Indians pay homage to the Mahatma

Indeed, the plaque unveiling ceremony seemed more like an effort by the locals to get easy access to the Indian stars.

Sandwiched as it was between a hectic session at the nets and a trip to a development project clinic at a local academy, the event saw the Indians turn up in in their muddy kit, exhausted and apparently unimpressed by the occasion. Clearly uppermost in their minds was the desire to focus on cricket first.

As one team member said, off the record, such issues are touchy, such occasions difficult to avoid. ‘‘Had we said no, there would have been a huge backlash. We are getting a lot of criticism anyway, so we thought it was best if we attended this programme,’’ he said.

And so they put on their best behaviour. Speaking on the occasion, Saurav Ganguly set the official tone: ‘‘It was a great moment for me and my team to be present here. ’’ This, even as he was fending off souvenir bats thrust in his direction by the army of autograph hunters.

And while the speeches were on, one over-enthusiatic girl posted herself in front of Rahul Dravid to get a much-cherished picture.

There was massive security, all right, but clearing the crowd seemed to be the last thing on their minds. It seemed so familiar when one policeman pushed his son over the thin nylon barrier with a bat to get autographed.

The intentions of the organisers were honorable. The Mahatma’s granddaughter Ela Gandhi spelt it out, saying, ‘‘Sports inspires a lot of interest and by inviting the cricketers Gandhi’s ideology can reach many people.’’

However, things were different at ground level. One man at the railway station put things in perspective: ‘‘The elections will be held very soon and using the Gandhi image is just a way of collecting votes.’’

Votes in the name of Gandhi. Why did that sound familiar? Truly, in distant Africa, it seemed like home away from home.