MAHATMA GANDHI AS A CRICKETER

EXCLUSIVELY FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY ISSUE 

GANDHIJI HAILS FROM A CRICKETING FAMILY MAHATMA GANDHI AS A CRICKETER

Whatever said and done by Gandhi really helped India to attain Independence from British rule finally. 1930 -The Dandi March to the 1942- Quit movement Gandhi was all the way dictating terms to the English. Mahatma Gandhi did us proud by getting us freedom from British rule and we enjoy the freedom of an Independent India, thanks to the efforts of the Father of the Nation and other illustrious leaders, who took active part in the freedom movement..  The struggle, the trials, tribulations and the sufferings undertaken by them gave us the much needed impetus to go all alone and achieve our goals.  Seventy years have gone by and it is our duty to value the efforts of the great leaders and pay homage on Martyr’s day.  Instead we fight out trivial matters and make mockery of the freedom obtained by attacking each other. India is my country and all the Indians are my brothers and sisters should come to our mind rather than going overboard and playing dirty politics all the time.  It is our duty to maintain and upkeep the services of Gandhi and give him due respect and remember him with an aim to achieve more from this day onwards.  
 

Gandhi was not only a cricket enthusiast but he also wielded the willow. R.G. Mehta, a boyhood friend and schoolmate wrote” It is not commonly known that Gandhi was a dashing cricketer and evinced keen interest in the game.  Once we were watching a cricket match together. In those days there were ding-dong battles between Rajkot city vs Rajkot Sardar (camp area). At a crucial moment, as if by intuition, Gandhi said that a particular player would be out and hey presto the batsman was really out.  The freedom spirit of Gandhi came from the cricketing field.

Requesting for his autograph Gandhi turned over the pages and put his signature as the 17th player of the MCC team led by Douglas Jardine in 1933-34.  The autograph book is one of the treasured possessions of the Marylebone Cricket Club( MCC ) at Lord’s. Not only Gandhi signed an autograph book but also played for the team comprising Indians of British origin. Mahatma Gandhi played for a team of British origin against a team of Indian origin at London and scored 21 runs with 3 boundaries. He took one wicket also. He was wearing pants and a shirt while playing.

India is a secular country and after getting our independence on 14th August 1947, we have the right to express our views and nobody can stop us from giving valuable suggestions. Newspapers play a positive role in bringing the views of the readers by including them in Letters to the editor column. It gives an opportunity to the reader to give their free and frank opinion.
 
“India is my country and all the Indians are my brothers and sisters” goes a long way.  The Government is by the people of the people and for the people and we get freedom of speech and open your mind in public.  Pen is mightier than sword is true.  National Integration is the hallmark of the Indian sub-continent.
 
India is a linguistic country and we have many newspapers in different languages to express your views. We need not get afraid of exposing the right things and try to provide solutions in the right way.  In cities, the platform height is abnormal and hence pedestrians fail to use the same. Gandhi brought freedom for India and it is up to preserve our independence in the best way possible.  The film on Gandhi was a guiding force and we find Richard Attenborough played the part with the backing anecdotes from the Indian freedom struggles.  People loved to see the film to rekindle their memories of our struggle to freedom.  

Cricket might not have affected Gandhi, but Gandhi certainly affected cricket. The political movements he led and the social changes he sought to bring about had their consequences on how the game was played in the sub-continent. Mahatma’s classmates at Alfred High School, Rajkot. This man, Ratilal Ghelabhai Mehta, remembered Gandhi as “a dashing cricketer” who “evinced a keen interest in the game as a school student. He was, it seems, good both at batting and bowling and had an uncanny understanding of the game’s uncertainties as well. There is no doubt that the freedom spirit of Gandhi came from the cricketing field.