2006: Final farewells
Polly Umrigar: Gentle Legend's innings comes to an End
Polly Umrigar was a heroic cricket figure from the late forties to the early sixties, almost always shining in a losing cause.
When he retired, he held the most important records for India: most Tests, most runs, most hundreds. His records stood from 1962 to 1978, when they were broken by Sunil Gavaskar.
A burly six-footer, Umrigar was a commanding figure at the crease, whether batting, bowling, directing operations as captain or standing in his usual position at first slip. He excelled in full-blooded drives, but could also hook and pull powerfully.
As a bowler, he was an accurate off-spinner and could even open the bowling, sending down out-swingers. He was also a brilliant and versatile fielder.
Whether as batsman, bowler or captain, he helped shape the few Indian triumphs of his time. For 30 years, he held the record of the highest score by an Indian on tour -- 252 not out against Cambridge University in 1959.
As a bowler, his finest hour was when he took four for 27 to help India defeat mighty Australia at Kanpur in 1959.
A shrewd captain, he led India in eight Tests, winning two and losing two before giving up the captaincy at Madras, against the West Indies in 1959 following a misunderstanding with the selectors.
He is only one of two Indian cricketers (Vinoo Mankad being the other) to score a century and take five wickets in an innings -- a feat he achieved against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 1962. Umrigar was also the first Indian to hit a Test double century.
After retirement, he continued to serve Indian cricket as chairman of the selection committee, tour manager and BCCI executive secretary.
He was born on March 28, 1926 at Solapur in Maharashtra as Pahlan Ratanji Umrigar and made his first class debut in 1944. His Test debut came four years later, against the West Indies at Mumbai, and his 59th and last Test was also against the West Indies, at Kingston in 1962. He retired from first class cricket a year later.
He played 59 Tests, scoring 3631 runs, with a best of 223 and inclusive of 12 centuries at an average of 42.22; he claimed 35 wickets, and had best bowling figures of six for 74 at an average of 42.08.
2006: Final farewells
Hanumant Singh: A prince & A Player
Hanumant Singh, nephew of the great K S Ranjitsinhji, scored a century on Test debut against England in 1963-64 but only played 13 more Tests, registering five fifties while missing a century against a touring Australia by six runs in the following season.
Compact and correct, the 'Prince of Banswara' was prolific in domestic cricket, amassing 12,338 runs at 43.90 with 29 centuries in a first-class career that spanned over 20 years.
Hanumant was a respected ICC match referee, officiating in nine Tests and 54 one-dayers between 1995 and 2002.
He has also served as selector and coached at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore where he had a hand in the development of several of the current Indian cricketers.
Singh should have represented the country in more matches than he did, said his India colleagues.
"Hanumant was one of the finest batsmen I have played with or against. He had all the strokes. He was a perfect team man. I wish he had played more Test cricket. He was the major thorn for us against Rajasthan and Central Zone. We knew if we could get him the rest will follow," said former India captain Ajit Wadekar.
2006: Final farewells
Padmini: Southern Wonder
The legendary actress Padmini was part of the famed Travancore Sisters -- Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini.
Padmini acted in more than 250 Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films since 1949.
Born in Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on June 12, 1932, Padmini made her debut in the Hindi film
Kalpana. Her first Tamil film was
Manamagal (1950) made by the legendary N S Krishnan.
Padmini paired with the late Sivaji Ganesan and M G Ramachandran in many films. She also starred with Raj Kapoor in
Jis Des Mein Ganga Behti Hai,
Aashiq and
Mera Naam Joker.
If Gemini Ganesan-Savitiri and MGR-Saroja Devi were formidable pairs in 1950s and 1960s, the Sivaji-Padmini combination was lethal in films like
Utthamaputthiran and
Thillana Moganambal. Movie watchers still remember her powerful dialogue delivery in
Theiva Piravi. Padmini also gave stupendous performances in MGR films like
Mannaadhi Mannan,
Rani Samyukta and
Madurai Veeran.
Padmini was showered with accolades for her performance in the Hindi film
Chanda Aur Bijli with the late Sanjeev Kumar.
Nicknamed Naatiyapperoli (a great light of dance), she would completely involve herself in the characters she enacted -- whether she played a dancer in
Thillana Moganambal or a middle class woman in
Vietnam Veedu.
Her early Malayalam hits were
Snehaseema,
Umminithanga,
Adhyapika,
Vivahitha and
Kumara Sambhavam. She ended her film career after her marriage to Dr K T Ramachandran, and left for the US, where she started the popular Padmini School of Fine Arts in New Jersey.
But she made a comeback after marriage with Malayalam films
Nokkethahtadoortahtu Kannumnattu and
Vashthuhara, which made her immensely popular among a new generation of film buffs.
A disciple of eminent choreographer Guru Gopinanth, Padmini hailed from an illustrious family of artistes. Besides her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, her cousins Sukumari and Ambika were also popular in the South Indian film world.
2006: Final farewells
Steve Irwin: The Croc Hunter
Steve Irwin, the popular television presenter better known as the 'Crocodile Hunter', died the way he lived -- on the wild side.
The 44-year-old was filming an underwater documentary when he was killed by a stingray barb. An exuberant and fearless showman, he popularised Australian phrases around the world, and will be remembered for his use of the word 'Crikey!'
Also aiding his global following were his pro-conservation, environmentalist approach and his encyclopaedic knowledge and love of crocodiles.
However, he had his critics too. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals slammed him, saying it's 'no shock at all' that Irwin died the way he did. It also branded Irwin a 'cheap reality TV star.'
'He made his career out of antagonising frightened wild animals. That's a very dangerous message to send to children," a PETA spokesperson said.