I am currently reading historian Ramachandra Guha's book, "A Corner Of A Foreign Field". As its subtitle says it is the Indian history of a British Sport. I am no fan of Mr. Guha, but I was asked by my brother not to pre-judge and read the book. I am currently progressing at a couple of pages a day. Not because of Mr. Guha's writing, which is excellent, nor the content, which he presents very well, but because I continue to be pre-occupied with caring for my mother, working out, exploring avenues for remunerative work, and drinking beer.
The book is a social history of cricket. Guha writes in the preface, "The making of modern India is its theme, with cricket serving merely as a vehicle, as my chief source of illustrative example". Though I have read just 56 pages, I recommend this book very highly.
Coming back to the subject of this post. People who have worked with me know the importance that I attached to a written record - Records of Discussion, Minutes of Meetings, Code reviews comments recorded by email, ... Now I know why it was so hard.
Guha says, " ... we, as a people, have a criminal indifference to the written record" (pg 46). He goes on to say, "Among the things borrowed by the Parsis from the British was a regard for facts". He mentions one Mr. Framji Patel who wrote a book that talked only of Parsi cricket and not Hindu cricket. The reason that the Mr Patel gave was that he would be "poaching on the preserves of my friend Mr. Telang, who, like a Rishi, has long contemplated writing a history of Hindu cricket".
Mr Guha's tongue-in-cheek comment: "This was a mistake, for Telang's book never appeared. Like a Rishi, the Hindu sportsman would operate only in the oral tradition".
The Tools BU had a lot of wannabe Rishis (some were even named Rishi:-).
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