Sports

Monty's Turn: My Story So Far

A Book Review by INDARJIT SINGH

MONTY'S TURN: MY STORY SO FAR, by Monty Panesar. Hodder, U.K., 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-34093-620-7. 320 pages. Price: 18.99 Pounds.

Sorting out some papers recently, I came across a folder marked "My Autobiography: the Early Years". Complete with photos, it was a fascinating view of life by my then eleven-year-old daughter, Rema, now a hospital consultant.

Monty Panesar's Monty's Turn carries the same air of innocent wonder at all that has happened to him in just a few years. It's compelling not so much for cricketing detail, but for how it captures the warmth, disbelief and wonder of a Luton Sikh suddenly finding himself a cult hero.

I have to confess a little envy. Like Monty, I am a Sikh and lefthanded. Cricket was my passion at school and I delighted in my ability to turn the ball and, to use a now politically incorrect term, to bowl the occasional "chinaman" out of the back of the hand. But I never made it farther than league cricket! Monty, or Mudhsuden Singh Panesar to give him his full name, has won the heart of every Sikh schoolboy. My grandsons, Simran and Pavan, delight at being called "The Turbanator", a nickname first applied to the Indian, Harbhajan Singh. Sikh children everywhere love the epithet, while commentators question its political correctness.

The importance of Monty as a role model cannot be overemphasised. There are plenty of prominent Sikhs in the professions, business and commerce, and even the odd broadcaster and writer, but to the young mind, they are all, frankly, boring. A sportsman is looked up to in a quite different light. The sight of Monty playing in a Test in his "patka", without any hint of self-consciousness, gives badly needed reassurance to young people.

Monty's popularity among Sikhs is easy to understand, but Monty-mania in the wider community turns a basic tenet of race relations - that those who look different experience greater discrimination - on its head. The measure of Monty's success is that his enthusiasm and demeanour force people to look beyond superficial difference.

Monty's modesty is well brought out here, as he lavishly praises those who have helped him, particularly Hitu Naik, a family friend who recognised his talent, taught him to hold a bat and nurtured his interest in cricket. Much of the book is devoted to admiration of his role models, such as Bishen Singh Bedi, the patka-wearing Indian Sikh, also a left-arm spinner.

He writes about his achievements in the field, generously paying tribute to colleagues and opponents. His near wild exuberance at taking a wicket, or appealing, is well-documented. The achievement he values above all others is taking Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in his first Test in Bombay. He was later given the ball that dismissed his hero, sportingly autographed by his idol with the words: "Once in a blue moon, never again, mate!"

In his description of his highs and lows, Monty shows a rare ability to laugh at his own flaws, particularly his less-than-perfect fielding, which, in a curious way, has gained him even greater popularity, even in Australia.

Monty acknowledges his debt to the discipline of his faith, but he does not wear his religion on his sleeve. He reflects the essence of Sikh belief in his positive attitude to life. In this, Monty fully deserves his cult status, and one hopes "the beard to be feared" will be on the cricket field for many seasons to come.

[Courtesy: The Times]

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