When Kapil Dev, the former BCCI president and one of the powerful ministers in the Indira Gandhi cabinet, lifted the World Cup in the balcony of Lord’s, the late NKP Salve had a different concern. Economic liberalization and the vision of a shrewd businessman like Jagmohan Dalmiya to turn cricket into an industry were still a few years away. Team India’s achievement should be celebrated, but the BCCI, which is currently considering a USD 5 billion television contract, barely paid a daily allowance of £20 to its cricketers.
Salve had to turn to Raj Singh Dungarpur, his ‘Man Friday’ and ‘one stop encyclopedia’ of Indian cricket, for a solution to being able to reward players for such an achievement.
‘Raj Bhai’, as Dungarpur was known in Indian cricket circles, decided that the only way out was to ask his close friend and one of the country’s biggest cricket fans, Lata Mangeshkar, to perform a free concert at the national capital’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. was to request.
JLN was packed to capacity as ‘Lata ji’ did a program of almost two hours.
The event ensured that the BCCI collected enough funds and each of the 14 members received Rs 1 lakh as a cash prize.
Speaking to PTI, Sunil Valson recalled, “It was a very decent amount in those days. Otherwise we would have saved the tour money and daily allowance for that month and it would have hardly come to Rs 60,000.”
“I remember some people said we will give you Rs 5000, some said Rs 10,000 and it was very insulting at times. But then Lata ji sang in that concert. What was that ceremony and her song was It was one of the most memorable evenings to watch. Live,” said Walson.
The BCCI and Dungarpur never forget how ‘Lata ji’ saved Indian cricket from embarrassment because of her ancient love for the ‘Gentleman’s Game’.
As a mark of respect, the BCCI kept two complimentary VIP tickets allotted for him until his death at any Indian stadium where India played an international match.
“Just as we have quota for each match (before the Covid era) for sponsors, state associations, there are two tickets for Lata ji in every cricket match,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.
Mangeshkar was indeed a cricket fan, but one of the finest historians of Mumbai cricket, senior journalist Makarand Vegankar recalls the days in the 60s when Lata Mangeshkar was a regular at the CCI Stadium and later at the Wankhede Stadium in the 70s and 80s. was a visitor.
“Lata ji and her brother musician Hridaynath Mageshkar were regulars at the Test matches held at the Brabourne Stadium. During the later 70s she hardly missed a game even with such a hectic recording schedule,” said Vengankar, who was then a He was a young journalist, recalled.
Lata Mangeshkar will sit down with Dungarpur and former Mumbai legend and Test opener Madhav Apte to watch the proceedings.
There is also an old video of Lata Mangeshkar watching the India vs West Indies test match in Chennai, where she must have gone for the recording in her 70s.
She was very close to all the Mumbai cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar who spoke of her with unmatched humility and mother-like respect.
She often visited the Cricket Club of India and enjoyed cricket discussions in the company of Dungarpur and another eminent Test cricketer, Hanumant Singh, the former’s nephew.
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Tendulkar often said that he saw “Maa Saraswati” in Lata Mangeshkar.
It is so poignant that the ‘Nightangle of India’ came out a day after Saraswati Puja.
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