The small town is known not so much for its love of cricket as for its passion for Yakshagana.
It was a true homecoming for this international star who carried to fame the name of this small town. ‘Jumbo’ Anil Kumble, former India cricket captain, received a rousing reception in his ancestral town Kumble, about 30km from Mangalore, on Sunday.
The small town is not so much known for its love of cricket as for its passion for Yakshagana performances, for it is the birthplace of the patriarch of this ballet form, Yakshagana Parthi Subba.
But on Sunday, the townsfolk were out in large numbers to felicitate the man who took the fame of their native to the world by tagging the name of the place to his name.
Prashanth Kumar K, a member of the Kumble Grama Panchayat, had tabled a resolution in 2009 to rechristen a road in the town after the cricket star for the honour that he brought to the place.
“We have renamed the Badiyadka — telephone exchange road, which is one of the best roads in Kumble — after the cricket star. The 1km stretch has been metalled and interlocking tiles have been laid at a cost of Rs3 lakh at the beginning of the road. This is big money for a panchayat,” he said.
Mohammad Abbas, the panchayat president, said this was a small honour when compared to Bangalore renaming a large circle in the city centre after the cricketer. “Had we had the resources, we would have done something similar for Anil, who has made this town proud,” he said.
Speaking to DNA, Kumble said his grandparents, Ramachandra Kumble and Saroja, were the last generation to live in the ancestral town. “My father was born in Bangalore. However, I come here every year with my family to visit the Lakshmi Narayan temple. Though I have no other connection with the place, the name Kumble has given me immense strength,” he said.
“The people of Kumble have made me a permanent member now by naming their best road after me. I will try to reciprocate their immense love for me in my own humble way.”
While Anil had his own plans, Keshav Prasad, vice-president of the panchayat, said they were planning to send a proposal to the Kerala government and the state cricket association to start a cricket academy in North Kerala, either in Kumble or Kasargod, named after Anil.
The Kumble panchayat had also honoured national kabaddi champion Jagadish Kumble three years ago. Jagadish had captained the Indian team twice.
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