Taste of Life: A player’s talent dismantled the caste barrier
In the late 19th century, young cricketer Baloo Palwankar in Poona had to bear the brunt of atrocious caste hierarchy
Pune: Caste has been a powerful tool for social exclusion in India. Whose food you are allowed to eat and who you can eat with is decided by your caste.
In the late 19th century, a young cricketer in Poona had to bear the brunt of atrocious caste hierarchy. However, his grit, determination, and talent made him break the barriers of caste and race to become one of the greatest cricketers in India. His name was Baloo Palwankar, or P Baloo, as he was popularly known. He was a left-arm spinner. His youngest brother Viththal, another legendary cricketer, wrote about Palwankar’s struggles in his autobiography “Maze Kreedajeevan”.
Born on March 19, 1876 in Dharwad, Palwankar belonged to a caste considered to be at the very bottom of the (heinously unjust and immoral) caste hierarchy in India. His father was a sepoy in the 112th Infantry Regiment and the family soon settled in Poona. The British army provided some respite from atrocities of the caste hierarchies and enabled the men of the so-called “lower castes” to earn a living with dignity.
Poona, the largest military station in western India, was the mecca of cricket in colonial India. Palwankar and his younger brother Shivram studied at the military school. They watched European soldiers play cricket on the Ordnance Ground. The children soon formed a cricket club with old bats and balls donated by the soldiers.
Palwankar later landed his first job as the ground boy at the Parsee Gymkhana. He was paid ₹3 per month. He also doubled as an underhand bowler when the need arose. He was encouraged by some cricketers to better his style. He took as his model one Major Barton, a slow left-armer with a smooth action.
After working at the Parsee Gymkhana for five years, Palwankar shifted to the Poona Volunteers Gymkhana. JG Greig, the Hampshire batsman and captain of the Gymkhana team, offered him eight annas for each time he got him out. This money not only encouraged him, but also helped him feed his family and himself for the eight months of the year when the weather was not conducive for playing cricket.
Palwankar was bowling in the nets once before an important match when the opposite team’s captain Mr Tross, impressed by his extraordinary talent, offered him a job at the Poona Gymkhana at a salary of ₹4 per month.
Cricket in India was played along religious lines then. The triangular matches had teams from the Hindu, Parsee, and British communities. The Muslims joined later to play quadrangular tournaments.
At Poona Gymkhana, Hindus played for The Young Men’s Hindu Club. Cricketers from Poona, mostly belonging to the Chitpavan Brahmin caste, like Bhide, Paranjape, Bapat, and Datey, were part of the club team. Some Telugu-speaking cricketers like Mr Narsanna also played for the club.
Palwankar’s fine bowling impressed the European officers of the Gymkhana who recommended his name for the Hindu team. But he was denied entry because of his caste. When Greig came to know about this, he wrote a letter to an English daily and criticised the decision. The Hindu team had deprived itself of a brilliant bowler because of their casteism, he wrote.
The letter made the club convene a meeting. The so-called “upper caste” players were adamant about not letting Palwankar play with them. They did not want to eat food and drink water with someone who belonged to a so-called “lower” caste.
Seeing that Palwankar would not be able to play for the club, Narsanna threatened to leave if the decision was not reversed. Other players had to relent. It was decided that on the field, Palwankar would be treated as an equal. Off-field, he would have to behave according to his caste.
Rules about interdining were the root of all caste distinctions. A separate earthen pot of water was kept for Palwankar. He was served tea away from the pavilion and in disposable clay cups. While other players had their lunch at a table, Palwankar would sit in a corner on the ground to eat.
Greig had tried to convince the Hindu players that Palwankar’s inclusion in the team would be beneficial, and he was proven right. The Young Mens’ Hindu Club defeated the European teams of the Ganeshkhind Club and the Poona Gymkhana.
The European Club at Satara was known for its talented European cricketers. When Palwankar helped his team defeat the Club, Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade congratulated him and urged his countrymen to not practice untouchability. Ranade’s gesture of a handshake with Palwankar angered the conservatives who demanded that he be removed from the team.
When Palwankar’s battalion was transferred to Bombay, a farewell was organised by the Club for him. Lokmanya BG Tilak presided over the function and congratulated him for his spectacular achievements.
At Bombay too, Palwankar faced discrimination. He was made to sit separately for lunch. He had to wash his plates and glass and keep it away from other crockery.
Hindu and Muslim players faced racism in cricket. They were barred from using several common facilities, like pavilions, lounges, and toilets. The discrimination faced by Palwankar was two-fold - racial and caste based.
One day, after a match that he had single-handedly won, he decided that enough was enough. He told the captain of the team, Mr Kirtikar, that he would not tolerate any injustice and that as a member of the team, it was his right to sit with his teammates for lunch.
The team agreed and Palwankar was “given” a place at the table.
JM Framjee Patel wrote in 1905 that Palwankar was one of the best slow bowlers in India, with an easy action, which was a little deceptive; he had a good ball, that generally came in from leg, which he did not use as often as he ought to; he had a great command of pace and pitch. One year, owing to a bad hand, he could not play for the Hindus, and his omission was much felt in the results.
In 1906, he became a first-class cricketer by his selection to the Hindu team competing in the Bombay Quadrangular Presidency Tournament. He led his team to its first tournament win over the British.
Five years later, Palwankar joined an all-Indian cricket team that toured England. The team consisted of Parsees, Hindus, and Muslims and was captained by a Sikh prince. During the tour, Palwankar was the standout performer. He took over a hundred wickets on the tour and was compared to England’s best bowlers at the time.
Upon his return to India, a young BR Ambedkar and Rohidas Vidyavardhak Samaj felicitated him in Bombay.
In time, Palwankar was joined by his younger brothers Shivram, Viththal, and Ganpat, all of whom played with distinction for the Hindus. Thanks to him, they did not face caste-based exclusion when it came to food. However, they were denied their rightful captaincies. But that’s another story. Shivram and Viththal played for the all-India teams too. They broke caste barriers and gave hope to thousands of young men.
Palwankar’s giant stature in his community and Indian society is underlined by his membership of the three-member committee of the “Depressed Classes”, which negotiated the famous Poona Pact with Mahatma Gandhi in September 1932.
Palwankar was an Indian icon who represented the possibilities of socio-economic progress. He not only left an indelible mark in cricket, but also fought oppression and discrimination owing to his caste and left the world stunned with his sheer talent and hard work.
Chinmay Damle is a research scientist and food enthusiast. He writes here on Pune’s food culture. He can be contacted at chinmay.damle@gmail.com
