What are the first things that come to your mind when you think of the famous Lord’s Cricket ground? Perhaps some of us, the cricket history buffs especially, would remember that the first Test to have ever been played at the venue was back in 1884. Some of us would remember the 2014 dashing century that Sangakkara hit, which came off 182 deliveries. Those drawn to the ODI format would remember the Natwest 2002 finals and inevitably, the fact that Sourav Ganguly took off his T-shirt in high octane celebrations in the immediate aftermath of India’s sensational win over England.
Frankly, only two to five per cent- and I don’t have a calculator on me- would remember something utterly significant albeit uncanny about the venue famously described as the sport’s Mecca.
Lord’s happens to be just one of the very few international cricketing stadia to be wheelchair friendly. This is a fact I learned only a hours ago and the person because of whom it got my attention is no longer with us.
It’s the person for whom Lord’s having a wheelchair friendly facility to support the differently abled fans wasn’t some uncanny development; rather, to him it signalled inclusivity.
To many of us, Jofra Archer‘s famous 2018 Vitality Blast hat-trick at Lord’s was something incredible (as it was). But to a certain Kausthub Swaminathan, the ground stood for much more; there was much joy about the fact that the stands at the famous venue assisted fans who came on wheelchairs.
Whosoever the opponent, whatever the occasion and irrespective of the format, Kausthub Swaminathan cheered on for Cricket, celebrated it, was excited by its revelry and even contributed to it through his meaningful writings.
And it’s a shame that we know so little of the young life that passed away March 21, 2022 almost as quietly as a stack of falling cotton balls in a room surrounded by noisy heavy metal sound.
But honestly, Kausthub Swaminathan gave his brief life some meaning and filled it with passion. He decorated it with a genuine love for the game we consider ourselves crazily in love with.
That’s when perpetually cribbing over the serious condition he was battling, one he went down fighting nearly all his life could so easily have made him bitter.
If you Google Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy then you’d come to understand it as being a rare condition that leads to severe muscle degeneration.
But little could such a haunting physical condition do to restrict Kausthub Swaminathan’s sense of creativity. The bespectacled cricket writer from Chennai used the words DMD, i.e., Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy to start a one-of-a-kind Facebook page. He named it- Determined Multi-Dimensional works, a page where he’d bring to public life his genuine versatile talents.
In some videos, you can see him analysing cricket contests. In others, there’s his own rendition of a Michael Buble song. In some, he’s even playing a mini guitar. But the video that truly stands out and underlines his fond love for the game is one where you can spot a little lad tied to a wheelchair hitting back at a ball, perhaps trying his best to offer a forward defence.
Kausthub Swaminathan hashtagged that video with the words #Wheelchairlife. Though, in truth, there was so much life in him that the ever-present wheelchair couldn’t crush it.
Among the first (of the many) interesting stanzas that you are likely to run into soon as you visit the blog titled everythingKausthubknows.wordpress.com is this:
“Just Hold On. When you are feeling tied down and can’t break the shackles, think that life’s helping you hold on.”
Frankly, for someone who may have silently known the sheer unpredictability of his own existence, it’s frightening to think how much Kausthub Swaminathan was in love with life. What sort of questions might have dazed or confused him?
I would’ve crashed out much earlier.
And it was life that he held onto dearly and lovingly, much of it through cricket. Ample evidence of his connection with the game is the following video wherein the departed soul offered some thoughts on one of Cricket’s most controversial yet fascinating talents- Hansie Cronje.
Have a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coQZT_h6bb4
But not everything about Swaminathan’s life was dull; there were so many who knew him, admired his talent and stepped forward not to offer ‘help’ but encouragement for ultimately that is what one seeks- right?
It’s beautiful that the co-founders of CricXstasy, among the fastest growing cricket content websites in the country (devoted to national and international tales), encouraged Kausthub Swaminathan. That’s when ignoring some wheelchair-bound bloke who thought of himself as a cricket writer could so easily have been a standard operating cliche.
In the last few hours, I’ve chanced upon a few articles of his. It didn’t take long to note there was a true sense of purpose to Swaminathan’s writing as evident in an editorial piece. Note his work featuring South Africa and Australia in a 2018 ODI, a review wherein the late author emphasised and argued well the point that the Proteas steamrolled the Aussies.
Here was a writer who didn’t only concern himself with the biggies of international cricket; a lovely piece on how Brendan Taylor’s then-comeback was good for Zimbabwe is highly recommended.
As a matter of fact, it was a Tweet from revered Cricket journalist Sarah Waris that brought the news of Kausthub Swaminathan’s demise to my notice.
Heartfelt remembrances that were followed by RIPs from several cricket authors- such as Prasenjit Dey, Omkar Mankame among the few highlighted just what Swaminathan meant to so many.
To some- he was infectiously in love with life. Others describe him as passionate. The adjectives continue.
All I’ve come to understand is this and I apologise if I am spending your precious time on a cause that makes little sense to you:
It’s out of common habit that we celebrate cricketers- the stars, the rising talents and the lot. But that we celebrate them exclusively and not those who bring their exploits to our attention is somewhere strange, unfair even.
Little is spared for the one who toils away in writing beautiful cricketing stories.
The fact that Kausthub Swaminathan isn’t spectacularly well known is perhaps down to the fact that only in our country, and unfortunately so, is someone who spends hours into constructing honest, clean cricketing content goes uncelebrated.
In an age of clickbait, where’s the actual respect shown to the honest writers? We seem to be more interested in where Anushka and Kohli had breakfast, where Yuvraj or Gayle partied last night and how a prominent cricketer spat verbals on the pitch.
It’s lovely that YouTube creators and even meme makers are getting the plaudits.
But what about the rest of them? What about those like Kausthub Swaminathan, who despite such massive restriction broke free and expressed their true, undying love for the game- often through videos and on other occasions, through blogs?
What makes me even sadder is the fact that this young life passed away without seeing the cause fulfilled that he long championed. The cause he wrote extensively about on his blogs- that stadia in India should be wheelchair friendly. Perhaps it’s time for authorities and infrastructure players to pay some heed.
