The Batsman Returns

A. I. Noormohamed


Prologue

The stadium, bathed in the abundance of the African sun, sets the stage for the showdown. As the Dark Knight, I stand at the crease, the weight of the bat in my gloved hands a familiar comfort. The opposing team huddles, unaware that beneath the cowl lies a formidable batsman.

The bowler, an old adversary, starts his run-up with a determined glare. My keen senses pick up the subtle nuances—the turf’s dynamic shift, the wind’s exhilarating whisper. I square up, the cape billowing slightly in the breeze, and focus on the task at hand.

The first delivery hurtles towards me, a red blur against the cloudless sky. With the agility honed through years of falling and getting up, I position the bat with precision. The impact is crisp, the ball ricocheting off the bat with a satisfying crack. The crowd, initially puzzled by my unorthodox appearance, erupts into a mix of surprise and cheers.

MMXXIII

In the sombre halls of the Vatican, a funeral set the tone for a year in which the earth itself seemed to be mourning. The ground quivered from Syria to Türkiye, Morocco to Afghanistan under the weight of earthquakes. Iceland erupted in volcanic fury while storms lashed Libya, Malawi, and Mozambique. There were wildfires everywhere. There were floods everywhere. A banking crisis cast shadows over America.

Names echoed in infamy – George Santos. Suella Braverman. Geert Wilders. 

Croatia embraced the Eurozone, Finland joined NATO, and the African Union stepped onto the G20 stage. Somalia found kinship in the East African community. Egypt and Ethiopia joined BRICS as Syria rejoined the Arab League, and Eritrea rejoined IGAD. 

Old foes reconciled: Iran and Saudi Arabia mended strained relations, as did Qatar and the UAE. Meanwhile, Africa convened in Nairobi to discuss the climate, while Erdoğan and Xi Jinping secured victories. Twitter, the virtual realm’s pulse, earned itself an X rating. 

In the geopolitical theatre, coups unfolded in Niger and Gabon, Burkina Faso demanded France’s departure, and elections stirred contention in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar. George Weah conceded in Liberia. A storm of unrest swept across the regions. Maandamano in Kenya. Shakahola. Kivu. Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Al-Aqsa. Jenin. Huwara. Gaza.

A titanic implosion killed millionaires in the deep Atlantic as Zelensky pleaded for more money. Yevgeny Progozhin gets killed in a plane crash. Bolsonaro’s men stormed the Brazilian National Congress. There were protests in Israel. There were protests in France. Then came October 7. There were protests on campuses. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and debates on free speech reverberated globally. Houthis in the Red Sea. Sudan and Myanmar in civil war. 

There was the GOP, their Speaker, and the Continuing Story of Donald Trump.

Spain won the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australia dominated the Cricket World Cup, and South Africa triumphed in the Rugby World Cup. Djokovic conquered Australia, Roland-Garros, and the US but faced a setback at Wimbledon. Then, enter Alcaraz.

India is now the world’s most populous country. 

Burna Boy ignited sold-out shows in London. Rema orchestrated a triumph on the Billboard charts, and The Grammy’s dedicated a new award for the pulsating rhythms of African music. Hollywood went on strike. Barbenheimer. Sixty years since their debut, The Beatles had a No. 1 hit song, and The Rolling Stones a No.1 album. The Bekhams danced to a country classic on Netflix. U2 at The Sphere. Jada Pinkett Smith. Harry, the Spare. That Taylor Swift. That Beyoncé.  

Senegal finally won the war on jollof rice. 

Sinéad O’Connor died. Mathew Perry died. Tony Bennet died. Harry Belafonte died. Lisa Marie Presley died. Tina Turner died. Burt Bacharach died. 

Gaza. Gaza. Gaza. Twenty thousand killed and counting.

The Year in Books

A fascinating decentralisation unfolded in the tapestry of 2023’s literary realm, casting a spell of divergence over our collective reading experience. Amidst dissonant extremes, we, the readers, found ourselves in a fractured landscape. We struggled to harmonise our analyses of shared books that, paradoxically, ensnared us within their captivating stories. 

Paul Murray’s “The Bee Sting” unfurls as a grim, demanding, and irresistible exploration, laying bare the misfortunes weaving through the lives of the Barnes family. Each member grapples with financial woes, sexual complexities, religious quandaries, and the weight of societal expectations. Meanwhile, Abraham Verghese’s “The Covenant of Water” spans decades, chronicling the travails of a South Indian family haunted by a recurring theme of drowning. The story is set in the monsoon landscape of Kerala, reminiscent of Arundhati Roy’s evocative “The God of Small Things.”

Venturing into Salman Rushdie’s latest creation, the magical surrealism of Vijayanagar, or Victory City, unfolds as an absolute joy. It’s a mythological epic narrating the tale of a woman who breathes an empire into existence, a captivating saga of how the city she created consumes her across centuries of history. Ayòbámi Adébáyò’s “A Spell of Good Things” intricately traces the tangled longings of two Nigerian families, one basking in fortune, the other caught in a relentless struggle.

And in Paul Lynch’s “Prophet Song,” crowned with the 2023 Booker Prize, a mother becomes the narrator of life in suburban Dublin, as Ireland transitions from an authoritarian, brutal police state to a war-torn battleground. As her son joins the resistance, she strains under the weight of catastrophe, echoing the real-world echoes of bombs falling on Gaza—a stark reminder of the darkness that envelops societies in the descent into war, rendering monsters from men.

This curated list, born from my avid yet disorganised reading schedule, is an idiosyncratic and subjective glimpse into the literary world that unfolded before me in 2023.

  1. Prophet Song PAUL LYNCH
  2. The Covenant of Water ABRAHAM VERGHESE
  3. The Bee Sting PAUL MURRAY
  4. Victory City SALMAN RUSHDIE
  5. The House of Doors TAN TWAN ENG
  6. Yellowface R. F. KUANG
  7. Demon Copperhead BARBARA KINGSLOVER
  8. A Spell of Good Things AYÒBÁMI ADÉBÁYÒ
  9. If I Survive You JONATHAN ESCOFFERY
  10. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity PETER ATTIA

“…she has fallen afoul of herself and grows aghast, seeing that out of terror comes pity and out of pity comes love and out of love the world can be redeemed again, and she can see that the world does not end, that it is vanity to think the world will end during your lifetime in some sudden event, that what ends is your life and only your life, that what is sung by the prophets is but the same song sung across time” Paul Lynch (Prophet Song)

The Year in Music

This was the year when the songstress Miley Cyrus gave herself flowers. Lana Del Rey serenaded us with a ballad about “the experience of being an American whore” in a haunting melody of crimson tales. SZA painted a daring canvas with lyrics about how she “might kill her ex“. Kylie Minogue got dance floors in a rhythmic frenzy with the cadence of padam padam. 

Luke Combs breathed new life into Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, a masterpiece reborn in the hands of a modern troubadour. With a voice dipped in the nostalgic hues of the 1950s, Stephen Sanchez crooned tales of love, casting an atmospheric spell. The supergroup boygenius dropped an album of protest country folk filled with youthful, emotional understanding. And Zach Bryan remembered everything.

Far From Saints sculpted an album that intertwined spine-tingling vocal and guitar harmonies, melding rock, Americana, country, and soul into a singular record. The world got to hear the last new song by The Beatles, and perhaps, the last opus of The Rolling Stones. 

Returning artists, still-rising artists, and fresh-from-the-woodwork artists all got their fair share of real estate in 2023’s music charts. 

My musical sanctuary, seen in the lists below, mirrors the patina of my years: a mellow, retro ambience akin to aged brass polished until it gleams anew. Like the tranquil crimson glow of the golden hour that precedes the sunset—a safe escape hatch in a world gone mad, strumming the lyre as the gods watch the earth burn, and the decades- tangled and rangy, furiously burrow the cracks in search of instant happiness.

“Strange words come out of a grown men’s mouth when his mind’s broke” Zach Bryan (I Remember Everything)

Albums

  1. The First Two Pages of Frankenstein THE NATIONAL
  2. Hackney Diamonds THE ROLLING STONES
  3. Council Skies NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS
  4. Walk Around The Moon DAVE MATHEWS BAND
  5. Far From Saints FAR FROM SAINTS

Songs

  1. Now and Then THE BEATLES
  2. Evangeline STEPHEN SANCHEZ
  3. The Alcott THE NATIONAL feat TAYLOR SWIFT
  4. Pistol CIGARETTES AFTER SEX
  5. Sweet Sounds of Heaven THE ROLLING STONES feat LADY GAGA
  6. Madman’s Eyes DAVE MATHEWS BAND
  7. Kisses SLOWDIVE
  8. A&W LANA DEL REY
  9. I Remember Everything ZACH BRYAN feat KACEY MUSGRAVES
  10. Fast Car LUKE COMBS

The Year in Films and TV.  

In a year teeming with capricious twists, we were bestowed with an abundance of quietly enchanting films, a trove so vast that condensing it to a mere list of ten proved to be a Herculean task. Yet, amidst the splendour, shadows loomed, made evident by the instalment fatigue induced by yet another Mission Impossible, another Hunger Games, another Indiana Jones, and another Marvel saga. The seemingly invincible empire of superheroes appeared to be hurtling towards its demise, the behemoth of the franchise industry losing its once unassailable allure. Gripped by a writer’s strike, Hollywood faced an ominous stillness, casting a foreboding shadow over the cinematic landscape of 2024. Meanwhile, the globe continued to witness a cinematic renaissance beyond English-language borders, where heartfelt ambition and storytelling finesse flourished in the hands of the world’s filmmaking maestros.

Enter “The Holdovers,” a cinematic ode to winter break at a boys’ boarding school where a loathed classics teacher and a rebellious pupil are forced to stay over for Christmas. It is an exquisite gem that reverberates with a theme echoed throughout the movies of the year — of people tethered to the past, trapped in fleeting moments or hurtling into an uncertain future. The film’s aesthetic prowess mirrors the grainy textures of 1970s low-budget masterpieces, transporting us to the time when the story unfolds.

In “Harka,” a visceral tale inspired by Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution unfolds, weaving a narrative around a brooding young man peddling illicit petrol on the streets, his dreams of a better life for himself and his siblings igniting into fiery despair. “Past Lives” delicately traces the reunion of two childhood friends from South Korea in the heart of New York, a slow-burning masterpiece pulsating with the ache of unexplored possibilities, desire devoid of lust, and flirtation devoid of consummation. “Burning Days” thrusts a conscientious city prosecutor into the quagmire of patriarchal rural Türkiye, a film imbued with suggestions, insinuations, and metaphors, unravelling the corrosive grip of small-town corruption.

“RMN” unveils the unsettling visage of bigotry in an ethnically diverse Romanian village when Sri Lankan immigrants arrive to work in the local bakery. “Fair Play” ventures into the labyrinth of workplace politics, sexism, sexual violence, and male insecurity as the secret relationship between two hedge fund analysts spirals into destruction with impeccable direction and flawless performances. “The Killer” injects tension as a hitman becomes the target after a job gone awry, a film that captivates and unsettles in equal measure. Lastly, “Cairo Conspiracy” thrusts a naïve student from a fishing town into Al-Azhar, the sanctum of Sunni Islamic education, unveiling the university as a conduit of espionage, hypocrisy, corruption, power plays, and political intrigue.

These, my dear cinephiles, are the crown jewels of my film Odyssey in 2023. Each nuanced performance is woven by characters stripped of pretences, grappling with the pursuit of meaning and their elusive place in the world.

Films

  1. Harka (Tunisia)
  2. The Holdovers
  3. Past Lives
  4. Killers of the Flower Moon
  5. Burning Days (Türkiye)
  6. R.M.N (Romania)
  7. Leila’s Brothers (Iran)
  8. Cairo Conspiracy (Egypt)
  9. Fair Play
  10. The Killer

Also worthy of the list were: Oppenheimer, Joyland (Pakistan), Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, When You Finish Saving The World, Showing Up

TV

  1. Fauda, Season 4 (Netflix)
  2. The Diplomat (Netflix)
  3. The Bear, Season 2 (Hulu)
  4. Succession, Season 4 (Max)
  5. Silo (AppleTV+)
  6. Slow Horses, Season 3 (AppleTV+)
  7. The Morning Show, Season 3 (AppleTV+)
  8. Daisy and The Six (Amazon Prime)
  9. Beef (Netflix)
  10. Kaleidoscope (Netflix)

Also worthy of the list were: Wheel of Time, Season 2 (Amazon Prime), Rain Dogs (HBO), Poker Face (Hulu)

“There’s nothing new in human experience, Mr. Tully. Each generation thinks it invented debauchery or suffering or rebellion, but man’s every impulse and appetite from the disgusting to the sublime is on display right here all around you. So, before you dismiss something as boring or irrelevant, remember, if you truly want to understand the present or yourself, you must begin in the past. You see, history is not simply the study of the past. It is an explanation of the present.” Paul Hunham in The Holdovers

Epilogue

The ball, having left the bat’s sweet spot, embarks on a celestial journey, defying gravity in a graceful parabola. It traverses the azure sky, momentarily becoming a focal point for every spectator in the stadium. As it descends, the vibrant green of the outfield unfolds like a welcoming carpet, seemingly extending infinitely.

My legs pump with an urgency known only to those engaged in the dance between the wickets. The stadium seems to fade away as I sprint, the rhythmic pounding of my heart harmonising with the crowd’s din. Their cheers swell into a symphony of joy, the soundwaves of excitement echoing in my ears like a motivational anthem.

Amidst the sprint, I stole a swift glance at my partner at the opposite end, and we shared a nod. 

The opposing fielders, realising the situation’s urgency, scramble with desperation etched on their faces. Their futile attempts to cut off the ball mirror the collective determination of opponents unwilling to concede defeat. Yet, the ball, seemingly guided by a cosmic force, eludes their outstretched hands, accelerating towards the boundary with an unstoppable momentum.

As the ball kisses the boundary rope, I raise my bat to celebrate a personal milestone and acknowledge the collective energy pulsating through the stadium. The scoreboard, illuminated like a beacon of accomplishment, registers the numerical evidence of my achievement – a resounding 50, not out. 

“Let the old still believe that they’re young” The Rollings Stones (Sweet Sounds of Heaven)

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