0
As the national cricket team is all set to play its World Cup match against Zimbabwe, thousands of fans across the subcontinent will today rekindle the fond memories of the man who lent his voice to country's many a winning moment. It is a measure of respect and love the people have for Omar Kureishi that even six years after his death he remains the most quoted name in the gallery of cricket commentators. March 14 is a day to remember that “Voice of Asian Sport” -- a voice that truly became a signature -- and celebrate the legacy of “honest opinions with not a trace of malice or bitterness” and a treasure trove of words.
A man with many facets, Omar Kureishi played a remarkable innings as a broadcaster, writer and public relations executive. But what set him apart as a commentator and penman was a pleasing knack of expression, a style all his own. His role as a PR man entitled him to travel all over the world and meet the best minds. He also carved out his name as a political observer and adorned pages with his reflections and ruminations until last.
Having graduated from the University of Southern California in the early 1950s, he dabbled in journalism on his return home and made his mark early as an editor of “The Times of Karachi”, now a defunct English-language daily. Later, he served as the director of public affairs in PIA and joined Radio Pakistan in 1955 as a cricket commentator and won wide applause.
Of all the talents Omar Kureishi possessed in great measure, his command of the language over the airwaves and in print took him to the heights few among his contemporaries could attain. He rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jamsheed Marker, John Arlott, Neville Cardus…the list goes on.
He it was who gave Hanif Muhammad the title of “Little Master” and chose for the national flag carrier the slogan: “Great people to fly with”. It has survived the test of times.
A combination of matchless voice and richness of expression gave a new meaning to cricket and made the experience of listening to radio commentary enjoyable. A whole generation of Pakistanis can bear testimony to this fact as schoolchildren grew up hanging on to his words on and off the field.
He was one of those traditionalists who had a thorough schooling in the English language and broadcasting unlike the modern breed of commentators who are part of the profession because of their knowledge of the game more than microphone-training or by a stroke of luck. That's what made Omar Kureishi's expressions and words timeless; what he said many decades ago still holds appeal and charm.
Right from his school days he had developed a strong association with cricket, the game he played in his youth and that became his life-long passion. Cricket was one of many subjects he tried his pen at and “Swinging Drives” and “Gallery of Cricket Persons” were two of his widely-read columns. “What had been a passion became a love-affair and with all the ups and downs in my life cricket remained a constant,”
he wrote in one of his articles. “A visitor to the region will be dumb-struck by the sight of cricket being played, not only in the cities and towns but in remote, far-flung areas. Not just on cricket grounds but on the streets, on vacant plots even on rooftops…”
He was the one who hailed with glee the introduction of cricket in the subcontinent, the origins “that are inextricably linked to the Raj itself.” He captured the national fervour in his own inimitable style: “Cricket has become an industry while cricket players in the subcontinent vie with film stars for popularity. Purists like myself may lament the radical changes that have come in a game that one associated with leisure and a system of values that put a premium on gentlemanly conduct but that's the way the world has become.”
The association with cricket as a gentlemanly game was so embedded in his mind that he took to heart 'commercialisation' of the sport. He deplored: That's the way the world has become seems to be the operative part in the lament. “It is not children alone who play street cricket. Adults do so as well and it is a rather sad commentary on our society that our streets have become our nurseries for producing international cricketers and I can produce a distinguished list of alumni who have graduated from the streets. On its own, it is a harmless activity but it is heart-breaking to see so much enthusiasm and so much talent that must go waste.”
A sincere friend of cricket and admirer of talent, he was equally upset about apathy of the powers-that-be towards the national sport. In an article, “Rising from the dust”, he draws the most vivid picture of a lack of facilities available to youngsters. Writes Omar:
Besides contributing columns (Swinging Drives and All Over the Place being two weekly ones that appeared in Dawn for well over 25 years) and writing for leading foreign newspapers and journals, he authored many books.
His first book Black Moods, which was published in 1955, was not about cricket but the subjects chosen, in his words, were “depressing and poignant reminders that the idealism of Pakistan has been adulterated by callousness in attitude and laziness in approach.” He highlighted “neglect and indifference” as the nation's “calamitous disease”. The book, he said, was “an attempted documentary in frustration”.
It was in Once upon a Time and As Time Goes By (the latter one was the theme song of romantic movie – Casablanca) that he attained high watermark as a writer. His fascinating accounts of childhood, how it was like to grow up in those days, his sojourn to the USA and back home find true utterance in his works he described as “mosaic of memories”. He counted many cricketers, most notably the late Abdul Hafeez Kardar, as close friends. As a gesture of honour the media centre at Qadhafi Stadium was named after Omar Kureishi.
His brother Satto Kureishi, who lived near Karachi airport in a house called Air Cottage, used to hold regular weekly get-togethers. “Friday evenings at Air Cottage” became a byword in Karachi's intellectual and avant-garde circles and Omar Kureishi was an integral part of the set. “Friday Night, in spirit, was like the Speaker's Corner of Hyde Park, a sanctuary of free speech,”
he would say. “The Pakistan government awarded me the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, a high civil honour but the citation made it perfectly clear that it was cricket-commentary specific. To hell with whatever else I may have achieved, it is to cricket that I owe my celebrity.”
He was (belatedly) awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz in recognition of his service to cricket. “When Sir Edmund Hillary was asked why he had scaled Mount Everest, he replied, 'because it was there.' Cricket has been there all my life.”
Not to forget his memorable words:
Columnist Saad Shafqat wrote: “He was from on older and purer time, and he had exacting standards for everything, most of all for commentary. He could do with words what Wasim Akram could do with a ball. With his words, cricket became not merely a sport but an aesthetic celebration. By any standards, Omar Kureishi lived and died a hero, and will forever be remembered as one.” “There has never been another Bradman. I doubt if the cricket world will see another Wasim Akram,”
The analogy reminds one of his golden words in a tribute to Wasim Akram. he said. May I add the cricket world has not seen many Carduses and Arlotts and I doubt our own Omar Kureishi will have any replacement behind the microphone. I salute him.
