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Fry me to the moon

A seagull chases a crow for the tasty tidbit in its beak — a French fry — over Vasai Creek

Figure out what they got paid

We keep hearing about how poorly cricketers were paid in an earlier era. Figures are thrown around and exaggeration invariably sneaks in; the figures, however unimpressive, are not always right. We stumbled upon an August 1978 Sportsweek magazine interview of then BCCI president M Chinnaswamy (after whom the Bengaluru stadium is named) under the headline, ‘That’s all, no more for players’.

The late M Chinnaswamy

Chinnaswamy remarked: “When I became the Board secretary in the early sixties, a Test player used to get R750 per Test. A recent decision of the Board will give him Rs 5000 per Test plus another Rs 4000 will be kept in a fund with the Board, to be paid after the retirement of the player. This means a player who plays in all Tests against Pakistan (6), the West Indies [6], England [4] and Australia [6] over the next 16 months can collect more than R2 lakh. Besides, he will get five-star hospitality at the Board’s expense at all the Test centres. What more can he expect?”

Now that you know what a Test player earned in the late 1970s, hear this: The Rs 5000 per Test did not include the Rs 1200 which he got for other expenses like food, laundry, and telephone calls. Chinnaswamy defended this measly sum of Rs 200 per day by saying that there had to be a ceiling as some players submitted bills towards trunk calls and entertainment. Oh for those days, when the players didn’t get much but they had a lot of fun.

Rocky Crasto, the hero of Banganga

There are heroes who we don’t see, don’t read about, but are told about only once they leave for Elysian Fields. 

Rocky Crasto, who passed away recently a little before he turned 80, falls into that category.

Rocky Crasto

Right from his youth, Crasto, according to his niece Jane Borges, developed a deep affinity for Banganga in the Walkeshwar Temple complex, Malabar Hill. In writer-author Jane’s words, he once “jumped out of the window of the chawl where they lived, which skirted the tank, right onto the steps and dived straight into the water to save a life.”

And when Banganga begged for a clean-up in the 1970s and 1980s, he took it upon himself to free it from dirt. The former BMC corporator’s five decades of love and care for Banganga must not be forgotten. 
Rest well, Rocky Crasto.

LPG realities in the ladies compartment

We are sure there is a research paper on the ladies compartment, but if not, maybe someone reading this should attempt it. It’s where the trickle effect of geo-politics, war, inflation, and everything to do with anything can be seen.

Conversations like these occur as women buy knick knacks in the coach

On a Saturday afternoon, we witnessed a chat between women who were travelling with their kids, talking about how ordering from their local affordable restaurant won’t be possible because of the pared-down menu and the limited time the restaurant remains open. Relaxed family dinners on Sunday have been ruined thanks to the LPG shortage. 

“Ye LPG ne Sunday barbaad kar diya hai yaar!” They complain, and others chime in. The women then began talking about how after a week of office work, having a weekend to themselves shouldn’t be too much to ask for. They then went on say some not-so-flattering things about US President Donald Trump. Well, among more serious things such as global conflict, the woes of working women might seem small, but they’re still not unimportant in our view.

Murder in the Maldives

Sheila Yasmin Marikar

If you’re a White Lotus fan like us, you’ve probably heard the news of Helena Bonham Carter exiting the show. The only thing we could think was: Does this mean season 4 will be delayed? Luckily, we found our fix of holiday macabre fiction closer to home, with Incidentals (Little A, Amazon Publishing), a new book by author-journalist Sheila Yasmin Marikar that revolves around a couple who go on a luxury trip to celebrate their anniversary even as their marriage is on the rocks. 

Picture this: The turquoise waters of the Maldives. And floating on the crystalline waves is… a corpse. Marikar tells us how inspiration struck her: “I went on a media trip that was a complete disaster, which initially inspired a story about a beauty influencer retreat gone wrong. But once I started writing, it became clear the story I needed to tell was something more personal and relatable: a couple essentially looking for a life raft — either they figure it out in the most beautiful place in the world, or they don’t, and that’s the end.”

Rickshaw shenanigans

Badshah Shahrukh’s auto had a false ceiling with neon lights

The hardest part of the summer for this writer is the shortage of auto rickshaws. We stand outside our home, at least 20–30 minutes every day. Though we’re thankful to just find a rickshaw, life becomes much more whimsical when your autowaale bhaiya is whimsical himself.

This week we travelled with Badshah Shahrukh. Like his name suggests, he showed up in full filmy style with neon lights and a loud speaker playing the song Saiyaara, complete with a false ceiling inside the auto. This writer immediately felt like Rani from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani [2023], and Rocky had come to pick us up as he plays Aaja Meri Gaadi Me Baith Ja. He is one of many whimsical auto drivers we have met in the city. 

A few months back, this writer was picked up by Bhagwaan Das as Allah came to pick up our colleague. If the commute gets long, which it always does in this city, at least your ride partner shall keep you entertained.