Tamil Nadu players, miles away from home, reminisce about Pongal

Indrajith, who spent the greater part of the day running laps along the boundary ropes of the park, misses the home-cooked delicacies that are usually a part of the traditional festivities.

Tamil Nadu players share a laugh during a practice session. | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey

They say home is where the ‘heart’ is. So, how does one put his ‘heart’ and soul into the game when playing away from family during festivities, parties and other special occasions?

Pongal, a multi-day Hindu harvest festival, is celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in Tamil Nadu. On Monday, even as the festive cheer enveloped the southern parts of India, some of TN’s favourite boys spent the morning, battling the cold in a faraway land.

R. Sai Kishore, Vijay Shankar, Baba Indrajith and N. Jagadeesan were all part of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy squad that had flown down to Tripura to play a game against the home team between January 12-15 at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Stadium. The Elite Group ‘C’ fixture saw two of the four days getting lost to bad light. To add to everyone’s frustration, only 51 overs of a single innings eventually came to be played. Subsequently, the match ended in a drab draw.

Indrajith, who spent the greater part of the day running laps along the boundary ropes of the park, misses the home-cooked delicacies that are usually a part of the traditional festivities. “On Pongal days, we generally get together to enjoy eating special meals or watching a movie. It’s basically about spending time together because these are occasions you tend to miss when you are playing cricket professionally and travel a lot. To each their own, but Pongal to me is big because it is a Tamil festival. Somehow, some festivals feel special to you. Feel like home. It would have been nice to eat some sweet pongal,” Indrajith says.

Indrajith spent the greater part of the day running laps along the boundary ropes of the park | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey

It turns out that sweet pongal is a crowd favourite. “Pongal (the festival) is very special, in my home especially. My father is very religious, he is into  pooja (prayers) and all. But mom makes this amazing sweet pongal, which I obviously miss,” says the side’s skipper Sai Kishore.

It always hurts when you are away on occasions which offer moments to cherish with your loved ones. Jagadeesan may have missed a Pongal or two but the fact that he missed his elder sister’s wedding in 2016, his first year with the Ranji Trophy team, still stings. Indrajith and Sai Kishore consider themselves lucky that way. They could at least be there for their respective siblings’ weddings.

Shankar says being in a team actually helps him get over the feeling of homesickness. “You need to have good friends around to have a lovely time when you are away from family. That’s what is the best part of being in a team. There are a lot of good people around. Pongal, Diwali, Christmas, it’s all the same for us,” he says.

However, he did go on to accept that it is ‘different’. “When you are home, you do a bit of pooja and all but here it is not possible. Whatever we would be able to manage, we will do here. Maybe sit down for a chat.”

Shankar says being in a team actually helps him get over the feeling of homesickness | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey

Jagadeesan’s family, meanwhile, prefers to stay buried in the television set to catch festival special shows. “There’s a lot of entertainment on TV as well. So, we switch it on and spend some quality time,” the wicketkeeper-batter says.

All their families, too, have stopped being sentimental regarding this. The regular absence has grown on them. “I haven’t called them yet today. I called yesterday to know what’s the plan. They’ve gotten used to it. They actually get surprised when we turn up for festivals because we keep missing them,” Sai Kishore says. Indrajith agreed, saying, “They are very used to it. When we are there for a festival, that seems like a special occasion to them now. I was at home the last time. It just popped up as a memory on my phone.”

Hypothetically, if one could get access to a time machine, would they leap onto it and go back to take up a nine-to-five job that would ensure they stay home for the holidays? “Maybe sometimes,” Sai Kishore says before adding, “But it’s good that we are travelling. We don’t usually get to travel to Agartala and other new places every week. It’s actually busy and I’m actually grateful for that. It’s a blessing to spend time on the ground. You get the love of people from every state.”

Jagadeesan would also only occasionally use the fictional gadget. “Definitely, sometimes (I will use it). But when we miss these occasions – it is something which we have been doing for a very long time now – we must also understand there are so many people waiting for the opportunity we have got.”

Jagadeesan’s family, meanwhile, prefers to stay buried in the television set to catch festival special shows.  | Photo Credit: Santadeep Dey

But Indrajith wouldn’t have been on board with the idea. He said, “Never. I am here for what cricket has given me. Cricket is something that I have been passionate about right from a young age. Whatever life has given me, it is through cricket.”

Tamil Nadu’s next match is scheduled against Railways at Coimbatore, starting January 19. Although the boys missed day one, which is supposed to be the most important day of the festival, they sincerely hope to make it home before the festivities end in the next three days.