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For years, this writer kept hearing about Mohinder Amarnath’s yet-to-be-released-autobiography. So, when news filtered through last week of his memoirs being finally published, it was unsurprising yet surprising. Mohinder, Jimmy or Jumbo to friends, is all set to release Fearless – A Memoir, written in collaboration with his brother Rajender. Sunday mid-day got elder Mohinder and youngest Rajender (nicknamed Johnny) to talk about their new book, published by Harper Collins.
Edited excerpts from an interview:
What took you so long to come up with your autobiography?
Mohinder Amarnath: I always believe there is a time for things to happen. I did try to work with various people, but somehow it didn’t happen. I’m lucky in a way that I got Rajinder to help me. It has come at the right time, the publisher also came at the right time. I’m also like thankful to Harper Collins — Udayan Mitra and his team. We worked together like a unit. It’s like a team game basically. When everybody puts in an effort, the end result is always good.
Mohinder Amarnarth playing his favourite hook shot during his unbeaten 116 against Sri Lanka at Kandy in 1985. Pic/mid-day archives
Do you remember when Jimmy first asked you to be his collaborator for the book? Did you feel like the chosen one?
Rajender Amarnath: Well, I had been telling him for almost two decades [to do his book] because I didn’t want the same thing to happen what happened to my dad. We used to tell him to write his autobiography and he said okay, but it just didn’t materialise. So I wrote that [book on Lala Amarnath, published in 2004]. When Jimmy asked me finally about two-and-a-half to three years back whether I would be interested, I didn’t sleep that night. I was writing another book. Jimmy saw me involved in that book and asked me, “What about my book?” I said, “What about your book?” He asked, “Can you do it?” And I said, “Why not”. I had done my father’s book and my brother’s would be another feather in my cap. About feeling like the chosen one, maybe you can use that word, but I felt I had a duty. I had a duty towards my father as a son and now I felt I had a duty as a brother to bring out what people don`t know about Jimmy.
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In the highs and lows of your cricketing career, did you share a lot of your feelings with Rajender which eventually helped in the book?
Mohinder: Yeah, we used to discuss things. He was following my career. He was living in Delhi. I was playing for Delhi in those days and I was always there during the season. So we used to share our emotions and, being a cricketer too, he understood. He went through things in his first-class career and that made it easier to understand. So this [book] happened at the right time. I’ve always believed God always does what is best. Rajender did dad’s book wonderfully. It’s a great biography of dad. I think he knew how to go about it and what to write, how to put things together. I’m glad that you went through it and liked it.
Mohinder Amarnath at Cricket Centre, Wankhede Stadium when he was a national selector in August 2012. Pic/mid-day archives
Did you have to do a lot of research? Was there a scrapbook at home which you referred to often?
Rajender: To be honest, I didn’t have to go to any library like I had to do with my dad’s book. Jimmy had everything written down, although it was a total mess, if I can use that word… Jimmy had been writing these notes over a period of time so that really came in handy.
The only problem I faced was there were many repetitions. He had written one note and there were quite a few things brought into the second note so only thing was, it had to be streamlined. Beyond streamlining, I have done nothing. Everything was done by Jimmy. I simply put it in a form where people can enjoy it. It’s a book which brings out the emotion which Jimmy wanted to bring out. Not many people know what Jimmy actually is. He`s a quiet person; doesn`t speak much.
And if this book had not been written, people would not have known what Jimmy was. As a child, he was short-tempered.
Which aspects of your life did you find most challenging to open up on?
Mohinder: I’ve never believed in speaking out unless I’m provoked. Right through my career, I could see people with very little talent representing India; getting a lot of chances. Whereas for me, the rules were totally different. Probably, it was something to do with the Amarnath name or my face. I believe that best thing was to perform and prove to people rather than talking big, shouting, screaming and saying things to others.
I never used to speak out and bother about things to be very honest. Right from my childhood, I used to live for the day. That was my mindset. I would never dream of too many things in life. I would just want to give my best on that day.
But it’s not all that easy to keep quiet do that when you are suffering deep inside…
Mohinder: It hurts. Of course, it hurts. You are human. You would have tears in your eyes at times, but you don’t show that to people.
Even on the field, if you get hit, you don`t show your emotions although it’s not very comfortable.
When you smile, I think people wonder whether you are affected. It`s not that it doesn`t affect you but you don`t want to show to the world that it`s affecting you.
Did your eyes well up when Jimmy opened up on certain aspects?
Rajender: I had spoken to Jimmy a number of times during his playing days and as a brother, you don’t realise your brother’s outside [world]. I was amazed I didn’t know so many things about Jimmy until he spoke to me about them for the book. I think he discussed more with Papaji than with anybody else because he could get out of a situation from the advice which Papaji would give him.
If he was going through a bad patch, he talked to Papaji. When he was on high, he still talked to Papaji. He was playing in India, he talked to Papaji. When he was abroad, he talked to Papaji. So for him, the world revolved around Papaji.
The 1988 Bangalore press conference, where you called the selectors a bunch of jokers is so vividly described. Did you have all that in your memory bank?
Mohinder: I remember 99 per cent of each and every thing in my life. And of course, I used to keep notes — not lengthy jottings in my diary, but a few points.
Having a chapter on Jimmy calling the selectors a bunch of jokers was a no-brainer for you?
Rajender: Well, it is part of Jimmy’s life. I think the book would have been incomplete without and I put the part of Papaji saying to PTI journalist Rao [Jagannadha], “why limit the label to selectors? The entire BCCI is a pack of jokers.” I was there when this was said.
People have to know about it. You had to go back into history, see the background why a player, who was going through good form, suddenly gets dropped for no rhyme or reason. And then, a statement comes from the [BCC] secretary that he`s been dropped on cricketing grounds, which was rather unfair. Dad had taken the BCCI. He split the Board into two. He was banned in 1949 and [later] was allowed to play for India. This chapter [Bunch of jokers] had to come in.
Some of your former teammates were selectors then. Did you feel comfortable with that?
Mohinder: It had nothing to do with my teammates. They were selectors. They were not my friends at that time. They were doing a job.
When I was playing against my brother, I was playing against a player, not my brother. It was the mindset I had; trained to us by our dad.
It was not like I had any ill feeling about anybody. I thought they [then selectors] didn`t do the right thing. I could see others were getting more opportunities.
They were failing in a number of innings. But for my case, just one off-season, one bad match…
It was like a sword hanging over your neck all the time. But it didn`t bother me, actually. Once I’d step onto the field, I would forget everything.
In the book, you elaborate on fitness. You also indicate that some of your teammates did not concentrate too much on fitness…
Mohinder: I think it (fitness) helps. When you are young, you can get away with a lot of things. But after a certain age it helps if you are physically fit. It makes you stronger. In cricket, there comes a time when fatigue sets in. If you are physically strong, then it [fatigue] won’t come that quickly. When you are a little bit tired, your legs won’t move well, they get heavy.
But some people are natural. Sunil [Gavaskar] for example. He was not a great fan of fitness, but his fitness pattern was different, which suited him. He wouldn’t run 10 rounds. He’d probably climb the Cricket Club of India steps 20 times which would make his legs a bit more stronger than the rest.
Everybody has a different way of doing fitness, but I think as a unit, you have to do things together.
The book has this bit about Jimmy training all alone at a Yorkshire football ground when he stayed behind to be with his family after the 1986 tour of England.
Were you inspired by things like that?
Rajender: Papaji used to wake us up at around five in the morning. Fitness became part of our daily routine. We heard stories of his regimental training schedule from my mom and from the servants who were there when my dad was playing cricket. Papa always professed that no matter whether you are playing or not, training should become part and parcel of life.
You have not written anything about your post-playing career — being a candidate for the coach’s job when Greg Chappell got it in 2005, being a selector when there was a controversy over Dhoni being retained as captain after the 2011-12 Test debacles. Have you kept all that for another book?
Mohinder: Yes, I have. (laughs). This is Rajendra’s suggestion. The book is about the 20 years I represented the country, my childhood, my first-class and other tours. It would then been too big a book. We wanted to include a lot more but we thought let’s keep something for the next one.
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Do you feel the same?
Rajender: Absolutely. The post-playing days is another part of Jimmy and that could probably give an insight into how BCCI functions. The next one will be probably more explosive than this book.
You have been candid without being disrespectful to people. It also provides a lot of inspiration to youngsters. If youngsters read this they can get a lot of inspiration. How much thought did you give to this aspect?
Mohinder: It’s a simple. I was inspired by my dad. I wanted to emulate my dad because I heard so many stories from yesteryear cricketers like Chandu Borde and others. I never watched him play international cricket.
I did watch him play some first-class matches and some charity games. I was too young, but I could see that even in his 60s, he was such a fantastic player.
Even without practice for years, he would just go and bat as if he was playing regular cricket. I wanted to emulate him in some way or the other. I knew I was not as talented as him, as good a player as him. But if I could do a little bit to pay respect to him… that`s the way I looked at it.
Rajender, what do you think young cricketers can soak in through this book?
Rajender: I think there are plenty of things they can take from this book especially if you are struggling. I am talking about cricketers at the top level. At the Test level, the scope is very limited. You have just got 14 players and the competition is limited to that. And being at the top of a pyramid, the only way you can come down is just lie down.
And then going up becomes very difficult for you. So here, the cricketers can [learn] how to get back on the road, how to get out of that situation.
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