It takes a deep commitment to change and an even deeper commitment to grow - Ralph Ellison.
The
Australian War Memorial in Canberra was the perfect stage for a
discourse that was as much a celebration of The Don as of shared
history, contrapletal cultures, and — most importantly — cricket's
inclusive character.
Rahul Dravid, the first Indian
to be invited to deliver the Bradman Oration, symphonised multiple
aspects of human existence without losing sight of his core competency —
cricket.
His speech, though extensive in scope and
detail, was not a pointless pastiche of words. Dravid's virtuosic effort
brought to the mind immediately another address delivered in July at
Lord's — Kumar Sangakkara's MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture.
When
Sangakkara spoke truth to power, it was rightly hailed as one of the
most courageous speeches in the history of the game. Dravid's account of
cricket's ebbs and flows, on the other hand, was a delightful marriage
of romance and reality.
Certainly, the cricketing community would do worse than paying attention to the wise words of these stalwarts.
Striking similiarities
The common strands of thought in their orations probably stem from their personalities.
For
starters, both Dravid and Sangakkara bat at No.3, are elegant
stroke-merchants, former captains, and respected for their leadership
skills.
They are adept at looking beyond the contours of the playing arena and putting things in perspective.
The duo's views on the futility of warfare suitably drive home the point.
“I
feel I stand on very sacred ground tonight. When I was told that I
would be speaking at the National War Memorial, I thought of how often
and how meaninglessly, the words ‘war', ‘battle', ‘fight' are used to
describe cricket matches,” said Dravid.
Astute in
joining the dots of past and present, both paint a portrait of cricket's
evolving role in larger matters of politics and economics in their
respective nations.
Sangakkara recounted Sri Lanka's
miseries in the early 90s, and how the World Cup victory provided a
healing touch: “It was a bleak time where we, as a nation, looked for
inspiration, a miracle that would lift the pallid gloom and show us what
we, as a country, were capable of if united as one. That inspiration
was to come in 1996.”
He also spoke about what went through the players' minds immediately after they were attacked by terrorists in Lahore.
“We
all sit in the dressing room and talk. Within minutes there is laughter
and the jokes have started to flow. We have, for the first time, been a
target of violence. We had survived. We all realised what some of our
fellow Sri Lankans experienced every day for nearly 30 years. There was a
new respect and awe for their courage and selflessness.”
Wide-ranging talk
Dravid,
who had the audience in splits with his self-deprecatory humour, was as
comfortable talking about Bradman and Jawaharlal Nehru as he was about
the IPL and other new-age challenges in the game.
The Indian maestro emphasised that the fans deserve respect and urged that they ought to not be taken for granted.
In a time when cricket is beset with problems of corruption, Dravid advocated “giving up a little bit of freedom”.
“Even
if it means giving up a little bit of freedom of movement and privacy.
If it means undergoing dope tests, let us never say no.”
He explained how cricket in India is a microcosm of the country's diversity.
“I
went around our dressing room to work out how many languages could be
spoken in there and the number I have arrived at is 15 — including Shona
and Afrikaans. In a world growing more insular, that (accommodating
differences) is a precious quality to acquire, because it helps you
understand people better.”
Certainly, Sangakkara and
Dravid are not lacking in finesse and social grace, but what is more
significant is how they choose to approach the game they love so much —
with old-school honesty and conviction.
Keywords: Bradman Oration, Rahul Dravid
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