The Hindu Business Line : Summer of Teens!

Many today must be cursing the summer heat. I am sure the young and carefree are not among them. There is a distinct and delicious air about summer that brings back nostalgic memories of a world and an era gone by. It brings back sights and sounds associated with years spent in the port town of Tuticorin, now Thtuhukudi — the cloying smell of the mangoes, the romantic fragrance of the jasmine, the coconut water, the palm fruit (Panai Nongu) under a hot sun and the cool pathaneer (juice extracted from palm) before the sun's first rays appear.

The season also meant freedom from school — thanks to the summer vacation. It meant games, especially cricket. The summer air and the current Test match between England and the West Indies at Lord's takes one on a journey down memory lane to one's teenage years. The summer months in India — April to September — coincide with the cricket and tennis seasons in England — the full five Test-series and Wimbledon. The first Test always started on the first Thursday of June. The English never compromised on this tradition for a very long time. After the first three days, Sunday would be the `Rest Day'.

For the visiting team their tour opener would be at Arundel for a one-day loosener against the Duke of Norfolk's XI in late April, a friendly tie. Then the visitors played against Worcestershire and a few other counties before their major encounter with MCC, represented by England's Test probables. There would be 8-10 county matches before the first Test.

Till the early 1960s the touring team would come to England by ship, romantically called `The Boat'. One's mind's eyes pictures Riche Benaud's 1961 Australian team posing from the deck of the ship on arrival at the English port to begin the Ashes tour. There were the greats, Neil Harvey and Norman O'Neil. Harvey and Benaud shared the rare distinction of being in the Don Bradman's legendary 1948 invincible team.

Cricket was still the gentleman's game, free from commerce and big money sponsorship. There was no television in India. There was the good old radio and ball-by-ball commentary came from BBC, often relayed by Radio Ceylon. There was a particular charm about play on Saturday. It meant BBC's Saturday Special when Test match commentary was interrupted to announce racing results and the latest scores in county cricket. Somehow it was more enjoyable than today's live telecast. It was a pleasure and education to listen to John Allort, Brian Johnson, Trevor Bailey and Lindsey Hasset, the last two expert commentators. The Test match would start at 4 p.m. IST and close at 11 p.m. The following morning one would read the details of the day's play by Jack Fingleton and Norman Yardley, who brought out vivid word-pictures of what had happened on the ground. It was cricket, lovely cricket indeed!

(The author, a former deputy editor with PTI, is a New Delhi-based freelance journalist. Feedback can be sent to rajamani_rc@yahoo.co.uk or rajamanirc@gmail.com)

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