‘Baba’ Sadar and the Crescent Light

One of the remarkable things in life is that there are so many seemingly unremarkable people who are truly remarkable. B.A. ‘Baba’ Sadar is one such person.

Next weekend, at the age of 86, he will be the oldest of old students of Zahira College participating in the celebratory “Zahira Walk 2012” as the school in Maradana, rich in tradition, shines the calming crescent light on its 120 year history and its personalities.

The scene shifts to seventy years ago to this year. Sadar, a Corporal in the Medical Corps of the Ceylon Army, was hunkered down in a building opposite the Racecourse barracks in a house turned into camp called ‘Maligawa’. Suddenly the sirens blast as an imminent air raid by the Japanese is indicated. Panic and pandemonium sets in. Defence and Attack plans swing into action. But there is little that one can do as a hailstorm of bombs rains down. Machine gun fire also criss-crosses the barracks.

Sadar ducks for life as bullets and shrapnel land within feet, if not inches, from him in his bunker. His colleagues who included African servicemen were in real danger.

Sadar was the calming influence as he lowered the anxiety levels with his jokes and words of encouragement, as one serviceman recalls. Soon after the raid Sadar was on his toes tending to those who needed medical help from the trauma.

Service recognized

Such simple acts of service were recognized at the Sri Lanka Medical Corps Association’s AGM held earlier this year when Sadar was among a few World War Veterans left in our midst’s to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first air raid of the second World War and the end of hostilities. Fittingly the award to Sadar on that occasion reads “in remembrance of the dedication and valour extended throughout a period of loyal service and active duty to our country and your efforts is an inspiration to us all.” Now at the age 88, Sadar is indeed an inspiration to all as he participates in the Zahira Walk having added to his record a distinguished career at Hayleys as a Senior Executive where he worked with such colleagues as CV ‘Puggy’ Gooneratne and Himendra Ranaweera, Jeyer Rodriguez of sports fame and with Leon Ismail and Jumbo Hesse.

The story of Sadar the sportsman began at the age of 12 when he would admire the cricketers of yore who were giants in the students’ mind’s eye and held in awe and reverence. Sadar would watch the cricketers at practice while he waited for his cadet firing practice sessions.

He would be asked to help out as a fielder picking up the ball as his ‘heroes’ practiced. He would occasionally bowl an ‘over’ when there was no one else to bowl! A bowler of last resorts!

Bahar out thrice

The famous coach B.J.S. Bahar once tossed the ball to the twelve-year old and asked him to bowl as Bahar batted. Surprise, surprise! Sadar got Bahar out thrice! And so he was a surprise pick into the Zahira team, at the age of 12, as a deep off-break bowler.

Later on, the freshman Sadar was selected into the Zahira team to tour Hyderabad, India.

The Hyderabad team included Indian Test player Vinoo Mankad who was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 with Pankaj Roy in 1956 which stood for 52 years.

Zahira sports at that time under the Principalship of renowned educationalist T.B. Jayah, who was known for his visionary zeal and competence. He was a man of sterling stature.

The cricket team was star studded. It had in it MSMA Carrim who would strike—nay hit, slam or rather thunderclap—-the ball and send it flying like a meteorite.

As the story goes, in those days the Olympia Theatre was in the line of sight from the Zahira cricket grounds. Carrim once smashed that ball for a sixer that landed on the Olympia sign and dislodged the ‘O’ in the Olympia billboard!

Zahira stalwarts

The Zahira team that Sadar toured India with under the captaincy of TS Cassim, included the hitter MSMA Carrim, and among others, BJH Bahar and Col. BJH Bahar—the bothers better known as Senior and Junior; HC & CM Mantara, MSM Haniffa, AJM Lafir, NA Cader, Jumar Bahar, MHM Hussain, ARM Tahir, TB Mahat , SLM Cassim, TM Burah and MHM Haddad. It was Haddad who was known for his square arm bowing style, the type of which Lasith Malinga has become world famous for.

Many of these cricketers in later years played club cricket, especially for the Malays Cricket Club where several cricketers also spent time coaching school and club teams. In those days, athletes also took eagerly to cadeting. As a cadet, Sadar excelled in the firing range as a marksman and was adjudged at a competition at the Hunupitiya Range as the first in the Island in the .303 Rifle competition.

Sports fortunes fluctuate

Since the days of TB Jayah and AMA Azeez, the sports fortunes of the school have fluctuated, if not gone down in reckoning. Those were the days when many a Zahirian was a star in the Rugby firmament of Ceylon and Sri Lankan. They included Major OM Muhlar, AHA Samad, KS Mohamed known for their strict discipline as well as for their strategic and tactical skills, and MH Amit (father of Tony Amit). Of a later vintage were, Tony Amit, Omar Sheriff, Abdul ‘Flying Gazelle’ Majeed, Ibrahim ‘Tanker’ Hamid and Hisham Abdeen who captained the Sri Lanka national team.

At the Zahira Walk 2012 these and other memories will be rekindled in the hope that the glories of the past will inspire future generations of Zahirians.

As we end this Parade, there is an anecdote that should wake up the next generations of Zahirians from their early morning slumber. Dr. Irfan Hassen recalls the story of Zahira rugby captain Neville Edirisinghe who lodged at the Zahira Boarding.

The rule of the boarding was that every morning the Muezzin will switch the loudspeaker on and make the “Adhan”— the call for morning ‘Fajr” prayers at the break of dawn. Neville decided that he will preempt this with a prank by getting up an hour earlier and making the call for prayer himself, with Arabic intonations and cadence that was unbelievably eloquent …what happened to Neville at the hands of the other boarders thereafter is a story by itself!

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