Getting to watch Test cricket was not easy

Getting to watch Test cricket was not easy. Kanpur was the nearest Test centre, although almost every year a Test was staged at that venue, for a pre-teen non-Kanpuri it always remained a dream. Travelling alone or with a group of friends to a different city and that too for six days (there used to be a 'rest day' after either two or three days of play) was beyond question, to venture even beyond the borders of the mohalla one had to be accompanied by an elder. Girls couldn’t do that even, their boundary was set up to the next-door neighbour.  Apart from my mother no one else was interested in cricket; so my desire to watch Test remained an unfulfilled dream.

Mukesh was luckier; his elder brother Girish bhaisahab was an avid cricket fan. For a week after the Test, Mukesh would be 'the big guy'. We would surround him the moment he landed in his home, pester him, cajole him, question him to get out from him every bit of details about the match, the players, the ground and sometime even about the umpires. For sometime thereafter Mukesh would appoint himself as our coach and try to correct our stance at the crease or bowling actions. Once, after watching Subhas Gupte (or was it Balu Gupte?) he tried to teach me to bowl googly.

When we were in the primary school Girish bhaisahab was in class 10th or 12th by the time we were in the middle school Girish bhaisahab was in class 10th or 12th. Actually, we were never sure which exam he was due to take. I never saw him playing cricket not even for some idle moments of fun. He preferred umpiring. Every match that was played on our school field be that between our college team and another or between two teams from the primary section, Girish bhaisahab used to be the umpire. We had great respect for him and sincerely believed that he knew by heart every line of the rulebook. In the eyes of us children Girish bhaisahab became a legend for another reason. He fell in love Muktadi, his neighbour. Unfortunately they belonged to different castes and both parents were determined not to let them marry. One day Muktadi's father thrashed Girish bhaisahab mercilessly and got Muktadi married off within a few days. After coming out of the hospital Girish bhaisahab father set up a stationery shop for him which Girish bhaisahab cared very little about and left it to Mukesh. Girish bhaisahab never married and never went to Kanpur to watch a Test.