Cricket is an intrinsic part of our lives," says Chandidas Ganguly with a smile. "We are five brothers and seven sisters. Together we could have formed a cricket team."
Interestingly, the entire Ganguly clan shares the same compound wall and it is cricket that has been the unified bond of connection in this age of nuclear families.
Fame brings along countless hazards and no one knows it better than Dada's family. "Sourav's homecoming is never easy and security guards and the police have a tough time preventing a stampede each time he returns home after a cricket tour," says his father.
"Even I find it difficult attending any event as people often come up with requests to fix interviews, meetings with Sourav. Things have come to such a head that these days I deny my identity."
"Just a few weeks ago, I was at a function and a young group approached me, 'Dada aapni ki Dadar Baba?' (Are you Sourav's father?) to which I said, "Are you mad?" and took to my heels.
"You know how Kolkatans are. They just need a pretext to be crazy," he laughs.
"While at home, Sourav is the homeliest of us all. He plans out grand lunches and dinners with family and friends, spends quality time with all of us, sees films and tries solving family issues if any."
"He is an intrinsically happy person who does not forget to wear a smile. We hardly hear him criticising anyone. To him, every person is good at heart -- an individual acts devilish only under certain circumstances."
Image: Chandidas Ganguly, Sourav Ganguly's father, who the Indian cricketer has described as the greatest influence on his life and career
Also read: 'The way we played in the last three months, we can only get better'
E-mail this Page | Post a comment
Advertisement
