The city of Indore sleeps and sweeps, sweeps and sleeps and the story goes on. In the last few days, I have seen them sweeping like there is no tomorrow. Every speck of dust is taken care of and the condition of roads and footpaths is dazzling.
Welcome to Indore – “Cleanest City of India”. It’s on signboards at the airport and the city leaves no stone unturned to back that claim.
Holkar Cricket Stadium is about 25 minutes away from that sign board. Located in the heart of the city, you might not want to miss this venue as it doesn’t really scream in your face. Nestled between a sports club, the EPFO building and a government school, the stadium has a glimpse of that lazy old world.
On entering from the Satish Malhotra Gate, one can see the structure with lots of signs. Some are getting the walls painted and some are getting upgraded with uniform flex board.
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The stands are named after former legendary cricketers and their mentions keep appearing on various walls, stairs and corridors.
The walls have old-fashioned texture beneath the paint, most likely to protect the structure from damp.
It doesn’t have the appearance of a huge sports complex as the aisles between the stands are narrow at the edges, but careful labeling work ensures that you don’t lose your way as you navigate between the many stands, stairs and walkways.
One of the beautifully laid paths below the press box leads to the Amay Khursiya practice area, a state-of-the-art caged net facility with plenty of practice strips. Right next to it is the Sanjay Jagdale Academy and opposite it is a makeshift hut where the star of the venue spends most of his time.
Fondly referred to as Ashok ji, the hot worker has been a part of the MPCA setup since 1979, as he likes to remind you time and again.
Just hearing the date, I pulled up a chair and sat down with her to learn about the venue, the cleanliness, and the old days. As we speak, an army of sweepers continues to sweep the route and Ashok keeps a close watch.
“Jo aage ka hai sab saaf ho jaaega, hum khud hi ganda nahi rehne dete. Hume accha nahi lagta (Whatever we see, we clean. We don’t like the venue to be in a bad shape). Match ho ya na ho, kaam roz chalu hai. Mai 10-12 log ki team se pura stadium bahar se chakak karwata hu roz (whether match day or not, we clean it every day from the outside),” says Ashok.
The veteran of the facility has seen the venue transform from a “wild bushy jungle” into a proper cricket facility. He has seen all the international fixtures in Indore – both at this venue and at the Nehru Stadium (the other cricket stadium in Indore) – and clearly remembers the fixtures and the exact dates.
Sir, I have seen everything. This was a forest. Let’s see (pointing to the field with wild grass next to the stadium). You were like this Everyone made a lot of effort to make this such a big stadium. (I have seen everything. It was like a jungle. Let me show you. It was like this. Everyone has worked very hard to make it into a big venue),” says Ashok.
Money has never been a priority for him. “Dal and roti are all we need,” he says. Ashok started working on Rs 60 a month and his biggest regret still remains not taking the MPCA membership, which started with just Rs 5.
“Tab idea nahi tha bilkul. It is very sad that we are not getting membership of 5 rupees at the moment. Aaj bahut mushkil hai member banna, aur tab mai 5 rupay mai ban jaata (Had no idea back then. Still feel sad that I didn’t become MPCA member when the membership fee was just Rs 5),” says Ashok.
Just as Ashoka was going through a flashback remembering the old days, many parts of the grounds present a modern look while giving off an aura of the old world. Some of the seating arrangements, notably the Sachin Tendulkar Stand, are benches below. Not a common sight in cricket stadiums anymore, but certainly very old school yet attractive, and very well maintained.
It was clearly a refreshing change from the chaos and mismanagement in Delhi as the staff worked tirelessly to get the stadium ready. Before the arrival of spectators on March 1 for the third India-Australia Test, the stadium seats were being cleaned continuously and pigeon faeces were being cleaned.
“Everything is on contract right now. So people on contract come and clean everything inside, but outside it is my job and responsibility. I arrange for bais (maids) from outside my mohalla to clean and double the number for match days. Everything should be extra clean on match day,” says Ashok.
After explaining everything in detail, Ashok goes to his small army of sanitation workers and lays out the next steps very clearly and then goes back to the makeshift hut to oversee the proceedings.
Spectators, players and broadcasters will start flocking to the venue from Wednesday and Ashoka is working to ensure they have the cleanest cricketing experience possible. The sweep will continue even when the match is in progress but it remains to be seen whether it will be limited to the outer walkways and stairs or will also reach the batsmen of both the teams.
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