 Book cover, first edition | |
| Author | Ramachandra Guha |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Macmillan Publishers |
Publication date | 2002 |
| ISBN | 978-0330491167 |
A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport is a 2002 book by Indian historian Ramachandra Guha that offers a historical account of cricket in the Indian subcontinent. [1] Some critics have called it one of the finest books on cricket. [2] [3]
The book was initially conceived as a biography of left-arm spinner Palwankar Baloo. Baloo was a Dalit, a community that has historically been subjected to untouchability under the Indian caste system. His cricketing feats, however, enabled him to overcome contemporary Indian social barriers associated with being a Dalit. [4] As Guha explored Baloo's story further, the book expanded to become a social history of cricket in India. [5] On the subject of the book, Guha has written, "The making of modern India is its theme, with cricket serving merely as a vehicle, as my chief source of illustrative example." [4]
An early edition cover featured a picture of author R.K. Narayan playing cricket with his nephews and niece. [6] [7]
The book won the 2002 Book of the Year Award from The Cricket Society and MCC. [8]
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Laxman was an Indian cartoonist, illustrator, and humorist. He is best known for his creation The Common Man and for his daily cartoon strip, You Said It in The Times of India, which started in 1951.
Palwankar Baloo was an Indian cricketer and political activist. In 1896, he was selected by Parmanandas Jivandas Hindu Gymkhana and played in the Bombay Quadrangular tournaments. He was employed by the Bombay Berar and Central Indian Railways, and also played for the latter's corporate cricket team. He played in the all-Indian team led by the Maharaja of Patiala during their tour of England in 1911 where Baloo's outstanding performance was praised.
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Ramachandra "Ram" Guha is an Indian historian, environmentalist, writer and public intellectual whose research interests include social, political, contemporary, environmental and cricket history, and the field of economics. He is an important authority on the history of modern India.
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Sujit Mukherjee was an Indian writer, translator, literary critic, publisher, teacher and cricketer.
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Chambhar is caste from Indian state of Maharashtra, and Northern Karnataka. Their traditional occupation was leather work. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. Castes with similar traditional occupation are found throughout the Indian subcontinent such as Chamar in Northern india, and Mochi in Gujarat.
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I photographed him at work, with members of his family, listening to his daughter - Hema playing on the veena and more important - playing cricket with his nephews Thumbi and Nokki and niece Shanta.
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