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`He is a good human being'

Rahul Dravid's parents, Sharad and Pushpa, discuss their reticent but affectionate son in the afterglow of the Caribbean conquest. And yes, India's captain does have a life outside of cricket but the game will always take the pride of place

Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

PROUD PARENTS Sharad and Pushpa Dravid say Rahul is a team player and never seeks personal glory

Paintings on the walls, mementoes glittering in the showcase and furniture that exudes an old-world charm. The setting was perfect and at Shristi in Indiranagar, Sharad Dravid and Pushpa Dravid mixed a touch of pride with loads of nostalgia while discussing their son Rahul Dravid, the Indian cricket team captain. The Take Two ranged from Dravid's boyhood evenings at the "yellow house" to his progress both as a cricketer and as an individual.

K.C. VIJAYA KUMAR joins the couple as they stroll down memory lane.

Excerpts:

Yellow House and those good old days!

Sharad Dravid: Rahul and his friends always used to play at this yellow house on 12th Main Road. It was a dilapidated house with a ground next to it where the boys used to play.

Pushpa Dravid: There was this big compound and in the corner there was this small house with broken windows and the colour of the house was obviously yellow. The owner was somewhere in Dubai. After school, the boys used to get together there to play and also participate in functions like flag hoisting on August15 and January 26. They also used to do a few things for charity, like collecting papers, selling them and then distributing the money to the poor.

Sharad Dravid: (Apparently) Rahul and Vijay (Rahul's brother) used to discuss politics there. As a matter of fact, we never discuss politics at home. When Rahul eventually started playing for the country, his friends used to pull his leg saying, "Remember when I got you out at the yellow house?"

Pushpa Dravid: That "yellow house group" are now engineers, lawyers, designers: all of them have done well and they still maintain a close rapport. Even now when Rahul is here and some of the others of that group are present, they go out in the night for coffee or ice-cream. Of course, later that house was demolished and a new building came in its place.

Nervous debutant at Lords to Captain Triumphant' in the Caribbean...

Sharad Dravid: The year 1996 was our most happiest. It was a dream come true as my son was playing Test cricket for the country. It would have been nice if he had scored a century. I don't remember much about that phase when he was dropped from the one-dayers. He also didn't have a choice. Once you are dropped, you have to come back. And he did that. Now as captain, he has done extremely well. He deserved the post and has delivered the goods.

Pushpa Dravid: As a cricketer he has been fantastic, but outside of the game, he is also a good human being and does a lot of work silently for charity.

Sharad Dravid: He is never involved in any controversy. He is always for the team and not after personal glory. He likes to be remembered as a good batsman who did well for the country.

Pushpa Dravid: He enjoys his son's (Samit Dravid) company. He has not changed as a person, whether as a cricketer or as a married man. He is still the same.

Ahem, any superstitions while the son bats?

Sharad Dravid: I do pray a bit when he is batting. Maybe call to Lord Ganesha when it is a tight situation.

Pushpa Dravid: From the beginning, I never watch the full match but he (nodding towards her husband) watches each and every ball. If I hear some extra noise from the television, then I peep out of the kitchen and ask, "What happened?"

Sharad Dravid: I record all his batting. Earlier he used to ask me for the recordings; now he gets all that from the support staff.

The man behind the cricketer's mask

Pushpa Dravid: He is a caring boy and even if he is away, he is always thinking about us. He is not a person who shows his emotions.

Sharad Dravid: He is least bit excitable. Sometimes he scores a double century and you call up and say, "Rahul you have done great," he just says, "Oh yes, baba, okay."

Pushpa Dravid: His reading habit is from the father. He was very particular even as a child to read books from which he will gain something.

Sharad Dravid: He has got a very good reading habit, which he cultivated right from his St. Joseph's days. He loves reading biographies and goes by good authors. He is tremendously interested in wildlife also and if he has got music around him, he is happy.

The road ahead

Sharad Dravid: I think he will definitely write a book.

Pushpa Dravid: He is pursuing an MBA with Bangalore University. He has done the first year and for the second year the viva is over, but he has do his theory papers. He might still do an MBA abroad.

Sharad Dravid: I see his whole life connected with cricket. He will do his part for charity like raising funds but after he finishes his actual playing days, he should be doing commentary and some writing. His language is good but cricket will be the main thing in his life.

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