Pearson Surita

Pearson Harvey St Regis Surita (1913–1995)[1][2] was a corporate executive and cricket commentator for All India Radio. Surita hailed from Calcutta (now Kolkata) and was of Armenian descent ("one of the few left in Calcutta after independence").[3] Several articles mention Surita as one of India's most famous and respected radio cricket commentators, often in nostalgic tones.[4][5][6] Henry Blofeld twice called Surita India's "greatest cricket commentator ever".[2] Surita's "big moment" as a cricket commentator is said to have come in 1959,[1] when he was invited as a commentator by the BBC, along with the Maharaja of Vizianagram, during India's tour of England the same year.[7] Surita was also an occasional left-arm spin bowler, having played for Calcutta University and a team representing the Maharaja of Cooch Behar in the 1930s, in a one-off match against a visiting Australian team led by Jack Ryder.[1]

Surita has been especially noted for his accent and diction, variously described as "plummy" (by Simon Winchester),[8] "posh" (by Brian Johnston),[9] and "curiously old-fashioned" with "more than a hint of the British Raj" (by Blofeld).[10] However, his accent was also said to be "the stuff of many a sarcastic jibe".[11] Christopher Martin Jenkins has claimed that Surita "sounded like a Maharajah",[12] while Mukul Kesavan has termed Surita's accent "so posh that you wanted to cry".[13] Even when selected by the BBC in 1959, a senior figure within the organisation expressed reservations over Surita, on the ground that he sounded like "a retired Indian colonel".[7] Mark Tully claims that Surita was eventually barred by All India Radio "because his English was too pukka."[14] However, when Surita was dropped as a commentator during India's tour of England in 1974, the matter was raised in Parliament by Indrajit Gupta, an influential politician from Calcutta who later served as Home Minister of India.[15]

In his corporate career, Surita worked for tea companies McLeod Russell and later Macneill & Magor[16] (both companies now a part of the Williamson Magor group).[17] Surita also served as president of the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club in 1973[18] and the Bengal Club in 1984.[19] He further served as a steward of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club,[20] which awards the Pearson Surita Memorial Cup in his memory.[21][22] Surita was educated at St Xavier's Collegiate School and the St Xavier's College in Calcutta.[23] He died a bachelor in Calcutta, at the age of 82.[2]

References
  1. Chaturvedi, Ravi (2019-11-16). Cricket Commentary & Commentators. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-64429-727-8.
  2. Chatterjee, Utpal (10 October 1995). "Pearson's zest for life defied cliches". The Times of India. ProQuest 595342477. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021 – via ProQuest.
  3. Ghose, Bhaskar (2011-01-01). The Service of the State: The IAS Reconsidered. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-575-6.
  4. "India's most legendary of figures". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  5. "The magicians called radio commentators - E R Ramachandran' Blog". News18. 2011-10-19. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  6. Bhagat, Rasheeda. "Nostalgia for cricket in an era gone by". @businessline. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  7. Woodward, Kath; Goldblatt, David; Wyllie, James (2011), McGlynn, Catherine; Mycock, Andrew; McCauley, James W. (eds.), British fair play: sport across diasporas at the BBC World Service, Oxford: Peter Lang, pp. 171–190, ISBN 978-3-0343-0226-5, archived from the original on 2011-08-07, retrieved 2021-10-26
  8. Winchester, Simon (2019-10-08). "If You Use Tea Bags, You'll Be in Hot Water With This Connoisseur". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  9. Johnston, Brian (2012). Another Slice of Johnners. London: Penguin Random House. ISBN 9780753540695.
  10. Blofeld, Henry (2017-10-19). Over and Out: My Innings of a Lifetime with Test Match Special: Memories of Test Match Special from a broadcasting icon. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-4736-7093-8.
  11. Bhattacharya, Uddalok (2020-10-17). "Dying of a voice: Kishore Bhimani, a commentator who enlivened sport". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  12. Martin-Jenkins, Christopher (2012-04-12). CMJ: A Cricketing Life. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-85720-083-9.
  13. "Desi Radio Commentary". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  14. Tully, Mark (2000-10-14). No Full Stops In India. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-81-8475-903-7. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  15. "Lok Sabha Debates" (PDF). Parliament of India. December 18, 1974. p. 164. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  16. Jones, Stephanie. "Short Biographies of 'Merchants of the Raj'" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  17. "The Williamson Magor Group". www.wmtea.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  18. "CCFC - History". www.ccfc1792.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  19. "Former Presidents | The Bengal Club". Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  20. "History". www.rctconline.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  21. "[38] The Pearson Surita Memorial Cup --- Rt 41-86 27 November 2017 - Telegraph India". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  22. "Andreus tipped for Pearson Surita Cup". Deccan Herald. 2013-12-16. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  23. Namboodiry, Udayan (1995). St. Xavier's, the Making of a Calcutta Institution. Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-86176-7.
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