Two articles about Baluwatar Cricket Club’s chairman Upendra Bhattarai.
Baluwatar Cricket Club Training Center awarded eight cricketers with Rs. 46,500 cash and feliciated five founding members of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) – something that CAN should have done itself not a cricket club led by a cricket crazy chairman Upendra Bhattarai. In honor of his initiation, NepalCricket.com here presents an article written by Ujjwal Acharya and an interview done by Himesh Bajracharya.
Learning From Upendra Bhattarai
He is distinctly recognisable, not only by his pot bellied figure or frequent chuckle, but also by his contribution to the cricket and, moreover, by his name. Tell anyone who reads the local cricket news top to bottom his name, and he will be recognised as the man who sponsors the sixes. Yes, for years, Upendra Bhattarai had given away some cash prize for each six in the local tournaments and the media used to write – the batsman received cash prize for his a number of sixes sponsored by Upendra Bhattarai.
His love for sixes can make another story, and his love for cricket can make a dozens of story. Be it his chairmanship of Baluwatar Cricket Club, or his active involvement in Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) (not any more), or his club’s biggest role for the ICC’s associate membership to Nepal, or his organisation of tournaments, or his distinct view on the happenings in Nepal’s cricket, there is always an interesting story to tell.
Two years ago he added one more tale – a cricket academy. When thousands of players are using their doorways or gulley for playing cricket in lack of big ground, he established a cricket academy in the midst of the town. The academy, or practice nets, is built over three ropanis of land, that too in an area where is land price is touching the sky. Even more he fenced the land, levelled it spending a good sum of money, used a few labourers to grow green grass over the whole land, built three practice nets – two with concrete pitch, and showed everybody what he can do for cricket along.
Even more, he announced four annual awards for the cricketers – two for the national cricketers performing best in international arena and two for the best performers of his club’s teams. Today, he gave away Rs. 46,500 cash in prizes to the cricketers. He couldn’t hold the award distribution last year but that didn’t stop him from awarding the best performers of the year this time.
Upendra Bhattarai with guests, awarded cricketers and felicitated former cricketers.
I was among the selectors for the two awards along with two sports journalists – Rajendra Gyawali of Kantipur and Binod Pandey of Nepal Samacharpatra. The selection therefore is as fair as possible from his side. He could have easily picked up cricketers to award by himself but rather he did it from others hand (doesn’t that speaks of his sincerity?)
Every cricket lover presented during the inauguration ceremony of the academy two years ago was surprised. Why millions of rupees for non-return business? No one dared to question to Bhattarai, but I did. If it was not three months earlier, I also would have found me in the same state. “I did much more than this to cricket, so what’s on it?” was what he told me while showing me his project – uncompleted at that time.
He is no more in CAN. This may limit his appearance in cricket but will never decrease his love for the game. Probably his out-speaking nature cost him a place in CAN (he was one who always talked about corruption even when he was in CAN) and maintains the documents from his days which, he said, prove he has done nothing wrong.
For the chairman of a club, that has already produced a few national players including Sher Lama – the Hong Kong national player, the training academy was a dream comes true and the awards a contribution in development of the game by encouraging players. Many more will be, no doubt, produced and most of all his love for cricket will never be forgotten. “I will run it until my death,” was what the most cheerful cricket lover told me.
Let’s learn a few lessons from Upendra Bhattarai.
‘I am a cricket crazy’
There are people mad about cricket. Upendra Bhattarai is one. There are no accounts of how much the 56-year-old chairman of Baluwatar Cricket Club invested on cricket. He used to distribute prizes to cricketers if they hit sixes or take wickets. He even organized a tournament on his father’s name. On Sunday, he distributed more than Rs. 46,000 as prizes to cricketers. For two years, he is running Baluwatar Cricket Club training center. The center’s monthly expenditure is nearly Rs. 20,000. The fixed property of the center would count to some 20 millions. Despite being a player, manager and coach, he calls himself a tiny figure of Nepali cricket. He used to be openers and loved to hit sixers. His investing heart also wants to travel the same height. Excerpts of a chat with him:
Why you are crazy about cricket?
People call me cricket mad. That’s not enough, I am more than mad about cricket. I don’t know why but I am crazy about it.
How long have you been distributing prizes? How much cash in those years?
I don’t remember when I started sponsoring prizes, probably before 2036 BS (1978 AD). I also don’t remember the total of the prize money, I never think ‘how much’.
Is there a reason behind all this?
About 26 years ago, Baluwatar Cricket Club failed to enter a tournament because we didn’t have Rs 50. I felt very sad at the time. Probably that was the decisive event that encouraged me to invest on cricket.
How much more you will spend?
I will never stop investing for cricket. I will continue helping cricket as much as I can. I have enough money for me, and have been richer by helping cricket. I have been loved by many, that love makes me feel richer.
Why you stopped organizing Rameshwor Bhattarai Memorial Cricket?
For the tournament, we need a ground. For last 10 years, I couldn’t find any ground. Even when I was a member of CAN, I couldn’t get the ground. If we get ground, we will continue it.
What is your dream about Nepali cricket?
Nothing much, I will feel good if the nation earn some pride from cricket.
Interviewed By Himesh Bajracharya
(As published in Kantipur daily on Monday, Oct 31, 2005)