India vs West Indies: Early Diwali at Prithvi Shaw’s ancestral home in Manpur

Diwali came for Shaws and their neighbours at Manpur, a small town known for its handloom and railroad tie factory in Bihar’s Gaya district.

Soon after the sunset, the town situated on the banks of Falgu river, hitherto famous for its Patwatoli locality that has the reputation of breeding IITians, celebrated the birth of a new cricket star with firecrackers.

The celebrations had started at Prithvi Shaw’s ancestral home on Wednesday itself, soon after it became certain that he will make his debut in the first Test with West Indies at Rajkot.

On Thursday, his relatives and neighbours sat glued to their TV sets even before the toss. A big applause followed as Shaw walked towards the crease. They did not have to wait for long before the 18-year-old debutant scored his first runs in international cricket.

As Prithvi brought up his century off 99 deliveries, neighbours, friends and relatives rushed to the house of grandfather Ashok Shaw, shouting: “Team India Zindabad, Prithvi Shaw Zindabad”.

“We are overwhelmed by Prithvi’s performance today (Thursday). It is like Diwali for all of us and we had arranged enough crackers to celebrate the occasion. Manpur ka maan rakha hai hamara beta (Our son has justified the name of Manpur),” said Jyoti Devi Shaw, Prithvi’s aunt.

As the celebrations continued and the crowd swelled, Ashok Shaw too joined the revelry.

“It is a great moment not only for our family but also for Manpur, Gaya and Bihar. Our dream has finally come true. We want to see him become another Sachin Tendulkar,” he said.

“Prithvi has worked hard since his childhood. Everybody loves him and admires his efforts. His father too has worked hard to shape his career. It is the result of our collective efforts that Prithvi could achieve success,’’ Ashok Shaw said.

‘’We are overjoyed by the achievement of Prithvi, who has become the youngest Indian batsman to score century on debut at Rajkot. We will organise a grand gala ceremony to felicitate Prithvi,” said Nandlal Prasad, the councillor of ward number 48, where the Shaw family resides.

First Published: Oct 04, 2018 23:01 IST