In this special episode of the 81allout podcast, we chat with the photographer Mala Mukerjee on her historic photo from the tied Test in Madras in 1986.
Ms Mukerjee watched the last day of that famous Test from the stands in Chepauk and, while anticipating a thrilling finish, clicked a number of photos that captured the dramatic finish. The most famous of those was the shot she clicked at the very end of the match.
Ms Mukerjee has gone on to become an internationally renowned photographer and held several exhibitions around the world. Her many accolades and awards include honors from the Photographic Resource Centre in Boston, the Academy of Visual Media in New Delhi, and the Bangladesh Photographic Society.
You can view her work here.
Talking points:
Memories of the final day from Chepauk in 1986
The circumstances that helped her be at the right place at the right time
The tension enveloping the ground in the final overs
The challenges posed by the fading light
The final ball and the historic click
A visit from N Ram, the editor of The Hindu
The Hindu front page the next day
The blatant copyright infringement that the photograph has suffered
The luck and skill involved in cricket photography
Participants:
Mala Mukerjee
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@Sidvee)
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Related:
When a tie was a victory for Border’s battlers – 81allout podcast with Michael Sexton
Scorecards of the tied Test – Chennai ’86
Madras Magic – a documentary on the Chennai tied Test
Martin Smith on how the tied Test ended the career of Vikram Raju
Arunabha Sengupta on the dramatic last day of the Madras Test
Dean Jones and the second tied Test at the Bradman Museum