Fast bowlers are supposed to spew venom, chew nails and have batsmen for breakfast. It is an overwhelming stereotype but what about a speed merchant with a philosopher’s air? Might sound improbable but it is surely possible and this irony wasn’t lost on Javagal Srinath when he laughed, held the book 50 Not Out and said: “I am happy that a fast bowler has written this.”
Sitting next to him, the concerned author Harimohan Paruvu, a former Hyderabad seamer, who also dabbled in the corporate world, smiled and kept nodding his head. It was that kind of a Monday evening at the Sapna bookshop where Srinath, Harimohan and writer Anita Nair dwelt upon cricket’s unsung attribute – its penchant to lend itself to philosophy. A trait that Harimohan has aptly used in his book that dishes out life-lessons while leaning on cricketing terms and experiences.
Nair, who has written different genres of fiction, said: “I have never read a self-help book until now and Harimohan’s book is the first one I read. I read it because like everyone in India, cricket is part of my life too. The second reason I read it is because Harimohan is a friend and many a time I have an issue to be sorted out, I ask him and he gives a solution. Reading this book has helped me understand cricketing terms like getting behind the line of the ball and I intend to do the (mental) exercises that this book suggests.”
Srinath, a fast bowler with a mean bouncer and a nice demeanour, too has that soft side despite the menace he could unleash as an Indian pace spearhead.
Once he bounced Ricky Ponting, inadvertently bruised the Australian legend and then enquired about the batsman’s well-being and was shocked when his rival asked him to leave with a few added profanities thrown in. Srinath and Harimohan may have taken different paths as far as their cricketing careers are concerned but in terms of temperament, they are remarkably similar.
Understandably Srinath spoke about the charms of reading. “Unfortunately in India while we were growing up, reading was always linked to academics and light reading was linked to comics. It took a while for even me to cultivate this habit and I have realised that whenever I read a book, it causes a realignment in my perspective, I surely gain a new insight. I do believe that if Harimohan’s book was around when I was playing, I would have probably got another 60 to 70 wickets,” Srinath said.
A touch moved by all the gushing praise coming his way, Harimohan described his limited journey as a player and the self-actualisation lessons that he imbibed from cricket. “Just to illustrate one lesson I learnt from cricket, I do believe that better preparation leads to better performance. I hope this book with its 50 life-lessons linked to cricket will help youngsters come to terms with the world and the challenges around them,” Harimohan said while being tight-lipped about his next creative endeavour.
A few readers, who were at the launch mulled about his twin subjects so far – romance and cricket – and their questions (to borrow a cricketing phrase) left him stumped.
