The Mind Creative NOV-Dec 2016

Zubin Mehta, the famous music director and conductor of
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, is a cricket fanatic. A proud Indian,
he was “in mourning” when the Indian cricket team lost to Sri
Lanka during his concert tour of Australia in July 2008. When we
meet we discuss only Indian cricket!
Another Zubin is on his way up in music, Sydney-born Dr
Zubin Kanga. In his 30s, he has won many international awards
as a contemporary pianist. Recipient of the prestigious 2012 Art
Music Award, he was the winner of the Best Newcomer Award at
the 2010 ABC Limelight Scholarship.
The Kanga family is renowned for its exploits in cricket. Zubin
Kanga’s great grand uncles PD, MD, DD and HD Kanga were
well-known cricketers in India from 1888 to 1903. Zubin’s grand
uncle Homi Kanga was the first Indian to score a double century
in first-class cricket.
There are hit songs involving cricket: The Baggy Green by
John Williamson, Shane Warne by Paul Kelly, Here come the
Aussies by the 1972 Australian cricket team, among many others.
And of course that Come on Aussies come on, come on jingle
during the Kerry Packer Cricket World Series days in 1970s and
80s is still chanted with energy during Test matches around
Australia.
Not to forget the Caribbean calypso We don’t like cricket;
we love cricket. Tall and fiery West Indian bowler Curtly Ambrose
formed a band along with his captain Richie Richardson called The
Big Bad Dread and the Bald Head. While Ambrose plays the
bass guitar, Richardson takes on the rhythm guitar.
According to H. Natarajan and Nishad Pai Vaidya in Cricket
Country, famous Indian Test cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar released
an album called Rest Day. He also sang in a Bengali movie. “I
used to worship Kishore Kumar”, he once said.
Sunil Gavaskar, considered an all-time great opening batsman,
released a Marathi song Ye jeevan mhanje cricket [My life
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