how did religion affect the growth of cricket in India
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Class 9 History
Story of Cricket
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Cricket in India
Cricket, Race and Religion
In the colonial India, cricket was organized on the principle of race and religion. The first recorded instance of cricket being played in India is from 1721 when it was played by English sailors in Cambay.
Calcutta Cricket Club was the first Indian club which was established in 1792. Through the eighteenth century, cricket in India was exclusively played by British officials in all-white clubs and gymkhanas.
The Parsis were the first Indian community to ape the western lifestyle and they were the first to establish an Indian cricket club. They founded the Oriental Cricket Club in Bombay in 1848. Parsi businessmen like the Tatas and the Wadias used to sponsor the Parsi clubs. The Parsis made their own gymkhana and finally defeated the Bombay Gymkhana in a match in 1889.Following in the footsteps of the Parsi Gymkhana, the Hindus and the Muslims also made their own gymkhanas in the 1890s. The British also considered India as a group of different nations; like the Hindu nation and the Islamic nation. In order to maintain this difference on communal lines, they easily gave permission for land for these gymkhanas.
Quadrangular Tournament:
After the formation of cricket clubs on communal lines; the Quadrangular tournament was being organized. It was played by four teams, viz. the Europeans, the Parsis, the Hindus and the Muslims and hence was given then name Quadrangular. Later, addition of a fifth team changed its name to Pentagular. The fifth team was composed of people from other communities; like the Christians. Vijay Hazare; who was a Christian played for the Rest.
Origin of Ranji Trophy:
By the late 1930s and early 1940s, journalists, cricketers and political leaders began to criticize the racial and communal foundations of the Pentagular tournament. Even Mahatma Gandhi was critical of such a division on communal lines. To counter this division, a rival tournament called National Cricket Championship was started. This Championship had teams made along regional divisions. This Championship is now known as the Ranji Trophy.
During the colonial period, cricketing contests were being organized between different colonies of the British Empire. India played the first Test match in 1932.
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The Nationalist Impact of Cricket in India
The Nationalist Impact of Cricket in India
By Gayeti Singh
April 8, 2011
For India, three distinct passions help shape the national identity.
Politics, the indigenous "Bollywood" film industry, and the sport of cricket all are a major part of the essence that is Indian culture. But while the former two passions often lead to divisions in Indian society and can have negative effects on the country, cricket has become the best example of an almost complete Indian unifier. As even outsiders like America's Nike corporation have come to learn -- all of India does indeed “bleed blue” when it comes to cricket.
The same can't be said of India's other passions.
In independent India’s history, politics has managed to breed fractured nationalism. The Indian identity is broken up and based on caste, class, religion, region, or language. Indian politics, then, has been driven by these divisions, often incorporating missions which focus on only one of the Indian identity areas at the expense of the others. For example, Chief Minister Mayawati, a female Indian polotician in power in India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, seeks to champion the lower castes which have not always had a political voice, propelling their views above the others in India in her state
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