“Please come dressed to honour the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma!” said the invitation to a glittering evening organised by the Taj Coromandel for the release of a splendid volume on the life and times of the Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), painter extraordinary.

Rupika Chawla, conservator, curator of an early exhibition of the Raja’s work at New Delhi’s National Art Gallery along with A. Ramachandran, and now author of the gorgeously illustrated book, by Mapin Publishing, titled Raja Ravi Varma - Painter of Colonial India* set the tone in shimmering silks and jewelled accessories. The dancer Lak­shmi Viswanathan made a fetching impression as a latter day Menaka, in a red saree, a green choli, and flowers in her hair. Equally arresting, in a creamy white Benares saree and pearls, was Rani Rema Devi of Pudukottai, at whose palace the Raja had been entertained and had worked more than a century ago. The walls of the Taj Ballroom were hung with long banners silk-screened with images from the book, many of them reflecting the portraits of Rajas and their bejewelled Ranis. As Raja Ravi Varma was said to have remarked, he liked painting women draped in their nine-yard silk sarees, as it showed their figure to best advantage.

Rupika Chawla might disagree. She is nothing if not serious in putting the Raja amongst the greats and if there were some murmurings about the Raja’s leanings towards “Calendar Art” and amorous pursuits, these were quickly put into place by the tributes paid by the speakers of the evening.

“I am not a historian, I like to describe myself as a story-teller,” said S. Muthiah, Chennai’s evergreen chronicler of the past. Not only did he provide a vivid picture of his early impressions of the printed images by Raja Ravi Varma, or, to be more exact, the oleographs that used to hang along the corridors and walls of his grandmother’s house, he became lyrical as he described the Raja’s own childhood at Killi­manoor in Kerala where “the deer and the parrots roamed”.

The theme of the Raja’s enchanted and happy childhood was touched upon by another of the speakers, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. While Rani Rema Devi of Pudukottai added a warm human touch by relating memories of what it had meant to her to grow up amidst stories about the painterly prince who had been invited so many times to the palace. Bipin Shah, Publisher, Mapin Publishing India Ltd., explained why the book came with two different covers, though the contents were the same.

It might have been equally pertinent to describe the Raja as a Painter of Princely India, for it is at the Courts of the Maharajas of Aundh, Bhavnagar, Baroda and, towards the latter phase of this life, Mysore, that the Raja created the best of his commissions. He was nothing if not a busy artist as he travelled across the country with his younger brother, Raja Raja Varma, as manager and, often, assistant. As Muthiah, who has researched the history of printing in the sub-continent, mentioned in his opening remarks, it was the Raja’s enterprising spirit at setting up a state-of-the-art printing factory at Lonavla with German help that allowed him to create the reproductions of his paintings that made him the Andy Warhol of his time. These were what caught the public imagination as they created their own mythology of the printed image. Chawla is particularly good at describing how, despite coming from a traditional background, the Raja was able to make full use of the technology available to him, whether in the form of railways, the telegraph, the printing press and, most obviously in his case, a modern perspective in art. This is where the sub-title makes very good sense.

When Rupika Chawla made her presentation (with images), she described the initial fascination that she felt when she worked on her first Ravi Varma canvas as a conservator at the National Gallery in New Delhi and then her growing involvement with the technical brilliance that she was able to witness at first hand as she uncovered the layers of dirt and time, as she put it. It then became something of a passion, as she began to travel almost as extensively as the Raja, following in his footsteps and, finally, an obsession. Navin Chawla, the Chief Election Commissioner and a fine writer himself, was able to give a gently humorous perspective of what it was like to share his home and his bedroom with the Raja for seven long years.

Thanks to Rupika Chawla, the Raja will now return to many homes in a new form.

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In a remarkable sequence of performances, Jolly Rovers in 2009-10 won the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s First Division league title and the prestigious Palayampatti Shield that goes with it for the seventh time since 2000. Leading them was R. Sathish who, as this year’s championship gets underway, leads them again and targets the title.

Sathish is a talented batsman with a recently acquired hunger for runs and more runs, a more than useful medium pace bowler and arguably India’s best fielder. Tall, lean and athletic, Sathish is a product of cricket in the districts; he is from Tiruchi.

When he came to Chennai he was still not out of his teens. He joined the India Pistons team in 1999 and moved to Chemplast in 2005. A mechanical engineer by qualification, Sathish has never put his technical education to use in his career, his cricket taking him to the Chennai league and beyond.

For someone so talented and reliable, he has not always been the favourite of selectors, going by the shortage of opportunities to have come his way over the years at the national level. In fact, it was this particular factor that drove him to join ICL, the rebel cricket league, a few years ago, leading to his being banned by the official cricket administration. ICL was, however, the big break he had been waiting for and he met with instant success there, culminating in the India captaincy in the India-Pakistan encounters in the league. When the ban was lifted, eight teams in the official Indian cricket league, IPL, approached him with offers. Sathish joined Mumbai Indians (MI), where his proximity to his boyhood hero and MI captain Sachin Tendulkar transformed his cricket and his life.

Captaining Jolly Rovers for the first time last season, he led from the front, scoring a record 1,245 runs in the season at an average of over 110. In the last three innings he played, he scored 266 not out, 232 and 135, notwithstanding the battling fatigue, bouts of vomiting, dehydration and cramps throughout his marathon sessions at the crease.

Here are excerpts from a recent interview:

Why did you choose to move to Jolly Rovers?

I was attracted by the fantastic professionalism here. It was an opportunity to play alongside international cricketers. The standard was very high, with the team reaching the finals of most tournaments in India. It was a high profile team, with intense competition for places in the side.

Where did you start your cricket career?

At Tiruchi. I played all my cricket there, before I moved to Chennai in 1999 – for the school and for the district, among other things. My mother and my brother have been a great support. Dad, a Major in the Army, passed away when I was hardly five.

How were the facilities?

Non-existent, but who cared? To play the game was a privilege.

How was the ICL experience? You must have been anxious after the ban and the eventual collapse of ICL

It was a great experience. I got to rub shoulders with great cricketers like Michael Bevan of Australia. I captained the Indian team against Pakistan and we won. It made me believe in my own ability. It was good to know that I belonged at that level. I learnt how to play T20 cricket. My role was to go in and blast runs in the last six overs or so.

The ICL experience stood me in good stead; when the ban was lifted and I became eligible to play in the Indian Premier League.

How was that experience?

It was a dream come true to play alongside my boyhood hero Sachin Tendulkar. I used to play relatively short innings, more intent on blasting sixes and fours than building innings. Sachin was a revelation. He never lofted the ball, did not hit sixers, yet he scored the quickest and most runs. During the IPL, I would have spent some ten hours one-to-one with Sachin. I learnt so much about focus from him. I used to take advantage of his accessibility, go to his room ad ask questions about my batting, and he would patiently answer my questions.

What advice did he give you?

He basically gave me confidence. He approved my technique. That was a great morale booster. Imagine Tendulkar saying your technique is good! He spoke of the need to tackle the short ball, the yorker, the variety bowlers would target you within the final overs in T20.

Are you a better batsman as a result?

Yes, I am. I have become hungry for runs. I don’t want to gift my wicker. Our coach Robin Singh was another good influence. He helped me play straighter, play along the ground, another thing I learnt from watching Tendulkar as well. Robin asked me about my league performance, and I said I’d scored 600 runs in 8 matches. After my stint with MI, I scored 600 runs in three!

You went away to Assam because you were not a regular in the Tamil Nadu team. You even scored a double century against Tamil Nadu. Now, back in Tamil Nadu, you are still in and out of the team. Which State will you be turning out for next season?

I don’t know. But whichever team, my focus will be my batting, fielding and bowling – which I hope to improve. I will put pressure on the selectors with my performances.

Apart from their talented players, Jolly Rovers owe their success to their management team of Bharath Reddy and Rammohan Rao who were superbly backed by coach Jaikumar and trainer Venkat, Shyam and Vasanth.

“Our coach Jaikumar is expert at spotting technical faults and finding solutions that work. He is willing to spend hours at the nets with a batsman or bowler with a specific problem until it is ironed out,” says the leading seniormost player, Ajay Kudua, who is being groomed to assist Bharath Reddy in the management of the team. (Courtesy: Matrix, the house journal of Sanmar group)

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