HYDERABAD : Being one of the catalysts for the ‘internationalisation’ of Indian cricket, Farokh Engineer’s influence transcends the boundaries of the cricket stadium. Known not only for his prowess behind the stumps but also for his iconic advertisement endorsing a popular hair cream brand, Engineer has been the last Parsi cricket player in Indian cricket for a long time now.
Recently, Engineer was honoured with the prestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award alongside Ravi Shastri at the Naman Awards ceremony in the city. Reflecting on the recognition, Engineer expressed his gratitude by saying, “Better late than never.” This response was quoted by Jehangir Bisney, a member of the Parsi community, during a high tea gathering at Parsi Dharamsala in Secunderabad. Engineer was invited to meet and interact with the members of the community.
In addition to his cricketing achievements, Engineer reminisced about his close association with the legendary industrialist JRD Tata, highlighting a memorable encounter with him. “I was very close to him. I remember once when I scored a 100, I was in the locker room, all sweaty and tired. I notice that a glass of water is being brought to me, by none other than JRD Tata himself. He then started to unbuckle my knee pads. I did not know what to say. He then invited me for lunch. I felt nothing less than blessed in that moment.”
Reflecting on his iconic status as the ‘Brylcreem boy’ of India, Engineer disclosed the financial windfall he received for the advertisement. “Do you want to know the real price? I got paid 2000 pounds at that time. It was like winning the jackpot. Doing a Brylcreem ad was a huge thing.”
Former batsman Dilip Vengsarkar, another guest at the gathering, underscored the significant contributions of the Parsi community to Indian cricket. Engineer introduced him as one of the mentors who trained legends like Sachin Tendulkar in their initial days. While discussing the dwindling presence of Parsi cricketers, they also touched upon the sole Parsi talent on the cricket scene these days– Arzan Nagwaswalla from Gujarat and hoped that he would be picked for the national team as well.
As the anecdotes and conversations flowed, Engineer introduced his wife Julie and many friends who had accompanied him to the fellow attendees, who revelled in his unique sense of humour, peppered by a few Parsi-exclusive jokes here and there.