(From top) Chacha in the Eden stands. Uncle Les with Ramnaresh Sarwan after Trinidad dethroned Windward Islands in August 2003; immersed in cricket. Photo courtesy: West Indies Cricket Board

Where is abdul jalil? The first One-Dayer in the Indo-Pak series unfolds on Saturday, yet there is no trace of Pakistan?s supporter no. 1. A call to his Sialkot home elicits a confident response: ?Match jahan hai, Abba wahan hi honge.? No, they have neither his itinerary, nor contact number.

He was last seen in the Bangalore stands, waving his flag furiously. Perhaps that energy infected the Pakistanis on the field. He was there in Eden too, and before that in Mohali, from where the tour started.

?There were 3,000 of us,? he said, cooling off under the whirring fan at the home of the Chopras in south Calcutta. Chacha ? for that is what they call him in the fraternity ? was taking a break from cricket watch to talk cricket on Day IV of the second Test in Calcutta. The rest had returned. Only he was still touring with the team.

And B Block was only too happy for that. The galleries had stayed strangely quiet for the better part of the five days. Yet when Chacha arrived in the morning, all hands were joined in rhythmic clapping, (of the kind that would greet the first over of Kapil Dev), as the bearded man merrily romped down the steps to the first row. There he would stay put ? pulverised by the March sun from the first ball. Chacha did not, and does not, believe in taking cover.

Two of a kind

As a Pakistan Cricket Board-endorsed guest, Chacha could surely get a ticket to the comfortable recesses of the clubhouse. ?My mission is to please the public. Why should I sit away from them?? the 57-year-old protests.

The clubhouse lower tier is where another figure used to sit, during another Test in November 2002. The opposition was West Indies and the supporter-in-chief was Lester Armoogam. He would occupy his corner chair, just behind second slip, where the viewing angle is best, unimpeded by the umpire. Arms spread over the adjacent backrests, he was doing his best to conserve himself at 61, for yet another Test, yet another tour. A young hotelier, whom he had met in the Chennai stands, had come over with him ?to see Eden?, and Uncle Les let him do the running around with the lunch coupons.

It was not that Uncle Les was a silent spectator. He was ready to join any debate in the air ? at Eden there are many ? or offer his comments to questioning acquaintances around. One remembers how as Chris Gayle, the opener, sliced one between first and second slip, a spectator applauded the ball?s journey to the fence, grinning back good-naturedly at Uncle Les. ?Why are you clapping, son? Can?t you see it was a baaad shot?? he had admonished, a touch agitated. Uncle understood his cricket and made sure others around did as well.

Chacha, one can make out, belongs to a different league. If cricket is enough to keep Uncle Les entertained, the Pakistani mascot is himself the entertainer on the sidelines. ?My inspiration was a boy called Hafeez in my college days. Maidan mein bahut achcha baatein karta rehta tha woh. Sabko khush rakhta tha,? he muses.

Chacha, the star supporter, came into his own during the 1984 Asia Cup at Sharjah. By then, he had shifted base there. ?I put in a lot of thought about what would be an interesting entry.? He would carry a basket from which he would distribute fruits as he walked in, chanting ?Jidhar dekho, Pakistan hi Pakistan.? Children would have lozenges tossed at them. India may have won the tournament, but Chacha had also claimed victory.

Since then, he has been to three World Cups as well as matches in England and South Africa. He quit his job in Abu Dhabi in 1998 as it was clashing with cricket. His single-minded pursuit has since won him a scholarship of Pak Rs 10,000 a month from the PCB. Like the players, he also gets an overseas allowance ? $ 70 in the subcontinent and $ 100 elsewhere. The air tickets are taken care of by the Board.

Family matters

Finances did not bother Uncle Les. A successful businessman in Trinidad, he was clear in his conscience vis a vis his family as well. ?Jean and I married when we were both 20. She has travelled so much and seen so many matches with me,? he had fondly recalled.

In Chacha?s case, it was a pre-marriage agreement. ?I kept 25 per cent of my earnings for cricket and handed over the rest to her. She cannot travel. I am 95 kg, she is 110 kg,? he smiles mischievously.

While Uncle Les made it a rule to stay home for Christmas, Jalil claims his family is only too happy to see him leave on tour. ?They get so many gifts when I return. Even this time, I have left three bulging bags in Chandigarh.? Being an unofficial ambassador for one?s country has its perks.

When it came to being away from home for cricket, Uncle Les?s plans were not restricted to the Windies? international calendar. ?I go to the under-15 and under-19 matches too. You?ll rarely find me home on a Sunday,? he had said. No wonder he saw the likes of Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul grow up.

Relationships have reached beyond the boundary lines too. ?Brian loves my wife?s cooking. He has now shifted out of the locality to a palace, but he just calls and says, ?I?m coming?. And Jean rushes off to cook,? he had smiled.

Uncle Les died exactly a year and a month back. After 129 Tests. Lara was there at his funeral, as was national coach Gus Logie. It was said that Chanderpaul was so distraught that it affected his performance.

Chacha holds the flag high for Pakistan, boosting the team morale on foreign soil as does a Sri Lankan, Percy Abhaysekhara. ?Your (Raj Singh) Dungarpur says har desh ke paas cricketer hai, khali Pakistan ke paas Chacha hain,? he smiles.