Hail Garimella............ Hail colonel’s last wicket (a painting poem review )

One fine morning when I was bored and wanted desperately to read a book

Landed in my lap squarely, Garimella’s “colonel’s last wicket” beseeching me to look

Lost was I in the book, till Beena announced dinner and had my reverie shook

And with a great sense of satisfaction I realised Garimella was a great story cook

For years I did not know the difference between mid-on and mid-wicket

And a Yorker and a Swing and a Chucker in the exact language of cricket.

After reading the book over night, without realising, a cricket authority I became

Vizzy, Anada Rao and Harsha Bogle now made full sense on the nuances of the game

But  ,readers, the  real feast was in the life of adopted son Raju &cricket only the dessert  

Raju’s struggles with the expectations of colonel to get into Indian team &his himalayan effort

Seth’s strategy of motivating him using Usha’s love made Raju bowl his heart, the hour’s need

Ramu, Seth’s other protégés  inclusion as batman in the Indian team pushes Raju to succed.

Characters  run by emotions, Seth’s reaction to authority,  his anger against his own father

Priya’s love ,her stand with her father that it is either Seth or she would be unmarried rather

Colonel’s daughters’ acceptance of Raju as a brother  they never had and their expressions...

These and more are but a deep undercurrent and the story is built on unexpressed emotions

 The story of an adolescent becoming an adult and delivering what from him is due

 A story of love, aggression, frustrations, courage, sacrifice &passion a clue to life’s glue

Indu, I should salute you as your blog made me write to Garimella Rama Rao for the book

A book of perfection, I recommend to all my Sulekha friends do read by hook or crook.

P.S

Viizzy and Ananda Rao were great radio cricket commentators

Harsha Bogle is of course a popular TV cricket commentator