Lance Neita | Ode to the country that gave Tendulkar to Jamaica and to the world

It was some three years ago plus that we watched public health nurse Marcia Thomas-Yetman step up to receive the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Jamaica.

This was a pivotal moment when Jamaica, confused and scared by the invisible threat of a global pandemic, saw a chance for reprieve from the stranglehold of a virtual confinement without end as we fought back to take control of our lives.

Confluent with that event was the news that Jamaica had received our first shipment of 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the government of India.

We tend to forget those missing years when we endured home-alone, overcrowded hospitals, once-per-week supermarket shopping, three-day work weeks, and restaurants, clubs, and bars on shortened hours or all locked down.

Plus, the valiant efforts of Health Minister Christopher Tufton, Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-Mckenzie, and the entire health sector maintaining calmness and reassurance for the nation through those days of anxiety.

It was in moments like this that we needed friends, and India, with repeated vaccine and medical equipment shipments, was one of those countries that came forward to fill that space.

India and Jamaica have traditionally enjoyed cordial and friendly relations based on common linkages of history, parliamentary democracy, membership of the Commonwealth, as well as love of cricket. We continue to cooperate in several areas, including education and training, health, science and technology, business, and infrastructure development.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ visit to India is not to be downplayed under the shadow of politics and his Integrity Commission sparring. This visit is expected to bolster bilateral relations, enhance economic cooperation, and solidify the long-standing bonds between Jamaica and India.

From all reports, the PM, and, by extension, Jamaica, got a warm welcome from PM Narendra Modi and officials. The red carpet was laid out for the Jamaican delegation that included Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith and the PM’s ace card, renowned cricketer Chris Gayle.

Gayle is one of sport’s biggest ambassadors to India from Jamaica and is one of the most widely followed and loved international cricketers in India.

NO STRANGERS

We are no strangers. The first group of Indians were brought into Jamaica from as far back as 1845 to make up for the shortage of labour on the sugar estates.

Their contracts allowed for repatriation after a scheduled time. Some returned to India, but many stayed in Jamaica and integrated into the society and founded families that have served well and at the highest levels of business, government, culture, education, health, science, and technology.

So the vaccine is certainly not the first gift from India to land on Jamaican soil.

Inter-racial marriages between Indian and African have produced some of the most beautiful girls on the planet, with our Miss Jamaica and international beauty contests distinguished by a touch of the Indian features that have captured the attention of world audiences.

The majority of those early arrivals settled in the sugar estate regions across Jamaica, particularly in St Catherine, St Thomas, Clarendon, Westmoreland, and St Mary. They played a huge role in rural cricket with their wily spin bowlers dominating sugar estate and the Nethersole cricket competitions.

India also gave us the mango as well as the betel nut, jackfruit, tamarind, and coolie plum, among others. Now, I will indulge in any of the over 60 mango varieties that may come my way. Some names are familiar, some are not. Julie, Bombay, Turpentime, Fine Skin, Blackie, Robin, Nelson, Titi, Bellyful, Keith, Beefie, Sweetie come brush- me, Bastard, and Green Skin are among the most well-known.

When you get into Flat mango, Kidney, Green Guage, Cow Foot, and Graham, then you are getting into uncharted waters.

But wait for it! They have also given us, and the rest of the world, a man named Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.

BIGGEST CRICKET ICON

Tendulkar was the most complete batter of his time, the most prolific run-maker of all time, and is arguably the biggest cricket icon the game has ever known.

He is the highest run-scorer in internationals and the only player to have scored 100 international centuries. He is also the holder of the record for the most runs in both Test and One-Day International cricket and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket. He is affectionately known as Little Master or Master Blaster. And he was in Jamaica.

I saw Tendulkar in the fifth Test India vs West Indies at Sabina Park in May 2002. We won that Test, but Tendulkar’s appearance, even more than his performance (he made 86 in the 2nd innings), was like the fulfilment of a dream that everyone had been waiting for. If we could have wrapped him in swaddling clothes, we would have.

Just to see the Little Master walk out to bat was enough. He seemed to rise to meet the ball in the air while maintaining complete balance, command, and poise, each stroke picture perfect, with his straight drive eliciting the oohs and ahhs of an appreciative crowd that had come to get their fill from the Little Master’s cup.

It was a pity that he was not able to be present at the turning on of the lights at Sabina Park on Sunday, August 3, 2014. The lighting project was powered by a US$2.1 million grant from the Government of India. And the electronic scoreboard to come, again, a gift from India.

Here is breaking news: the Master Blaster is set to make his comeback to cricket with the launch of the International Masters League, whose first season is to be held this November in India. The tournament features six teams: India, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and naturally, the ‘ole time’ West Indies. It will set the stage for some old rivalries to rekindle as the stars of yesteryears come together to give us a glimpse of what great cricket was like.

Another gift to cricket from India, the country that gave Tendulkar to Jamaica and to the world.

Lance Neita is a public relations professional, author, and historian. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and lanceneita@hotmail.com.