BENGALI – WHO ME?

Yesterday’s dinner suddenly got better. A motley group of the Mumbai crowd, including me had assembled for dinner yesterday, a Saturday night. The discussion waived as usual to cricket and banter. Of a certain exasperated spirit who just never seems to give up. If Complan ever comes up with a resilient version, you know who is the brand ambassador. The question is this is the same person who was the most successful captain of India. Then why is it that his achievements is always “Indian” in spirit while his fallacies are “Bengali” in flavor. The same banter came up yesterday.Someone gushed, “Did you look, with what audacity he pulled Ntini? My God, the poor guy was flushed! Truly a street cut Indian.” For the last 10 months, the exile was not that of a former skipper. It seemed to be of every Bengali strewn around in rootless metropolices.

Ganguly feeds sound bytes exclusively for Bengali journos, once remarked Amit Varma of Cricinfo, in his blog. Ganguly is a true limbo of the Bengali spirit, lethargic and inertial, said colleagues. “Ganguly irks a lot because of his undiplomatic attitude,” remarks one of my friends, “he just speaks out of his sleeves. It’s the same reason why Bengalis make bad businessmen; they are too emotional to think of bottomline.” Since the last Pakistan tour, it seemed that every Bengali outside Bengal was responsible for the rise and fall of a certain Ganguly.

Come November 30 and “Sweets today Prabal. Ganguly is in the team.” Says one. “No dude. Not just now, lets keep that if he makes it to the final eleven,” quips another with a smirk. “Prabal, you hitting the gym these days?” says a third bewildering me, “dada seems to have become a health freak these days.” But how does that concern me?

Did I ask for freshly baked biriyani/upma when Laxman found his way in? Or did I ask for gifts when Kumble had his baby or Dravid succeeded in all his machinations fuelled by the master “underhand” bowler in the world.The underlying fact does not lie in the fact that Ganguly is the embodiment of the Bengali spirit. He is definitely not. Ganguly is the most unBengali you can ever find. In the spate of the last 15 days when Bengal is reeling under 4 bandhs raging from issues like Singur to pro globalization (utter trash!), this man has shown a work ethic and a demeanour unheard of from any Bengali.

And there have been instances in history as well where the ostracization of Bengalis have been because of their unBengali like nature (remember a certain Bose, who showed the guile to flee from house arrest in disguise. The baritone of the Radio Germany broadcast on that fateful night still titillates the hearts of many, but the Congress’ behavior meted out is known to very few).

The fact that Bengal got lost out in the last few years in the quagmire of political and administrative confusion, inhouse coalition squabbles, intelligentsia gone confused, aversion, apathy and lethargy to enterprising spirit, is just the things Ganguly is not. And that’s why, while Ganguly’s failures are the rub of what Bengali jokes (aka Sardar!!) is made of, his successes and spirit is the toast of India. And so, while "red" unions would burn effigies of More and Chappel outside his Behala mansion when he is not picked, or when the average Indian would vie for his blood when he lost his way as a captain, the ENTIRE billion population would still stand up and bow when the ball crashes through the 7-man offside cordon for a cover boundary.

And no one knows it better than Ganguly himself. When Ntini ended the fluent knock of 25, the first time he got out in the test, there was no look frustration, no kicking himself for another opportunity missed (as used to be just after the World Cup days). It was just an assured return to the pavilion with a nod to himself saying, “Come Kingsmead and I will be back.”