The 'power' of the bat given by the mother

Had to spend time in Kolkata and Gorakhpur. Sumitra, the first child, was born during the ups and downs of different parts of India. Then Babita was born.

Lahure couple was born in 2041 while they were in Kolkata, Shakti Gauchan. Khadga Prasad was transferred when Shakti was 5/6 months old. "When I was in Jammu, I was probably 2/3 years old," said Shakti, "I don't remember much about that time." After Jammu, the Gauchan family reached Lucknow. Even the memories of the moments spent in Lucknow are only dim, with him. Shakti rather fondly remembers the time spent in Gorakhpur. "When I reached Gorakhpur, I was 4/5 years old, I spent a lot of time there with my mother, I remember both the love and abuse of my mother," said Shakti.

There was a lot of craze for football and cricket in the streets of Gorakhpur. Shakti was a fan of Argentine footballer Maradona during his childhood. "I was a football connoisseur since childhood," he said, "I used to insist on buying Maradona's t-shirt and football with my parents." On the day she completed the condition, mother used to buy Shakti new clothes and a cricket bat.

'Sometimes I used to get 5/10 rupees,' said Shakti, 'I became interested in cricket after my mother bought a bat, but I didn't have a complete set of cricket kit.' After getting good marks and reaching the second grade, my mother bought a set of cricket kit. After that, the prestige of Shakti increased in the Mohalla of Gorakhpur. "After seeing him carrying a cricket set, many friends started asking him to play," says Shakti. "At that time, mother's anger was hot, and she used to scold me," he said.

Shakti spent her childhood with her mother. He could not be separated from his mother. Shakti had an accident when he was 5 years old. While walking on the road, a motorcycle fell on his stomach. The doctor said that he needed immediate surgery because of the bleeding inside his stomach. Had to spend two nights in the hospital. "For the first time, I had to spend the night separated from my mother," he said. He told me that after the memory of his mother, he slapped the nurse and ran to the gate of the hospital. "The guard caught me at the gate and brought me back to the cell," he said, "During the treatment, for the first time I felt the absence of my mother."

Shakti used to participate in the cricket tournament conducted in the street-mohalla of Gorakhpur. He was addicted to cricket. However, his coach Vinay Saxena wanted to raise Shakti's level of cricket. The coach suggested him to go to Mumbai to improve his cricket. By this time Shakti's parents also had faith in their son's game. Even though the mother knew that her son played cricket, she did not watch it. But sister used to watch her brother's game with pleasure. "When you were in Gorakhpur, sister, you used to watch me play," said Shakti, whose batting was good at that time. The bowling was also improving. He said that even though he was young, his sisters were happy when they saw their brothers 'out' in the game.

Meanwhile, Shakti told her sister that she wanted to go to Mumbai and learn cricket. Sister told her brother's wish to mother. Shakti's flight to Mumbai became possible after Didi 'convinced' her parents. Family ready to spend 20/25k per month for power in Mumbai. Shakti was studying in 9th standard at that time. Continued his studies in Mumbai. There was his best friend, Jwala Singh. Shakti stayed in Mumbai for four years and improved his cricket. However, his stay without his mother passed quickly. On the one hand the memory of the mother, on the other the hatred of cricket. Shakti was in double love with mother and cricket. "It was very good to spend the first 6 months in Mumbai," says Shakti, "I came home 6/7 times a year to relieve my mother's anxiety."

In Mumbai, Shakti got an opportunity in the under-16 competition. According to him, he also sat in the close camp for selection in the national team under 15 years of age. Gautam Gambhir was also with him in the 'Under-16' team. Shakti was selected for the 'Rest of India Team' in Mumbai. The mother was very happy with the news that her son got the opportunity to play for India. "My mother was very happy with the opportunities I was getting in Mumbai," said Shakti, "She was even more happy when the news started spreading about me." She injured her finger during the under-16 competition. That injury became the 'turning point' of his life. He was undergoing treatment for a finger injury in Mumbai. At that time, the problem of mother's stones worsened. "The sisters were married and gone," he said, "the father had also retired from the army and started working in Dabur India, there was no one at home to take care of the mother."

Mother's stone surgery was done in Gorakhpur. After spending 10 years in Gorakhpur, they came to Thutipipal in Bhairahwa, Rupandehi. Shakti also came to Bhairahawa to take care of his mother. At that time, the selection for the under-17 national tournament was going on in Bhairahawa. Shakti met cricket coach Jang Bahadur Thapasit. Thapa asked that 'under 17 is being selected, what are Shakti's thoughts?' Shakti brought all his documents and submitted them.

"Jang Guru said there is an opportunity because Nepal is doing well in cricket," Shakti said, "If you want to play here, stay here, otherwise return to India, but continue cricket." After listening to the Guru, Shakti joined the selection. He said that his journey in Nepali cricket started from there. For some time he was in a dilemma whether to continue cricket in Nepal or not. Offers were coming to play from India. India's Tata company team invited him to play for a monthly salary of 1,500. The Indian Railways team offered the job. "Mummy had also told me not to stay here," he said, "Mummy had seen many opportunities in India." Shakti gave up her dream of returning to India when her mother was also here. Then he joined the Khukuri club where Jung Bahadur was the coach. "Until then, my finger was not completely healed," said Shakti, "so I batted for a long time, I was bowling slowly." At that time, he was selected as the captain of the national under-17 team. Nepal won the Under 19 ACC Trophy held soon after the start of the cricket tour here. In that tournament, Shakti scored a century against Maldives and a half-century against UAE in the semi-finals.

Then the discussion of power started. After the competition, Shakti's father came home from India on leave. "Everyone told father that your son named the country and the Thakali community," said Shakti, "Then daddy's happiness doubled." The news came in newspapers, radio and television. "After hearing such discussion, my mother believed that my son named the country," says Shakti, "but when she saw that she would not earn money by playing, she was still not convinced." A mother who used to be happy when she performed well would be sad again when she did not see any financial success. With no permanent source of income, most of the time Shakti used to ask his mother for expenses for purchasing sports equipment and participating in tournaments. He also worried that his son would suffer in the future. In 2002, New Horizon School in Butwal appointed Shakti as a cricket coach.

Shakti used to teach cricket to the students of that school outside of the tournament. The rest of the time he worked hard on his game. New Horizon initially paid a salary of Rs 5,000 per month. "After I got a job, petrol expenses started," said Shakti, "I used to buy sports equipment with the money I got from the tournament." Horizon also provided financial support in addition to the salary. A student team was prepared for Shakti. Gathered infrastructure and game materials. After starting to earn on her own, her mother's worries also disappeared.

Shakti had set the goal of bringing Nepali cricket to the World Cup cricket tournament and getting one-day recognition, so that the financial condition of the players would improve and the standard of cricket would increase. "Initially it was my goal," he said, "later it was said to be the country's goal." Apart from this, there was a desire to step on the Lord's ground in Britain. With a proud history of cricket, Lord's has a stadium as well as monuments and museums related to cricket. "It was a dream to play at Lord's once," he said. Shakti gave important players of the team. Nepal got ODI recognition in 2017. "All the three dreams I saw came true," he said.

The mother knew that her son had achieved heights in cricket. However, she did not get to watch her son's game live. "My mother knows fours and sixes," said Shakti, "whenever the game came on TV, she used to watch it, but she did not become an expert." According to Shakti, her mother used to rejoice when Nepal won the tournament. "Mother used to get angry if a Nepali player got out," he said, "If a series or tournament was lost, mother would say quit cricket, there is no work." He says that his mother has fulfilled what he demanded. Shakti got married around 2005. He got married to Kavita Tulachan of Bank Road, Bhairahawa whom he loved since childhood. "My love-arranged marriage is," he said, "I told my uncle what I liked." Mama said to her uncle. Shakti said that after telling her son's choice, the mother agreed to the marriage. According to

Shakti, Bhairahawa's Siddhartha Stadium was not what it is now. The festival was held in the stadium during the winter. Cricket could not be played for three months due to the festival. When there was no place to play, Shakti prepared a small field near his house. That place was not enough. Mother had bought 3 paddy fields near the house to cultivate paddy. That's where Shakti caught his eye. "Mummy had been planting paddy for two/three years," said Shakti, "Initially, I didn't think I would build a cricket pitch."

At that time, the World Cup tournament was coming. There was no room for regular practice. The mother did nothing in front of her son's stubbornness. After telling her to invest the 4 lakh rupees she had saved, the mother agreed to give the farm. "That money was not enough to build the field," Shakti said. "He wanted to plant and made a pitch for cricket," he said, "Now there are two cement wickets and one turf wicket." Shakti said that his mother taught him not to cheat, not to steal. Shakti remembers two proverbs from her mother, 'If there is no poison in a snake and no stick in a person, it will not work and be careful with what goes in as a needle and comes out as an elephant.' Have a heart problem. "You remember people close to you," said Shakti, "You don't remember much."

Shakti's father died in a car accident in Chitwan's Narayangadh-Muglin section 8 years ago. Shakti has been organizing a cricket tournament in his father's memory for 6 years. The sixth edition of Khadgaprasad Gauchan Memorial Cricket has been completed. Mother Ramkumari has been inaugurating the tournament.