INTRODUCTION

Cricket became popular around the 17th century but came into existence sometime in the 13th
century. This game is often termed as a ‘Gentleman’s Game’ and the reason behind this is that
the British Aristocrats decided that the game should be played in a ‘Gentlemanly Manner’. This
meant that the sport should be played in its ‘Right Spirit’. Thus, the game of cricket will remain
a gentleman’s game only if it is played in manner, which upholds the ‘spirit of the game’. This
is a major reason what makes cricket so unique from other sports. The players not only have to
abide by the ‘laws of the game’ but at the same time have to play the sport in a manner that
keeps the ‘spirit of the game’ intact. I agree that all sports require to be played with upholding
the spirit of the game but the beauty about the ‘spirit of the game’ in cricket is that the ‘Right
Spirit’ is at such a high pedestal that it is given immense of importance equal to laws laid
down to uphold the integrity of the game. In cricket the pedestal of spirit is at a position where
if the sport is not played in the ‘spirit of the game’ then it is not considered as a game of
cricket. Therefore, the spirit of the game is at an equal footing if not higher than the laws of the
game.

The Two major themes I am going to focus in this paper are:

1. How the British used cricket as an instrument to resist the colonial oppression.

2. How cricket facilitated Indians to develop a cultural identity of their own.

ANALYSIS
The movie, Lagaan shows how cricket is used as a medium or instrument to resist colonial
oppression. A group of villagers come together to form a team in an attempt to trump their
oppressors at their very own sport because of the injustice done to them in the form of triple
taxation. The movie depicts how the villagers led by Bhuvan indigenize the game in more
ways than one to make the game suit them better in order to win against their oppressors. The
first instance of indigenization, which can be seen in movie, is when Bhuvan compares gilli-
danda to cricket and makes the people in his village understand that the game is identical.

Initially in the movie, I observed how every villager has issues with one another, which keeps
them divided. The people in the village are also from different castes and follow different
religions, which further divide them in their beliefs. It is only when Bhuvan takes up the
challenge to beat the British, an effort is made by him to bring all his fellow villagers together
in order to form a team that stand a chance to beat the Oppressors at their own game and
hence unite for a common objective. Bhuvan plays a crucial rule as in the process, he
indigenizes and gives cricket a very new Indian definition.
There were few scenes in the movie where Cricket gets further indigenized. The first instance
would be when the villagers start running around catching chickens in order to help improve
their fielding skills since they can better relate to catching chickens than the cricket ball.
Secondly, the attire (dhoti and kurta) of the villagers in comparison to the whites in which the
game is supposed to be played. The villagers also had their very own style of playing, a very
unorthodox form of cricket which took the oppressors by surprise. The laws of the game at the
time did not state much about such an action being illegal. The British who invented the sport
took a lot of pride in textbook stuff and the more formal approach of playing the game.

Lagaan, shows us how the game of cricket which would otherwise have not meant anything to
the villagers but a game played by the oppressors for their leisure and entertainment turned out
to be their medium to show resistance against the colonial oppression. It also showed us how
the game of cricket helped everyone set aside their personal differences to come together and
unite as one against the common oppression. The villagers channeled their emotions into the
game in order to trump their rulers. Thus, the cricket match became an arena for asserting
indigenous strength against the colonial state. Their sporting prowess helped them emphasize
that their ‘Indian’ identity was in no way inferior to the whites. The native mastery of a
colonial sport thus became a leveler between the colonizer and the colonized.

To discuss the second theme of the paper, we need to delve into the history of the game. The
first group of Indians to pick up bat and ball were the Parsees. The Parsee community was the
first to emulate the British as they thought this would help them develop a better bond with the
rulers. Looking at the Parsee community, other communities such as the Hindu and Muslim
communities started to pick up the sport as well. To see such division would have made the
rulers happy as it showed disunity among the Indian communities and we all know how well the
Ruler’s principle of ‘divide and rule’ had worked before. The game of cricket started getting
competitive with the formation of these clubs and communities.

At the time players were being encouraged to talk not about their origin or place or where they
came from or played for but to talk about India and the team that would represent India as
whole. To take pride in representing the nation and not being divided by religious hatred and
all other forms of Divide.

An important moment that helped India develop a cultural identity of its own is shown. The
movie showed characters such as Kachra and Baloo as low caste untouchables (achooth), his
selection in turn angered all other players as they did not want to be associated to the lower
caste. The latter was selected in an upper class Hindu community team to play against the
Europeans. Most of the players in team looked down upon his selection and refused to play
alongside him. Finally, when Baloo showcased his talent on the field, he was accepted into the
club. This symbolized a victory of meritocracy. After all, Baloo did go onto represent India,
leading the spin attack in the year 1911.

Kapil Dev’s era, where India were good only in spin bowling came a pacer who had it in him
to bowl bouncers and make the English batsman duck for cover. This was being witnessed for
the first time. An English batsman ducking to an Indian bowler was a symbolic act. For years it
was us who were always ducking and rolling on the ground for protection. Kapil Dev brought
with him this brand of aggression, which you could compare with the West Indies quick
bowlers. What I felt common between India and the West Indies at the time was that both
countries had been subjected to colonial oppression and both turned to cricket as a medium to
resist this oppression. The famous quartet took up the responsibility to talk with the ball on the
cricket field, then only on the field that they were on an equal footing with the British. They
believed that by bowling quick and getting the English batsman duck for protection and
eventually disrupting their stumps was making a bold statement in itself. The game of cricket
therefore provided them the platform to resist the oppression by the English.

CONCLUSION

According to me, the turning point for Cricket in India was the World Cup win at Lords under
the captaincy of Kapil Dev that signaled India’s emergence as a cricketing nation. India
realized that they were no more the underdogs. They started to play with the intent to win.
Thus, from the time we gained independence to the day we won the world cup was a transition
from being dominated to the ones dominating. Therefore, Cricket as a sport though invented
by the English, always felt like it had something about it which we Indians took a liking to, we
took the game and indigenized it to suit our needs and comfort. Today cricket in India is a
religion in itself. The passion and the emotion that we have for cricket is extraordinary. We
have indigenized it to a level that the makers of the game could never have imagined; village
cricket in the UK and village cricket in India are on two ends of the spectrum. Every time one
enters a gully in India, one sees a bunch of kids with a bat and ball in hand. India over the
years has made cricket its own sport, anyone who has no idea about cricket or the origins of
the game will think it to be a game invented by the Indians. Cricket as a sport has united India
in a way nothing else can, the great sport has definitely served as medium to resist the colonial
oppression by providing us the platform to see and know for sure that we are no less superior
to the English in talent or skill, the sport also acted as a leveler between the colonized and
colonizer. Cricket has helped us develop our own cultural identity by helping us to set aside our
communal differences and come together to form one big proud nation who loves the sport.
To conclude, Cricket has the unique ability to allow the players and nations to express
themselves in manners, which become associated with ideas and values such as Imperialism,
Equality, Heroism, Cowardice and most importantly Anti-colonialism.

Ayuushman Aroraa, 2015119