Somnath (right) and Badshah take tips from Rahul Dravid during a practice session. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

It was the defining moment in the nascent career of Shillong boy Badshah Talukdar when Rahul Dravid asked one of the greatest allrounders of the time, Jacques Kallis, to face his bowling. And to think the 19-year-old medium pacer took up cricket just a year ago!

Just as delighted was Somnath Maity, 14, when Sourav Ganguly, arguably the best player of spin bowling in world cricket, asked the little leggie to bowl a few to him at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) nets.

Badshah and Somnath are two of the practice bowlers selected by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials to roll their arms at the net sessions of Indian Premier League sides at Eden Gardens. The two cricketers, who represent Sahapur Sporting Club in the CAB second division league, have already bowled at Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and Bangalore Royal Challengers nets, apart from those of the home team, rubbing shoulders with international stars.

“A stalwart like John Buchanan praised my bowling action and asked me not to change it when I asked him for tips. I couldn’t believe my ears,” gushes Badshah.

Two other favourites of his, dashing opener and ace keeper Adam Gilchrist and Rahul Dravid too were appreciative of his bowling, says his Sahapur coach Milan Biswas (Buroda), who predicts a great future for both Badshah and Somnath.

Badshah used to play tennis ball cricket in his hometown, Shillong, before coming to Calcutta. “There was no cricket culture in Shillong but I used to watch all the matches I could on television. Then I came to Calcutta for my studies in 2006. Last year I asked my father to contact Buroda after read an article in The Telegraph.”

Biswas recalls how Badshah, who lives by himself in Calcutta, trod up to him at his Sinthee Roypara cricket camp. His talent was spotted straight away and in a few months Badshah was playing for Sahapur.

He picked up 19 wickets in six CAB second division matches, missing a couple of games because they clashed with examination dates at ABM School, where he studies in Class XII.

No less intriguing is the tale of Somnath, who has taken 29 wickets in eight matches, including a hattrick and three five-wicket hauls, in the CAB second division league in the 2007-08 season. But it has been a toil for him.

“I come from a very poor family. My father is a driver who is often out of work and my mother cooks for people. But a few first division clubs have asked me to sign this year and I hope to make a mark.”

Somnath was overwhelmed by the star-studded field at the IPL practice sessions and bowled over by the humility of the great players. “I never thought I would be able to bowl to Sourav Ganguly but he asked me to do so himself. And Rahul Dravid gave me some tips. Buchanan sir asked the practice bowlers to join in the KKR physical training regimen.”

The two youngsters cannot stop talking about the stars they have met in the last couple of weeks. But they are not finished. “Some KKR home games are still left. I hope I will be able to meet my idol Yuvraj Singh at the King’s XI Punjab nets,” gushes Somnath.

Rith Basu

EVM for LSA poll

Students queue up to vote for their favourite candidates at the LSA polls

There were poll candidates, zealous campaigning, ballot boxes and even electronic voting machines (EVMs). Political parties were all that were missing. It was the student council elections at Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (LSA) on May 8.

This year, LSA introduced EVMs, used the first time in a school. “We didn’t hire an outside agency for designing the EVMs. Two of our students designed the software,” said principal Meena Kak.

Archit Tantia and Shubhangam Agrawal, both Class XII students of LSA, have designed the voting machines. The boys explained: “The machines generate a unique password for each student, thus minimising the chances of rigging.”

The elections started with the filing of nomination papers, the selection of nominees and of the best campaigns. “Students undertook both oral and written campaigns. Some of the nominees even floated their own websites with easy access for the students from classes VI to XII who would vote,” said teacher-in-charge, Kanak Shankar Mukherjee.

Class VIII student Pallavi Shastri was clearly pleased with the new innovation: “This is as close as we can get to the real thing. It is also more foolproof than the ballot system.”

“Previously, handwritten ballot papers were used during polls, but thanks to the use of EVMs this year, we saved a lot of time,” adds Kak.

Saheli Mitra

Shout out loud

What’s on your mind this week

Exam woes

Many ICSE schools, in order weed out mediocre students, raise the internal pass percentage to 50 per cent. Students are the sufferers. The raised percentage is 15 per cent above the required pass percentage set by the board. Raising the bar means increased stress for students. It also demoralises those who fail to cope with the increased academic demands.

The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002 provides for compulsory education to all children between six and 14 years. The act also states that no child shall be held back in any class or expelled from a school until she completes her elementary education. Making someone repeating a class is advised only in case of a delinquent child for whom other corrective measures have been exhausted.

Putting undue pressure on students to perform may ultimately have a harmful impact.

Kavita Punjabi,
First year, B.Com
Sivanath Sastri College