MEMORIES OF THIS GREAT ENCOUNTER
It is time for another
Royal-Thomian. So aren't you getting geared up for great fun? I
have been having sleepless nights thinking about my old school
mates whom I haven't seen during the past year. The Royal-Thomian
is a breath of fresh air. This traditional encounter celebrates
her 129th birthday this year. She sure is the mother
of all sporting events that have a mix of rivalry,
competitiveness, skill levels and most importantly camaraderie
and tradition. In the cricketing arena, the Ashes Series between
England and Australia carries a big tag, or for that matter the
Boxing Day test at the MCG.The 'Roy-Tho' as it is tagged in
modern day terminology, is second to none in a world series. .
Cricket is a great
leveler and so is the Royal -Thomian.The players in the centre
give it their all, while parents, old boys and numerous fans
both here in Sri Lanka and overseas follow the game and enjoy
this God-given encounter that brings the young, the old, and
even the feeble and the sick, to one big stage.
How I wish God would
turn the clock back and I could sit in the boys tent cheering my
alma mater, or for that matter shout 'Royal Parripu'.My memories
go back when my class mates and I hired an old truck, decorated
the interior and the exterior with the 'Blue, Black and Blue'
flag, harmonized the college song and sang some old folk songs
to words that cannot be made public. We drove around the city of
Colombo, while bystanders and cops looked at us absolutely
amazed.
During this 'joy ride'
we got to our parents' home, visited our uncles, aunts, and even
distant relatives whom we don't say hello to for years, and got
a hat collection for our 'ThosaiT^eed' at the Greenlands hotel.
The 'Cycle Parade' that started from the Small Clubs was always
fascinating. The Parade was so well organized and orderly, I
reckon this could have been included at an Olympic venue as a
special event for the opening ceremony.
Now back to our joy
ride; a visit to a girls' school is part and parcel of the fun.
Then while the singsong is in progress, the radio in the vehicle
is turned to full volume and we hear the famous Berty Wijesinha
and Lucian de Zoysa describing how the bat meets the ball, to
perfection. Berty and Lucian were the Brian Johnston and
Christopher Martin Jenkins of Sri Lanka.
Both institutions have
had great cricketers who could have represented the country
while playing at school level. These were the standards of
yesteryear. The pre-test era gave us an opportunity to emulate
some fascinating players who went on to represent our country
while some others with great skill levels left the game to
pursue a career. How I wish those standards came back. The
present day generation has the luxury of having extra protective
gear to face the red cherry, however during my time my mother
had to ferment me for all the bruises that I got facing the
quickies.
Finally, have great
fun, maintain the great traditions, enjoy the pre match
get-togethers, the stag nights, the post match discussions and
during the game ensure you eyeball the fashionable ladies who
come to watch the 'RoyTho' in their attractive attire.
If your wives complain
that you are having too much fun, just tell them Christmas comes
once a year; so does the 'RoyTho'.
Sasi Ganeshan
Editors' note: Mr.
Sasi Ganeshan was the Head Prefect of College and the Cricket
captain. Presently he is the Chairman of Singapore Airlines.
