Mumbai, July 11: Baby born in the same room exactly 60 years after Sunil Gavaskar with uncanny similarities.
At precisely 8.11 am yesterday, a baby boy was born to Farzana Sattar at Purandare Hospital in Chowpatty.
Nothing special in that, except it was born in the same hospital, same room, and on the same day, that legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was born 60 years ago.
Farzana was overwhelmed to learn from hospital officials that Mrinalani Gavaskar was also lying on the same bed after delivering her son at 8.42 pm in 1949.
And now, the other strange coincidences.
The doctor
In 60 years, there have been changes Dr B N Purandare who brought the cricketer into this world passed away, but it was his grandson Dr Ameya Purandare that delivered Farzana’s baby, Hamza.
The fisherman
Gavaskar in his autobiography writes that he was mixed up with a fisherwoman’s baby, but replaced later. (See box).
Farzana’s husband, Farooq Abdul Sattar, is a fish merchant.
Cricket connect
Gavaskar, we all know, is a cricketing legend, but Farzana’s husband is absolutely cricket crazy and plays some mean cricket.
“I came to know from the hospital staff that even Gavaskar was born in the same room, on the same day. All parents want their kids to be successful.
And now I want my child to play cricket and create history like Gavaskar,” said Sattar, who’s already dreaming of a son in blue.
“I still play a lot of cricket and I am happy that I’ve got a future player, who will fulfil my dream by becoming a great cricketer,” said Farooq, a view echoed by Farzana.
The room
The only change in the 10×15 sea-view room is the cost Rs 1,500 per day now as against Rs 95 when Gavaskar was born (including delivery charges!) Gavaskar’s mother Mrinalani had a normal delivery, while Farzana had a C-section.
Dr Ameya Purandare was accompanied by his mother Dr Nandini to attend to Farzana in the labour room. Dr Nandini remembered July 10, 1949, “It was a sunny day.
While Sunil had a wheatish complexion and weighed around 5.5 pounds, Farzana’s newborn, is fair and weighs nine pounds,” she said.
Added Dr Ameya, “My grandfather was a friend of Sunil’s and watched him play some of his finest innings.
Whenever Sunil scored a century, my grandfather used to say jokingly, ‘Sunil owes his success to me’. I really feel proud to have helped in the delivery of this child.”
The gavaskar switch
Sunil Gavaskar starts his autobiography Sunny Days (Published by Rupa & Co in 1976) by narrating an incident which took place at Purandare Hospital. He wrote:
“I may never have become a cricketer and this book would certainly not have been written if an eagle-eyed relation, Mr Narayan Masurekar, had not come into my life the day I was born (10 July, 1949).
It seems that Nan-kaka (as I call him), who had come to see me in hospital on my first day in this world, noticed a little hole near the top of my left ear lobe.
The next day he came again and picked up the baby lying on the crib next to my mother. To this utter horror, he discovered that the baby did not have the hole on the left ear lobe.
A frantic search of all the cribs in the hospital followed, and I was eventually located sleeping blissfully besides a fisherwoman, totally oblivious of the commotion I had caused!
The mix-up, it appears, followed after the babies had been given their bath.”
–Mid-Day