Eden’s constant gardener

Sahoo’s day of late has been starting at around 6 in the morning. “We work systematically. The day before,we prepare a roster of work with our pitch curator. Early next morning,I divide work in my team of 15 workers. It’s a huge ground,roughly,580 ft x 580 ft in expanse. We really have to do a lot of running around,” laughs Sahoo. Almost immediately,he snaps out of the conversation,hurries to the end of the third tier of the gallery we are in,and waves frantically to catch the attention of a guard sitting down at the edge of the ground. As the latter looks up questioningly,he points towards the nearby entrance through which a small group of handy cam-wielding local TV journalists are trying to sneak into the ground. He stands,brows knit,till the group of three is bundled off. “It’s very delicate,the work that we do. You know the game depends on how we tend to the ground,how we make the pitch. And these irresponsible people will spoil it for TV news. No one is allowed to enter the ground just like that,” he says.

On an average day,Sahoo has to oversee the job of trimming the grass,rolling the pitch,watering it primarily. “We then mow the outfield. The different shades of green that you see in the outfield (around the wicket) is because of how we mow the grass. If we push the mower forward,the deep green part of the grass remains. If we drag it backward,the lighter green part comes out,” he says. “We also need to fertilise the field. Else,the grass that grows,turns reddish in colour. It has to look green. What do you think of this?” he asks smiling,pointing at the vast green field behind him.

He remembers when he first came here. “I didn’t pass my matriculation exams and was sent off to Kolkata to find work. That’s how I ended up in the Eden Gardens,and decided to never leave. Good thing I failed,” he says. He doesn’t even regret foregoing a job in the Indian Army that came his way,after he started working here. “Had I taken up that job,I would have been blissfully retired by now,” says Sahoo,who hails from Judgepur in Orissa. “I love sports especially cricket. When we make a good pitch,the cricketers congratulate us. I have pictures of me with Vivian Richards,former English skipper Mike Brearley,Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin among others. Azhar had actually called me after a match and gave me a handsome tip for the good work I did. Kapil Dev knows me well. When he comes down to the grounds even now,he calls me to the office,hugs me,asks me how I have been and asks me if I need anything. Such is the charm of the game,” he smiles broadly,now definitely at ease with the conversation.

By the time the next World Cup arrives,Sahoo would have retired. No wonder,he is sorely disappointed at the India-England match being shifted to Bangalore. “It’s not easy to get over this place. I remember,as we sat inside our quarters under the galleries,how people had started pelting stones,bottles etc during the 1996 World Cup semi final with Sri Lanka. After the police threw the crowd out,we were asked to clean the ground very fast. As we started picking up things,I remember a couple of Indian cricketers picking up stuff and handing them over to us. How sad they were,” says Sahoo.

Sources say,that a jittery Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB),prior to the February 7 final visit of the ICC officials,had asked the groundsmen to clear out their quarters as part of their beautification attempts. Sahoo and his companions were almost left without home,when CAB joint secretary Bishwarup Dey stepped in and made a temporary lodging arrangement for them. Sahoo doesn’t feel belittled. “The last time the babus came to check the pitch they praised our job. They said this was the best pitch that this World Cup would see. Said ‘good job’ and shook my hands. Also said,this ground was heavenly. What else do I want,” he asks softly. His face says,not much.