1. Palwankar Baloo was employed by the Bombay Berar and Central Indian Railways, and played for the latter's corporate cricket team.
14 Facts About Palwankar Baloo
1. 2.
Palwankar Baloo played in the all-Indian team led by the Maharaja of Patiala during their tour of England in 1911 where Baloo's outstanding performance was praised.
3.
Palwankar Baloo was born in Dharwad, Bombay Presidency, British India on 19 March 1876 to a chambhar family.
4.
Palwankar Baloo's father was a sepoy in the 112th Infantry Regiment of British Indian Army.
5.
Palwankar Baloo played cricket with equipment left behind by officers stationed in Pune.
6.
Palwankar Baloo started working as a groundsman maintaining the pitch for the Parsis in Pune and later at the British Poona Gymkhana where he occasionally bowled to J G Greig, an English batsman.
7.
Palwankar Baloo was employed by the Bombay Berar and Central Indian Railways, and played for the latter's corporate cricket team.
8.
Palwankar Baloo played in the all-Indian team led by the Maharaja of Patiala during their tour of England in 1911.
9.
Palwankar Baloo is considered to be one of the greatest cricketers in Indian cricket history.
10.
Palwankar Baloo was greatly influenced by Gandhian ideology and worked to bring Home Rule to India.
11.
However, in 1932, Palwankar Baloo opposed Dr Ambedkar's demand for separate electorates for the depressed classes.
12.
Palwankar Baloo described the conversion of oppressed communities to other religions as 'suicidal' when Ambedkar expressed his intention to convert to Buddhism.
13.
In 1933, Palwankar Baloo unsuccessfully contested the Bombay Municipality constituency on Hindu Mahasabha ticket.
14.
Palwankar Baloo's funeral was attended by many national leaders as well as cricketers.