gavaskar turns 60 Friday (10 July), my mind raced back to March 1984 when I first met the legendary opening batsman in Lucknow and presented him a self-made portrait on canvas. It was a dream meeting with my childhood hero inside the crowded, makeshift dressing room at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium that I will never forget.

Since then I have met “Sunny bhai”, as the world addresses him affectionately, a number of times as a working journalist, listening and soaking in the fascinating tales that he always seems to have in abundance. On Friday, when I called him up him at his Mumbai residence, a recorded female voice answered “there’s no one to take your call at the moment”. I know many people would be trying to call him to wish him and he can’t possibly talk to all the callers. But like previous years, I am sending him a birthday wish through e-mail.

I have preserved several anecdotes narrated by Sunny bhai. One interesting thing that he told me several years ago was that he always used to reply to his fan mail, even while playing matches. He disclosed that former India players Raju Kulkarni and Chandrakant Pandit used to help him in sorting out the mail and in replying to his fans, but Gavaskar used to reply in his own handwriting.

Gavaskar also told me that all letter writers did not necessarily praise his batting and that there were a few who were critical in their opinion. He said that one particular writer used to regularly send nasty mails and that he readily recognised as it was always a blue inland letter. But Gavaskar still replied to all his letters. After all, he always had tons of patience and that reflected in ample measure in his batting and general demeanour.

My most thrilling and cherished moment has to be when I met Sunny bhai for the first time, at K.D. Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium in 1984. My admiration for Gavaskar was never hidden from my father and my classmates at Colvin Taluqdars’ College in Lucknow. Two years before I met him, my father had presented me ‘The Record-Breaking Sunil Gavaskar’ by CD Clark, after inscribing these words on the first page of the book: “To, my son who loves Gavaskar”. On that day, 12 December, 1981, I did not expect that 17 years later, I would get the batting great himself to sign the next page. That day, 5 February, 1999, he wrote “to, Qaiser, with every good wish”, before putting down his full signature here in New Delhi.

As I came to know from the newspapers that Gavaskar would be coming to Lucknow to play two exhibition matches – Gavaskar XI vs. Vishwanath XI -- I immediately bought the most expensive pavilion tickets, of Rs 25 each, from my limited pocket money. They were the first two tickets that were sold for those matches!

Since I was going to meet Gavaskar for the first time I decided to present him a gift. It was not difficult to decide what it would be: a canvas portrait of the man himself, since I used to draw well. While making the portrait doubts used to crop up in my mind when my boarding house roommates and other students wondered if I would “actually” be able to present the portrait to the cricketer.

Luckily, one of the organisers helped me present the portrait to Gavaskar. He apparently liked the painting and even asked me a few questions. In those days he had grown a thick moustache and my portrait did not have one. His first question was: “Where is my moustache?” I also got a photo clicked with my Hot Shot camera, but as there was insufficient lighting inside the dressing room the negative did not capture the image, as I discovered to my dismay later. I was, nevertheless, satisfied that I had taken his autograph. Sadly, I lost the autograph book that I had bought especially for Gavaskar’s signature.

A few years later, when my father was preparing to send a copy of 'Gavaskar versus Bradman’, a statistical comparison of the two batting legends’ careers that he has compiled, to Gavaskar, now editor of Sporstweek and Lifestyle weekly, I requested him to ask him if the portrait was still with him. My joy knew no bounds when Gavaskar wrote back: “Please assure your son that the painting is in sound condition and is in good hands.” That letter is still with me and is one of my prized possessions.

A few years later, I met Sunny bhai again, now as a working journalist here in Delhi, I again asked him about the painting and he told me that he still remembered it fondly and it was safe at his father’s place in Pune along with all his other trophies and mementoes etc.

Last year, I took my 10-year-old son Ammaar to Feroze Shah Kotla on 2 November – which also happened to be the last day of Test cricket for Anil Kumble. I helped my cricket crazy son get Sunny bhai’s autograph that made him immensely excited. Gavaskar not only signed his book and the miniature bat, but also gave him some sincere advice after asking him whether he bats or bowls.

“To open the innings one needs to have a big heart, a brave heart,” he said matter-of-factly with a smile, pointing his finger to his heart. “Opening batsmen face the blows from fast bowlers all over their body, especially on the chest, but the credit goes to the middle order batsmen. So, you should bat in the middle order.” My son listened to him quietly; he would probably grasp a huge point that Gavaskar made when he grows up.
(This tribute first appeared on www.SportzPower.com)