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Cricket-crazy canine

Meet a dog who is fascinated by cricket

BOWLED OVER! There are many who have fallen for Manju's charm

Is Manjunathan (aka Manju) just another mongrel or a departed cricketer who has made a `comeback'? Some of those who know Manju consider the latter more probable. Parthasarathy, curator at the M. A. Chidambaram (MAC) Stadium for 34 years, is convinced "some departed cricketer has got reincarnated as Manju". "None of us here sees Manju as a dog," says S. Vasthirautham, groundsman at Chepauk for 23 years.

Many years ago (some insist as many as 18), the mongrel, said to have a bit of Lab blood in him, made his debut at the MAC when a boy who sold peanuts in the stands brought him along. For some reason, the bright-eyed male pup severed all ties with the hawker and chose to make the stadium his home. In the years that followed, the dog made friends with cricketers from all corners of the world.

"He loves anyone who is dressed in white flannels and lingers around the nets when a practice session is on. He is over the moon with delight when a match is round the corner. The covers laid over the pitch are enough to tell him it is time for the scoreboard to get ticking. At night, he will lie next to the pitch and guard it. When the covers are removed in the morning, he will wildly wag his tail and lollop towards the players' room and wait expectantly for the cricketers to emerge," says Parthasarathy.

"Manju seems to possess an instinctive understanding of cricketing proprieties. He would walk around the pitch, never on it," says actor Premsai, who was on the cricket circuit ten years ago.

"Manju has endeared himself to many an international cricketer. Some of them ask for him when they come to the MAC."

"Muthiah Muralitharan fell for Manju's charm. The moment he sets foot on the ground for pre-match practice, he will look around for his pet dog. Once, commentators Ravi Shastri, Dean Jones and Michael Holding held up the mike to Manju and conducted a mock interview. Although everyone likes Manju, he has his favourites. He displayed a special liking for the Australian team led by Steve Waugh and the England squad headed by Naseer Hussain," says Vasthirautham.

Although Manju has a friendly wag for anyone who would care to greet him, he is not flippant in his relationships. He lays great store by long-term relationships and gives that extra affection to those who have his welfare in mind. "No one has understood Manju's language better than former cricketer Thiruvengala Doraiappan. He can commune with the dog like nobody else can. When he is around, Manju will not leave his side," says Devanath, chief marker and players room in-charge, who is working at the MAC for 40 years.

"Manju has an uncanny sense of time. Everyday, he would come to the TNCA Academy grounds at 5.45 a.m., which is 15 minutes earlier than when budding cricketers arrive for their nets," says C. S. Suresh Kumar, the academy's coach. "Manju has seen some of these boys grow up and seems to take an almost avuncular interest in them," says Parthasarathy.

Irreparable loss

Staying too close to the cricketers, Manju has received a few scars and suffered an irreparable loss. "He has been hit by the cricket ball many a time, but still loves to watch the game being played," says Vasthirautham. "He lost sight in the left eye when he was hit by a a cricket ball.. When the batsman learnt what he had unintentionally done to the dog, he was deeply shocked and pained," says Pathasarathy. Manju is not a dog that will harbour vengeful thoughts ("All these years, he has not as much as laid his nails on anyone"), definitely not against the men playing the willow game.

As Manju has everyone eating out of his forepaw, he is a well-fed dog.

Despite obesity, blindness and the effects of ageing, Manju is still going strong. The inevitable will happen, sooner or later. However, people at Chepauk believe Manju will surely make a `comeback', this time, as a cricketer.

PRINCE FREDERICK

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