The incident dates back to an afternoon almost 2 decades ago. We rode through the heavily congested lanes of Chhawni – the ever so crowded markets of Indore, towards the Holkar stadium and just a couple of lanes before, turned in and parked. We entered an old house and a young man, in his early 30s greeted us. My uncle seemed to know him well. “I’ll tell Baba you are here”, he said and went inside.
I looked around the hall and was amazed by the number of trophies, silverware, medals, and photographs. I fixed my eyes on a photograph which read – ‘Syed Mushtaq Ali being honored with the Padma Shri’. I was awestruck – A tall, dashing man entered the hall and we all stood up – it was Him. One of the most aggressive, swashbuckling batsman the country had seen, and He oozed every bit of those qualities. His finesse and mannerism was remarkable, epitomizing what a sportsperson is made up. After a brief catchup, my Uncle introduced me to Sir – ‘He has recently started playing for his school team and wants to be an Indian cricketer’. I got up and touched his feet. He asked me what I enjoyed doing the most. And like most kids of the 90s, pat came the reply, “Mujhe Sachin banna hai”.
He walked us around the awards and the memories, intently talking about the hard work and struggle, over a cup of chai. We then asked for his permission to leave. I distinctly remember his neatly organized leather briefcasefrom which He took out a photograph and autographed it for me.
I hopped onto the Chetak, sandwiched between my Father and Uncle, as we rode back through the bustling lanes of Indore, smitten with an unforgettable afternoon.
Vasu Agarwal
Visual Artist
Indore, 1999
