While in high school, I used to play for a team called “Kaiwar’s Team”. Mohan S Kaiwar was my class mate. He happened to be the grandson of Late Shri T.S. Venkannaiah, a well-known literary personality. There was match played between Board President Eleven and the touring Pakistan Eleven at Central College Grounds, Bengaluru in January 1961. Board President Eleven was led by Lala Amarnath. Some of our team mates Nagaraja, Prabhu and others decided to garland Lala Amarnath and they chose me to the task. We were allowed to the School’s stand which had a barricade of bamboos. It was decided that I should jump the barricade and run towards the pitch and garland Lala. I was very lean and used to run fast. I did accomplish the job by garlanding Lala but never expected that I would be chased by Policeman. I could not join my team mates in the school stand but ran towards the pavilion. Some elderly gentleman spared me from manhandling from Police and offered me a seat to watch the match after seeing my plight. I was totally frightened.

I for one never expected that I would share this experience with Lala. I had the occasion of officiating a test match between India and Pakistan at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, a few years later. Lala was the expert commentator for All India Radio and I was officiating the test as a Statistician. Lala invited me for a breakfast to the hotel where he was staying. I  had  the breakfast with him and narrated my garlanding him as a school boy when he lead the Board President’s Eleven against Pakistan Eleven  at Central  College grounds a few years  earlier. I had met Mohinder and Rajinder – his two sons and narrated this experience to them also.

Lala used to publish souvenirs ahead of a visiting teams tour to India. When India toured Pakistan in 1978-79, he requested me to provide statistics for the souvenir. I obliged him and he sent me a copy of the souvenir with his autograph with the following words “With all of my best wishes to Dear Gopal” 24.9.79. I had laminated this sheet and preserved it. This souvenir contains the prized possession of the photograph of Don Bradman. This photograph was specially signed for Lala Amarnath by the legend. This was revealed to me by Lala himself in one of our meetings.

An interesting incidence of my life with Bhava is worth narrating here. This was when I was in sixth standard and relates to the year 1955. The monthly school fee was eight annas and Bhava gave me one rupee and asked me to give him back the change in the evening. I paid the fee of eight annas and spent four annas on ice candy – four friends of mine ate four ice candies at one anna each – and in the evening gave the remaining twenty five paise to Bhava. He did not say anything till I finished my evening thindi and was about to leave home to play cricket at Nagarajas. I lied him that there was a fine of four annas for late fee. He was annoyed at my lie and told me in a stern voice – “Gopala, Don’t lie, if there is a late fee it would have been mentioned in the receipt. The receipt shows as eight annas.” He said, “You are lying. Tell me what you have done with four annas ?”.  I broke down and started crying loud. I told him the truth that I ate ice candy with four of my class mates. Then he consoled me saying, “That’s fine and never tell a lie again.” From that day to this day, I have never lied in my life.

Bhava was an asthma patient and suffered from it often. One such attack took his life in 1958, when I was in High school first year.

V. Nagaraja joined National High School for his high school studies and I continued mine at Acharya Pata Shala. The association with him and the playing in his compound became less frequent as our timings differed.

Acharya Pata Shala had a good cricket team to reckon with. A.V. Venkatanarayana, Ramani, H.R. Venkatesh, Shamanna, Joki Pinto, Raghunath Beerala, Paul Royan, were the few names which made rounds in NR Colony  cricket circles. A.V. Venkatanarayana led the school team with distinction. He along with Raghunath Beerala represented Mysore in Ranji Trophy. Add to this were, the Sports Secretaries Shri S. Keshava Rao and Shri Shartrugna. The latter played for a team by name “Bangalore Dynamos.” A.V. Venkatanaryana and Raghunath Beerala later represented Mysore in Ranji Trophy. A.V. Venkatanaryana and Ramani represented Mysore State Schools also.

I was a decent left arm bowler and wanted to represent the school team. Even though I had the requisite credentials, there was a firm NO from my grandparents. It became a fully confirmed “No” after my classmate M.S. Anantha got badly hurt in a School match.

I owe my cricketing career to three of my class mates – Late Shri A.V. Venkatanarayana, Cavale Sundarraja Rao and Raghunath Beerala. How they have influenced me and how their concerted efforts have a bearing on my cricketing career will unfold in the next few paragraphs.

I was a Southpaw – left hander by birth and used the left hand for all purposes including eating. The story goes that my mother used to apply neem oil (Bevina enne) to my fingers before eating and stopped the habit of eating by left hand. She also taught me to write with right hand. Thus the right hand became a cultivated hand for writing and hence I had a very good handwriting. The entire class knew about my handwriting.

It was a Saturday and a friendly match was arranged between Acharya Paatha Shala and National High School at National High School grounds. It was in the year 1960, when I was studying in ninth standard. There used to be a last period let off when our school cricket team played matches to enable students to watch the cricket match.  I went home and had my breakfast and went to National High School ground to witness the match.  Skipper A.V. Venkatanarayana won the toss and elected to bat. To his utter dismay, the scorer had played truant and had not reported at the ground. On seeing me, A.V called me, “Gopala, come here and act as a scorer, as you have a very good handwriting” (Gopala, baro illi, score maado, ninna handwriting chennagide). Thus my initiation to scoring began in 1960. From then onwards, I became a regular scorer for my school team, courtesy my team captain A.V. Venkatanarayana.

A word about my handwriting – how it had impressed my lecturers in the college is worth narrating here. I pursued my college studies in Vijaya College, Basavanagudi – Did my Pre University course as well Bachelor of Science Degree with Physics and Chemistry as major subjects. My Chemistry practical record was appreciated by lecturers. One such incident I would like to recall – it was in the final year of the course. We had a lecturer by name Ms V. Vatsala. Normally mistakes were corrected by the lecturers who were in charge of the practical classes. There was a mistake/error in one of the experiments that I had carried out previous week. Ms Vatsala called me and asked me to rewrite it again, as she did not want to correct the mistake/error. Our practical records were evaluated during the final examination. She did not want me to lose marks for the practical records in the final examination. We had three practical examinations in final examination – Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. The marks allotted to records of inorganic Chemistry was ten, while the other  two branches carried five marks each with a total of 20 marks for the practical record. It’s no wonder that I earned the full 20 marks for my practical records – the first ever student to get the maximum – in the history of the College. So much so for my neat and impeccable handwriting – courtesy my mother.

To be continued

The test at Bangalore between India and Afghanistan starting on June, 14, 2018 will mark my 100^th International match as a Scorer-cum-Statistician.

On this occasion, I am making an effort to go “Down Memory Lane” detailing out how I have made a mark in the field of cricket.

I was born at Chennaraya Patna, Hassan District, Karnataka State, India on 12^th August 1946 to my parents Hirisave Ramaswamy and Lakhsmidevi.

My father Ramaswamy, affectionately called Annaiah, in the family circles was an Engineer in PWD. He was transferred frequently within the State of Karnataka.

My schooling was at Thirthahally when my father was serving there as an Assistant Engineer. I was admitted to a Government School which was a few yards of walking distance from the residential quarters. Later on I learnt that “Kuvempu” also had his schooling in the same school.

I was a sickly child suffering from chronic cough (Naayi Kemmu in Kannada). I still remember my ever caring mother telling her uncle Sreenivasa Rao (Seeni) while sending me to Shivamogga with him thus – “I have kept Peps tablets in his pocket. If he starts coughing, give him a tablet, he would get relief. (“Magu Jebinalli Peps ittideeni. Adu Kemmakke shuru maadidare, Jebininda ondu tablet kodu. Adakke samadhana aagutte”)”, just a few minutes prior to the departure of the bus at the bus stand where she would be there to see us off.

“Seeni” (Shrinivasa Rao) and his wife Lalithamma were well-wisher and guide throughout her life. He loved her, cared for her and had concern for her. The same was extended to her sons – that is to both of us – myself and my brother Chandri – after her death.

Seeni’s sons – Prabhu. Venkatesh and Suresh – are also affectionate towards us. Prabhu’s hospitality at Delhi – when I visited Delhi for a few commentary assignments – were immaculate and worth remembering for a long time. After, who is Prabhu, he is the chip of the old block.

There was an occasion in which she was stressed very much with regard to her health and she yearned for Seeni couples presence and confided with her varagitti Dodda Jayamma. This information was revealed to me by Dodda Jayamma many years after her demise

Prabhu was there to receive me at the New Delhi Railway station on my first assignment of statistician with All India Radio and he had arranged the accommodation at Delhi Karnataka Sangha using his good offices. Prabhu and his wife Sujatha helped me in some shopping I made during some of my Delhi Visits and also introduced to some of the shop keepers. I am very grateful for this affectionate couple for their time and courtesy extended to me. The couple’s warmth and affection was always there for their “Gopi”. He has made me comfortable in Delhi to an extent that I can do shopping in Delhi alone.

Tragedy struck the family in the form of demise of my mother Lakshmi Devi on January 01, 1953 at Meggan District Hospital, Shivamogga.  She died of acute anemia. I was six and half year old and my brother Chandri was four year old.

I still remember the conversation; I had with my mother, just a day prior to her demise. My grandmother, Doddamma, who had come from Bangalore to Shivamogga to see my mother, had taken me to the hospital. I told her that I have no mind to go to school till she returns home. She took me in her lap and consoled me by saying that I should not tell like that. Doddamma will be there to care of me in her absence. (Doddamma is my grandmother, father’s mother). She told me that she would like me to become an Engineer, like Annaiah {my father}.

After her demise, both of  us, myself and my brother Chandri were under the care of my  grandparents – Shri Krishnappa {Bhava} and Smt Gowramma {Doddamma} at Bangalore. My father could not get a transfer to Bangalore immediately after the demise of my mother. He was transferred to Bangalore in the year 1958 after five years of my mother’s demise. He used to visit Bangalore almost every month to see us and also his aged parents.

My mother’s both wishes were fulfilled. We grew up under the care and protection of Doddamma and I became an Engineer.

At Bangalore, Bhava and Doddamma lived in the outhouse at No. 102, Ratnavilasa Road with their two sons, Kitti and Seeki. Kitti was married and his wife was Dodda Jayamma. Seeki was unmarried. There was also Chikka Jayamma who was not married. Chikka Jayamma’s love and affection was unparalleled towards us. She used to bathe us, prepare us for the school, was attending to our home works of the school, tie shoe laces, and wash our faces after return from school. In short, she took the role of my mother. She taught me Mathematics in Primary third year which made me to secure the highest marks in the class. Bhava’s reaction to this was, “For Gopala’s success, the entire credit goes to Chikka Jayamma”. Everybody at home agreed with my grandfather. These marks helped me to secure admission to fifth standard at Acharya Pata Shala Middle School, N.R.Colony, Bengaluru with a double promotion from third to fifth standard.

A small narration here as to how I was named as Gopala and Krishna according to Doddamma. A baby boy and a baby girl were born prior to my birth and both died in their early infancy within one and a half years. “Namakarana” (naming ceremony) vidhi was not performed to both these children as my father could not get leave from his official duty to perform the Namakarana. Doddamma was keen that the Namakarana Vidhi should be performed in my case and hence she named me as Gopala Krishna.

The interest in the game of cricket was instilled in me by my grandfather “Bhava”. He was interested in cricket. As we did not have the Radio at home, he used to send me to the neighbour’s house to know the scores. He was very keen to know the full details of the scores – batsmen’s individual scores, who were at the crease, the scores of the batsmen who were dismissed, etc. In fact, these details fascinated me and made me to embrace cricket statistics.

I would like to remember another person who perhaps influenced me and take up cricket statistics rather unknowingly. It was Niranjan Ram -“Ranji”, who was my neighbour across the road.

We lived in Ratnavilasa Road, Basavanagudi, close to Netkallappa Circle.  Dr. K.S. Srinivasa Murthy, lived in the corner house which had a very big compound. Doctor’s brothers and sisters lived in the same compound. There were scores of youngsters by name, Shanthi, Ranji, Jaggi, Rami, Shivi, Pachhu and Sharadu. The neighbours on the road were Saranga, Dodda Ramamurthy, Chikka Ramamurthy, Ananda, Nagi, Ramachandra, etcetra had formed a tennis ball team which was known popularly as Doctor’s Team. Dr. Srinivasa Murthy was himself a connoisseur of the game of cricket. He was a member of the Managing Committee of Mysore State Cricket Association. I used to spend most of time on Saturdays and Sundays with these youngsters. Sharadu later became my college mate in RV College of Engineering and we played cricket for the college team

Shivi used to buy Sports and Pastime of the Hindu Publications every week and I used to read it. Ranji had a long book in which he used to write the score cards of test matches copying it from Sports and Pastime. I also wrote the score cards regularly in the long book maintained by Ranji.

Thus the interest towards the cricket game was sown in a right perspective from my childhood through Bhava, Ranji and Doctor’s team members.

My schooling was at Acharya Pata Shala. I joined the Middle School, Fifth Standard in 1954 and passed the SSLC examination in First Class in 1961.

While in Middle School, I used to play cricket in the evening with my classmate V. Nagaraja. He used to live in Subbarama Chetty Road, which had a very big compound. V. Nagaraja’s mother was very affectionate towards me. Whenever we got drenched in rain while playing, she used to shout asking us to come home fast, After reaching  home, she used to give me a towel to dry the wet hair and sometimes she did dry wet hair herself to both of us – his son Nagaraja and to me. She also fed us with Dosa, Upma etc., in the evening.

Continued