All India Radio sports broadcaster Pankaj Athawale pays tribute to legendary Suresh Saraiya
Radio lost one of its noted commentators, Suresh Saraiya on 18 July in Mumbai and an era came to an end. The 76-year-old veteran had commented on over 100 Test matches, the last of which was between India and West Indies in Mumbai in 2011.
‘Suresh bhai’ as he was fondly called by everyone was one of radio’s most revered voices and many generations of cricketers and cricket lovers grew on his radio commentary. Even when various other broadcasting mediums emerged, Suresh bhai was always at the helm of things getting live action of various matches on All India Radio.
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Be it a test match or an ODI or the recent T-20 matches, Suresh bhai exuded the same passion and cricketing acumen to get the moment of the field to radio listeners. Among the famous matches Suresh bhai commented on was India’s famous chase of 403 in the 1975-76 tour of West Indies.
Suresh bhai also gave live commentary from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Sharjah, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and Toronto. AIR, ABC, BBC and Radio New Zealand among other broadcasters have used his services for close to 150 ODIs and four World Cup finals.
He was also instrumental in grooming young radio commentators on various test match commentaries in All India Radio. His tips weren’t just valuable but were treated as golden words by young budding commentators and his stories inspired many to take up radio broadcasting.
Radio commentary had become synonymous with Suresh Bhai, whose trademark way of saying Sunil Manohar Gavaskar or Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has become folklore.
Be it cricketing anecdotes, relation with various cricketers, love for the game and most importantly his passion for commentating were all beyond imagination. His commentary was as smooth as silk and his description of the game took the listener virtually to the playing field.
A thorough gentleman and professional, his stamina was unmatched. His preparations as well as desire to excel were adorable. Even at this age, he gave many young commentators a run for their money.
I had the privilege of doing commentary alongside him in 2006 at DY Patil stadium for a T 20 match and I was floored by his passion not just for the game but for radio too. It was a terrific experience to learn the nuances of radio commentary from an elderly, intelligent and well informed broadcaster. All the radio commentators who worked with Suresh bhai will miss him as he was nothing less than an institution in himself. Not just fellow commentators, cricketers, cricket administrators but numerous people associated with All India Radio will mourn the passing of a legend. Many have lost a friend, colleague and an ambassador of the game in terms of cricket commentary.
Athur Ashe once said, “From what we get we can make a living, what we give however makes a life”. This is very true for Suresh bhai as he gave his life to cricket and he will be sorely missed by all of us. As for radio, the closing announcement has been made and the airwaves will henceforth miss Suresh bhai whenever a cricket match is broadcasted on All India Radio.
