Nagpur: As a sports writer and sportsman, it’s always a good feeling to see other sportsmen being revered by the community. Both in Mumbai and Nagpur, it was heartening to find great sportsmen remembered for excellence in their game. A case in point is this hotel that I am staying in Nagpur. My room is named after Roger Federer, while the adjacent ones are named after Donald Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar!
Owned by a famous Indian mountaineer Captain M.S. Kohli, this hotel has all rooms named after sportsmen and legendary mountaineers. At the check-in desk are a plethora of photographs and sports books. The walls are decorated with pictures of Kohli with great sportsmen, and of him receiving India’s top civilian awards like the Padma Bhushan and Arjuna awards. Incidentally, this hotel has turned out to be a favourite for sports reporters, and all leading dailies have their reporters staying at this property.
Legendary sportsmen deserve to be remembered by the community, and this is indeed a novel way to do it. While in Mumbai for the India-South Africa warm-up match, I was invited to attend a Legends Club function at the Brabourne Stadium’s Cricket Club of India’s C.K. Nayudu Hall. Former Test star Madhav Apte is the President of this club, and it is customary here to meet up on the birthday of legendary cricketers and recalls their great deeds. The day I attended was the 101st birth anniversary of former Indian batsman Vijay Hazare. Apte, who played for India in the 1950s and with Hazare, narrated interesting tales from his playing days. Mumbai Ranji Trophy winning captain Aditya Tare was also present and talks that followed on Twenty20 and its impact on the game were very informative. No wonder Mumbai has some of the most knowledgeable cricketers and fans.
The Legends Club was started by former Indian team selector Raj Singh Dungarpur in 2003 on the lines of the Masters Club in Surrey, which was set up in memory of Sir Jack Hobbs, the first cricketer to be honoured with a knighthood. Former cricketers like Ajit Wadekar, Nari Contractor, Chandu Borde have given talks here and journalists, statisticians and historians regularly make it a point to attend these talks to polish their cricket knowledge. So when I introduced myself to Apte as a reporter from UAE, his first question was about UAE batsman Swapnil Patil, who he feels is a very talented player.
Many Mumbai cricketers too are regular attendees merely for inspiration. Recently, a comparative study was done on Vijay Merchant and Sunil Gavaskar’s techniques with tales from their career. Many Mumbai team members attend these talks to get inspired. Incidentally, this club is sponsored by people who do not wish to be mentioned for their contributions.
