 “Blessed art thou, o Lord our God, who has commanded us to bring this baby into the covenant of Israel,” Ravi Nessman intones in Hebrew, as he tenderly cradles his newborn son. Within minutes of his father’s blessing, tiny Justice Max Nessman wails loudly – his part in the ancient Jewish ritual known as the Brit Milah is complete. It is a moment of tremendous significance to the little community gathered there – this is the first time in at least half a century that the Brit Milah, or the Jewish covenant of circumcision, has been carried out in Sri Lanka.
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What do Indians love more – their Bollywood movies or their cricket? It’s a tough call to make, not least because both things have been known to rouse the subcontinent to the point of mass hysteria. But a new movie, which combines the two in a wildly inspirational tale of a young boy’s rise to the top of the game, seems set to hit the jack pot at the box office. The movie features big Bollywood names like Harman Baweja, Amrita Rao, Anupam Kher and Gulshan Grover; but for many the main attraction will be the cricketers – over 43 from nearly seven countries starring in the film, whose casting, the producers claim, will make this the most authentic Bollywood film about cricket. 