Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Palwankar Baloo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Dharwad, Bombay Presidency, British India | 19 March 1876||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 4 July 1955 79) Bombay, Bombay State, India | (aged||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Bowler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relations | P Shivram (brother) P Ganpat (brother) P Vithal (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1905–1921 | Hindus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FC debut | 8 February 1906 Hindus v Europeans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last FC | 8 December 1920 Hindus v Parsees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,27 January 2009 |
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.
Palwankar Baloo was born in Dharwad,Bombay Presidency,British India on 19 March 1876 to a Chamar family. [1] [2] [3] Palwankar Baloo was an Indian cricketer. His family name comes from his native place 'Palwani' in Ratnagiri,Maharashtra. His father was a sepoy in the 112th Infantry Regiment of British Indian Army. Baloo played cricket with equipment left behind by officers stationed in Pune. [4]
Baloo had three brothers,Palwankar Shivram,Vithal Palwankar and Palwankar Ganpat,who also became first-class cricketers.
He started working as a groundsman maintaining the pitch for the Parsis in Pune and later at the British Poona Gymkhana where he occasionally bowled to J. G. Greig,an English batsman. He learned spin bowling.and because of Greig's influence he began to play for the Pune Hindu club.
In 1896,he moved to Bombay and was selected by Parmanandas Jivandas Hindu Gymkhana and played both Bombay Quadrangular tournaments. [5]
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. The tour was a failure,but Baloo's outstanding performance was well praised. [6] A left-handed spin bowler he took 114 wickets during the tour. He was known as the Rhodes of India. [7]
Throughout his career in cricket,Baloo was not perceived as equal due to his lower caste background. He faced much discrimination because of this. Whilst he played at Pune,during the tea interval at matches his tea was brought outside to him in a disposable cup. He could not drink it in the pavilion. His lunch was served at a separate table. If he wanted to wash his face a fellow so-called lower caste attendant would bring him water in a corner. Things seem to have improved when he moved to Bombay and afterward but he was denied the captaincy of the Hindu team in the Quadrangular Tournament. [8] [9] [10]
He is considered to be one of the greatest cricketers in Indian cricket history. [11]
He was greatly influenced by Gandhian ideology and worked to bring Home Rule to India.
In the 1910s,Palwankar Baloo met Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and became his close friend. They admired each other and worked to improve the oppressed communities. However,in 1932,Baloo opposed Dr. Ambedkar's demand for separate electorates for the depressed classes. Later,he also signed the "Rajah-Moonje Pact" in opposition. He described the conversion of oppressed communities to other religions as 'suicidal' when Ambedkar expressed his intention to convert to Buddhism. [12]
In 1933,Baloo unsuccessfully contested the Bombay Municipality constituency on Hindu Mahasabha ticket. Four years later he joined Congress and contested the Bombay Legislative Assembly elections against Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,but lost. [13]
He died in 1955. His funeral was attended by many national leaders as well as cricketers. [14]
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule was an Indian social activist,businessman,anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields,including eradication of untouchability and the caste system and for his efforts in educating women and oppressed caste people. He and his wife,Savitribai Phule,were pioneers of women's education in India. Phule started his first school for girls in 1848 in Pune at Tatyasaheb Bhide's residence or Bhidewada. He,along with his followers,formed the Satyashodhak Samaj to attain equal rights for people from lower castes. People from all religions and castes could become a part of this association which worked for the upliftment of the oppressed classes. Phule is regarded as an important figure in the social reform movement in Maharashtra.The honorific Mahātmā,was first applied to him in 1888 at a special program honoring him in Mumbai.
Colonel Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu was an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator who served as the first-ever captain of the Indian national cricket team. He is widely regarded as one of India's greatest cricketers. His first-class cricket career spanned over 47 years from 1916 to 1963,a world record. He was a right-handed batsman,an accurate medium pace bowler,and a fine fielder. His ability to hit long sixes sent crowds into frenzy and became a part of Indian cricket folklore. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1933. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan in 1956 —the first cricketer to be conferred the honour.
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The Europeans cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay Tournament and Lahore Tournament. The team was founded by members of the European community in Bombay who played cricket at the Bombay Gymkhana.
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Palwankar Ganpat was an Indian first-class cricketer. He was the brother of the notable cricketers Palwankar Baloo,Palwankar Shivram and Palwankar Vithal. Like his brothers,Ganpat played for several clubs including the Hindus team in the Bombay Quadrangular competition.
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