Robin hood and his band of mavericks
Yet, he has probably seen more downs than a luge-racer; he has endured more controversies than Britney Spears herself and has been subjected to more barbs than even a step-daughter. Yet, he sat through all this silently, with a smile on his face and an unshakeable desire in the heart to overcome.
One of the biggest cliches about him is that half the world loves him while the other half hates him. Here is a secret: there is another set of people, lurking in their closets, who quietly admire him; and yet another that simply can't stand his guts. Ganguly, the cricketer, has mostly been like that: he evoked extreme emotions.
But Ganguly the person is nothing like that: beyond the field, in fact, he is quiet, dignified and extremely likeable. During the time he used to wear specs, he used to look the part too: sweet and innocent; it was impossible not to adore him or feel protective towards him then.
Even now, he rarely, if ever, says no to friends, fans or strangers; he doesn't lose his cool or shirt easily and you have to be really unlucky (lucky?) to see his temper. He tries hard to accommodate everybody and is easily the most approachable cricketers in the Indian team. Yes, he is a true hero, a real gentleman, among stars.
For all his exploits and achievements, he has been called many, many things, mostly by staunch, almost blind, admirers. Yet, he was known as the Maharaja before he conquered hearts and became the Prince of Kolkata. God of the off-side, dada, dadi, Bengal Tiger are some of the titles that were lovingly bestowed on him.
For this writer, though, Ganguly is like the Robin Hood of English folklore. No, he didn't exactly rob the rich to feed the poor; he didn't really fight against tyranny or injustice either, as the Prince of Thieves had so enduringly done in medieval times. But in a queer sort of way, Ganguly symbolized the same fight: good over bad.
Around the time he took over India's captaincy, in 2000, cricket was trapped in the match-fixing quagmire: fans had lost their faith and the biggest stars their lustre and trustworthiness. Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Hansie Cronje, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, virtually everybody, was tainted by doubts and accusations.
But Ganguly the person is nothing like that: beyond the field, in fact, he is quiet, dignified and extremely likeable. During the time he used to wear specs, he used to look the part too: sweet and innocent; it was impossible not to adore him or feel protective towards him then.
Even now, he rarely, if ever, says no to friends, fans or strangers; he doesn't lose his cool or shirt easily and you have to be really unlucky (lucky?) to see his temper. He tries hard to accommodate everybody and is easily the most approachable cricketers in the Indian team. Yes, he is a true hero, a real gentleman, among stars.
For all his exploits and achievements, he has been called many, many things, mostly by staunch, almost blind, admirers. Yet, he was known as the Maharaja before he conquered hearts and became the Prince of Kolkata. God of the off-side, dada, dadi, Bengal Tiger are some of the titles that were lovingly bestowed on him.
For this writer, though, Ganguly is like the Robin Hood of English folklore. No, he didn't exactly rob the rich to feed the poor; he didn't really fight against tyranny or injustice either, as the Prince of Thieves had so enduringly done in medieval times. But in a queer sort of way, Ganguly symbolized the same fight: good over bad.
Around the time he took over India's captaincy, in 2000, cricket was trapped in the match-fixing quagmire: fans had lost their faith and the biggest stars their lustre and trustworthiness. Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Hansie Cronje, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, virtually everybody, was tainted by doubts and accusations.
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