Baba loved the game of cricket from his childhood. In 1959, he promised one of his devotees, Nari Contractor, a professional cricketer, that he would make it possible for him to lead the Indian cricket team. Later that year when the team went to England, Nari was in fact made captain. Polly Umrigar, another Baba lover, was also on his team, and the captaincy should rightfully have been his. In 1962, the Indian cricket team went to the West Indies for a match. On 17 March a ball struck Nari in the head, resulting in a serious injury. He was taken to a hospital, where a four-hour emergency operation was performed.
Daily reports of his condition were relayed over the radio and in the newspapers, which Pendu relayed to Baba from the 19th. Since Nari was injured, Umrigar replaced him as captain, and thus Baba gave both men the chance of leading the Indian team. Baba sent messages to Nari’s wife, Dolly, not to worry about him.
LM – Page: 4792-93] Year 1962
Poly Umrigar
Pahlan Ratanji “Polly” Umrigar pronunciationⓘ (28 March 1926 – 7 November 2006) was an Indian cricketer. He played in the Indian cricket team (1948 – 1962) and played first-class cricket for Bombay and Gujarat. Umrigar played mainly as a middle-order batsman but also bowled occasional medium pace and off spin. He captained India in eight Test matches from 1955 to 1958. When he retired in 1962, he had played in the most Tests (59), scored the most Test runs (3,631), and recorded the most Test centuries (12) of any Indian player. He scored the first double century by an Indian in Test cricket against New Zealand in Hyderabad. In 1998, he received the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour the Indian cricket board can bestow on a former player.
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Nan Umrigar
At one time, Nan Umrigar had absolutely no inclinations towards spirituality. But all that changed with the untimely death of her son Karl, a champion jockey. During a long period of grieving, Nan, as fate would have it, met some people who communicated with their loved ones in the spirit world. Soon, she also started communicating with her lost son and began to receive ‘messages’ from him that would alter the course of her life forever. Initially, while she felt exhilarated, she could not help but question this phenomenon. Was she fantasizing, imagining things or just indulging in wishful thinking? Was there really a higher energy force– angels, guides, guardians and a God? As Nan delved deeper, building a bridge across two worlds, she decided to share her experience with others. This led her to writing a book in which she detailed how Karl showed her the way out of grief towards happiness, and how she came to believe in Meher Baba– her son`s Spiritual Master. With her insights and her immovable faith, Nan has helped many people deal with the loss of their loved ones. “With Baba’s help” she says, “many hearts have been healed.” And, many lives have undergone a change for the better.