“Simple living and high thinking
were slowly replaced by simple thinking and high living.”
This one line by journalist
Suresh Menon best summed up the sheer tragedy of cricketer Mohammad
Azharuddin’s career and his role in the match-fixing crisis of the late 1990s.In my own personal and professional life, I have
encountered people on all ends of the spectrum encompassing the different combinations
of quality of thinking and standard of living.In some instances, the same people have, at least in my mind, gone from one
part of the spectrum to another.
I have had my share of growth, stagnation
and dips in my life.These have had a direct
bearing on the level of confidence that I experience internally as well as the
comforts that form part of the externals. (Although in the case of confidence,
or lack thereof, and its relation to success or failure, it’s hard to gauge
what is the chicken and what is the egg.)I would be lying if I said that it is only the ineffable minutiae of interpersonal
interactions that have mattered to me. There
have indeed been material possessions such as watches and cars that have given
me much joy.
There are times when I do set my
sights on the next ‘best’ (I am using that term loosely) thing that I want to
acquire in due course of time.I am certain
that there have been instances (hopefully few and far between) when I may have
come across as boastful or appearing incapable of having my head connected to
my shoulders or my feet rooted to terra firma.Over time, upon reflection, I have felt compelled to find ways to internalize
and compartmentalize the joys that I derive from material possessions.Successes are best shared with a small set of
trustworthy people.In this day and age
of social media overexposure, there is constant pressure to advertise and
amplify moments of happiness for public consumption.In the tradition of most life lessons, the crucibles
of character precede the lessons learned.I have passed on some occasions, failed on others.But the lessons have mostly stuck.And arguably, the most important learning has
been around the currency of relationships.
Several social science papers and
articles have characterized time, trust, words and gestures as reliable currencies
of trusted relationships.Based on the
relationships that I have had, be it family or friends, respect is the most
reliable barometer of a relationship.Respect
is the currency that appreciates in value in relationships that flourish.And I think of respect both in terms of the
self and respect for the other person.Both are important.I sincerely believe
that we need to have a healthy amount of respect for ourselves in order to
develop a quiet confidence that, in turn, enhances our relationships.A healthy amount of self-respect eclipses the
odious effects of insecurity that can incapacitate a relationship.And an inherent respect in the other person can
reduce differences in lifestyle choices (or ‘quality’, again defined loosely) to
a mere fact, not a factor.Deep-rooted respect
is what makes us genuinely savor the ingredients that make the other person
happy, not what we define as the recipe for happiness or success.
The benchmark for a relationship
that existed indelibly despite socioeconomic differences, tastes, interests and
tangible comforts, was the friendship that my maternal grandpa – a lifelong
employee of Reserve Bank of India- had shared with his best friend, the chairman
of a conglomerate. (Neither of them is alive.)Pretty much everything that I have written above are the result of
introspection through observation (and many an anecdote) of what I reckon to be
the gold standard of a relationship.A kinship
where equality was defined in terms of the amount of respect, affection and
security afforded to one another.
I do hope that in the autumn of
my life that I would get to relish and reflect on relationships like the one my
grandpa and his friend shared. Thanks to
them, I know that it is possible to let the quality of “high thinking” co-exist
peacefully with the elements of “high living.”The odds remain high as long as the currency of respect does not get
demonetized.
1981.That was the year I was born. Indian cricket and Tamil movies.Those have been my two passions ever since my
age entered double-digits.I would like
to think that I am a keen observer of the game, not just in its present form
but also its history.Ditto for the
movies.In my little bookshelf, I have
autobiographies of cricketers Bishan Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar and actor
Sivakumar.Sometimes, I wonder how much more I would have admired cricketers, actors and filmmakers from the 70s
had I been born much earlier.So, welcome
to my whimsical time capsule.Buckle up…
1961.That was the year I was born ;)
And here is a team of 10 people comprised of Indian cricketers and Tamil film
personalities that my mind is teeming with as I think of my favorites from my
formative (!) years.
Sunil Gavaskar: Who else
can I open with?I was 10 when Sunny
made his debut in the West Indies.774
runs in his first four Tests with four centuries.Critics would say that this West Indies line-up did not have the likes of Sir Wesley Hall or Charlie Griffith.But is there another Indian batsman except
his brother-in-law GR Vishwanath who could stand up to pace with conviction?It was not until the mid-to-late 70s that Indian batsmen like Mohinder Amarnath played pace bowling with
conviction.And apart from his batting,
just the way Sunny carried himself on and off the field was absolutely delightful
to watch.An air of unconscious
assurance, confidence and let’s admit it, a bit of arrogance.You could tell that he knew that he was
good.His brutally honest opinions of
cricketers like Farokh Engineer in his autobiography (which I read in 1976, as a 10th grader) are a must-read.The cricketer
of my school years.
Sivaji Ganesan: The SG of
Tamil movies follows the SG of cricket. I was 12 when Gowravam came out. What an experience that film was. I remember the trip to Shanthi theater with my family. There was no 'dolby' sound then; Sivaji's baritone did not need one. Kids and critics of this generation find his
acting style too loud and theatrical.I
was too young when Motor Sundaram Pillai and Uyarndha Manidhan
came out.But I revisited those during
re-runs thanks to a guy in my school who had a keen ear for good cinema even back then-
Baradwaj Rangan.Let me just say that
Sivaji could be subtle if he wanted.He could be measured and graceful.Too bad that the Mahendrans and Balu Mahendras
did not work with him. But as I said, Gowravam –
that was the movie that made me a fan of his. Two incredible performances as a barrister (whose name, incidentally,
was Rajnikanth) and his innocent, honest nephew. He was special to us. History better be a little kind to him.
Kamal Haasan: He burst onto
the scene as an adult actor in Arangetram, which was released the same
year as Gowravam did.I despised him in the
film.His role was that of an
ingrate.How much I hated him owing to
his character versus his performance in that film, I am not clear.But it was not until Nizhal Nijamagiradhu
released 5 years later, that I felt that he was complete as an actor.Utterly refined and assured, he displayed a body language
that suggested he had become a veteran by the time he was 25.The scene where he dances in front of Sumitra’s
students was unforgettable. (Strangely, he smokes more in this film than the rest
of his filmography put together.)
Bishan Singh Bedi: Suresh
Menon’s incisive, definitive “portrait” of him (as the title of the biography reads) could have actually been titled, “Bishan: No inhibition.”One of the true artists of slow bowling, he
was arguably one of the most outspoken cricketers that India has ever produced.He took on not only batsmen but also
authorities, captains, other bowlers (he openly accused the English team of
tampering with the ball with Vaseline back in 1976, which by all accounts, led
to the scuttling of his county contract) and more.He may not have always done the ‘right’ thing
(if there is ever an easy way of determining that) but his heart was rarely in
the wrong place.Statistics don’t always
tell the full story but they do capture at least some of the essence- as a left arm spinner, Bedi ranks fourth among the top Test wicket takers.There is a lovely story in the book about how
he sobbed buckets when one of his wards died in an unfortunate accident.Menon’s words are even more poignant – “Passion
and compassion came together that day.”Those
are the elements of his story make Bedi the person we loved and sometimes loved
to hate. I am glad that radio commentary back in the day helped me visualize the beauty of his bowling until Youtube videos in recent years confirmed that what I had imagined was indeed real.
Mahendran: If ever there
was a filmmaker who walked the talk, it was Mahendran.Disgusted with how talky Tamil cinema was
(and being honest about contributing to it, in his work as a dialogue writer),
when he got the opportunity to become a director, he showed how cinema must be
made.He started off on a terrific note with
Mullum Malarum but Udhiri PookaL is the apogee of Mahendran, the
filmmaker.A quiet, stirring tale of immense
emotional devastation, the film’s power is best summed up in a scene featuring
a supporting actor (played by Samikannu, an actor who deserved a lot more love
and a lot more work when he was alive).He plays a barber who, during the course of the film, keeps requesting
Archana that he give her kid a haircut.She keeps postponing it.And when
its time for him to use his paraphernalia, he is emotionally paralyzed.He shed tears on screen.We did, off screen.
Ilayaraja: For kids of a
later generation, 1992 was a test of their loyalties.AR Rahman vs Ilayaraja.For teenagers of my generation, MSV vs Raja
was our loyalty battle.Thankfully, many
people of my generation loved them both equally.Both were masters of melodies: Kanaa
Kaanum KangaL vs Thalaiyai Kuniyum Thamarai – I can’t pick one.The tie-breaker, to me, is Raja’s background
score.Mahendran once referred to Raja
as his “dialogue writer.”Enough said.
One of Raja's best bgm scores (Bharathi's authority and Chellama's discomfort come together in this peace so unobtrusively, with the beats and the veeNai):
Srividya: She was the best
actress of that generation yet, rarely played the lead actress.A tumultuous personal life didn’t exactly
help here either.But later generations
who would wax eloquent about the powerful eyes of actresses like Saritha and,
much later, Kajol, had no clue what they were missing if they were unfamiliar with
Srividya’s eyes and her rich body of work.The most expressive pair of eyes that one could hope to see, fortunately,
her talent was noticed in later years in supporting roles.May her soul rest in the kind of peace that
she probably did not experience while she was alive.
Kapil Dev: I was fortunate
to have watched some of the best Indian spinners while also witnessing the arrival
of the man who gave swing bowling a fair amount of meaning.Not to mention the fact that he taught us who
a genuine all-rounder was.There is a
hilarious anecdote from his first tour of Pakistan.He was sent in as night-watchman, one whose
job was to defend his wicket late in the day.But here is the catch.He
actually did not know what the term meant.Literally so.Ignorance was indeed blissful…to the spectators, not his captain.He hit a couple of huge sixes instead of defending stoutly!Later he confessed to his roommate EAS
Prasanna that his big hitting was not out of disrespect for the captain’s
orders!Disrespect was something he reserved
for the bowlers who dared to bowl at him when he was in full flow.And when he led India to the 1983 World Cup
win, even Test purists like me gravitated reluctantly, inevitably to the
shorter version of the game. (Cricket aficionados now find the 50-over version
not short enough.) The cricketer of my college years!
Sivakumar: Sivakumar to Tamil
Cinema was what Mohinder Amarnath was to Indian Cricket.Rarely flashy but incredibly dependable and
hardworking.There may have been bigger
stars but Sivakumar is one who has flickered for a much longer time than many.His current passion as an orator is a very
natural extension of him as an actor who had an affinity for the written
word.He was never insecure to cede
spotlight to his fellow leads.Lakshmi,
Sripriya, Saritha, Sulakshana and Suhasini all benefited from his willingness to
work well with his actresses who sometimes had the author-backed roles.In sharing his routines (in real life) that
include yoga, walking, preparing for speeches (which he delivers flawlessly without
any written aids), he continues to serve as a model senior citizen.As someone turning 60 next year, I do have a
thing or two to learn from him.
K Balachander: By the
time, I started watching films, Sridhar was already on the decline, only
showing sparks of his talent in films like ILamai Oonjaladigradhu.K Balachander was the one who stood out as a
director.He had a stamp.Sometimes the stamp was so big, it obscured
the postcard.Mahendran once wrote, “A
good filmmaker makes you forget about its creators during the film.You should blend with the happenings on
screen.”K Balachander sometimes gave
one the feeling that he was not as secure about letting the happenings on
screen ‘speak’ for themselves.His ‘touches’
sometimes were slaps on the face.But it
is impossible to not acknowledge how different he was from his contemporaries.He wanted to tell bold stories.He wanted to break tried-and-tested notions
of what an actress must do.He truly
broke new ground with situational songs.I may not have admired him as much as I did Mahendran and filmmakers of
his ilk but I certainly respected KB for what he did for Tamil Cinema.
Thank you for taking the ride with me in my time machine. It's time to hop off. Adios. :)
