Vasant Mohite, a 57-year-old groundskeeper at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, used to wonder what it was like to stay at one of the luxury hotels along the seaside promenade everytime he crossed Marine Drive. It was a fantasy he couldn’t afford.
But that desire has come true this IPL season, with Cadbury, the candy manufacturer, agreeing to give five-star accommodations to thank the unsung ground crew. They’ve also been given Masaba-designed clothes, meals, and a bus to transport them from the hotel to the ground and back.
“It’s a miracle,” Vasant says.
Vasant Mohite considers himself lucky to have had the opportunity to observe several renowned players up close.
He claims he heard rumours about them being put up in a five-star hotel before the season started, but he didn’t believe it. “Then one day, the MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) informed us that Cadbury would be responsible for our lodging” (for the season). They would provide us with clothing and food for the next two months of the IPL,” Vasant recalls, reclining on a cushion with a view of the Arabian Sea lapping Marine Drive.
He recalls how different, and often tough, things were in the past. They couldn’t go home since the matches were frequently late, and their shifts were considerably later. As a result, they’d spend the night in a cramped room beneath the Vittal Divecha Stand at the stadium, where mosquitos made sleeping impossible. “Machhar kaat ke deemag kharab kar deta hai,” says the narrator (mosquitoes would drive us mad). We couldn’t get any place after the game since the train lines were closed. As a result, we’d sleep at our ground-floor workplace. We get to the stadium by 9 a.m. and leave by 6 p.m. if there is no game. On match days, though, we arrive early, and the MCA doubles our compensation if we work late.
But in his new room, he has a fresh set of worries. He claims it was tough to find the lamp switch. So much so that he doesn’t even turn on the lights. He enjoys a decent night’s sleep, although he complains that the mattress is a touch too soft.
“It’s different now walking to the dressing room. We have our own transport that takes us to our destination. We’re at a loss for words… “All we can say is thank you,” adds Nitin Mohite, another groundskeeper.
That is frequently all they receive from the players as well. A sincere “thank you.” But that’s all they’re looking for.
Vasant recounts how two years ago, former cricketer Mohammed Kaif stepped in and hugged him. He informed his fellow analysts, “Under-19 se yehi hum logon ke seva karte tha (he has been supporting us from the U-19 days),” Kaif adds. Vasant was ecstatic.
The younger generation, on the other hand, lacks the same warmth and appears to be lost in their own world, according to Vasant, who has worked as a match-day dressing-room attendant since the 1990s, serving players and support personnel and giving towels, soaps, and ice.
He claims to have had the good fortune of being able to observe some renowned players up close. His service spans decades, from Sunil Gavaskar to Prithvi Shaw. He’s witnessed Sachin Tendulkar’s rise, as well as Vinod Kambli’s rise and decline.
He has a soft spot for Mumbai players, to say the least. “They’ve been fantastic for me.” They come up to me and inquire about my haal-chaal (well being). They used to make sure I was never uncomfortable in the changing room: Kambli, Tendulkar, and Ajit Agarkar. I witnessed Amol Muzumdar’s dedication to his sport. “Whenever he got out, he’d become irritated the most,” he adds.
Vasant, on the other hand, discreetly walks to another room when he notices someone is disappointed. “Players want space; I have witnessed players being furious and joyful.” I saw Tendulkar weeping as he walked back. I couldn’t stop myself when he went out and touched the pitch at the end of his retiring game.
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