My close encounters with Mumbai Cricket Association’s Life-Time awardees

By K.R. Nayar
From Mumbai 

This season, Mumbai Cricket Association(MCA) honoured Dilip Vengsarkar, Diana Edulji, Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, and Pravin Barve with Life-Time Achievement Awards. I have been fortunate to have had numerous interactions with Vengsarkar, Edulji, and Shetty during my days as a journalist in Mumbai, and those relationships continued even after I moved to Dubai. So it was hardly a surprise to me when they were honoured by the MCA, and that also prompted me to share my experiences with them.

With Dileep Vengsarkar, a legend I had trailed during his playing days  

Dilip Vengsarkar

 

Vengsarkar, the cricketer, needs no introduction. As a batter, his brilliance was witnessed by all. But I was fortunate to report many of the matches where he had guided Mumbai to glorious moments. During his playing days, international cricketers actively participated in domestic matches, focusing on their home team’s success. Vengsarkar played for Mumbai with the same brilliance that he exhibited for the country.

Let me take you back to May 7, 1991, where in the Ranji Trophy final, Haryana defeated Mumbai by two runs. Unable to bear the pain of defeat, Vengsarkar broke down in tears. As a reporter, one is expected to maintain a neutral stance, but witnessing that moment, I too got emotional. Lalchand Rajput, who is now the UAE coach, and with whom I share an equally close relationship, scored 74 runs in that match. I also saw a young Sachin Tendulkar crack 96 runs. Although Vengsarkar scored a magnificent unbeaten 139, he ran out of partners in the end.

 

Those were the days when cricketers would read articles by journalists  and often knew them by name. I consider myself fortunate to have reported Vengsarkar’s last Ranji Trophy match in 1992, after which he announced his retirement. An incident that followed after I wrote about his retirement reflects the importance he gave to those around him. In the final paragraph of my article, I wrote: “His batting was like the spontaneous spreading of the feathers of a peacock in rapturous dance.”

 

After reading that piece, Vengsarkar called me at the Indian Express office and thanked me for the coverage,  and mentioned that his wife, too appreciated my write-up. To my disbelief, he invited me home for  lunch! Such was the relationship he maintained with everyone who was part of the game. People like him truly deserve a Life-Time Achievement Award because, according to me, what he gave was a lifetime of happy memories.

 

Diana Edulji

 

Diana Edulji, another recipient of the Life-Time Achievement Award, is a special person. The warmth she exudes when meeting people goes beyond a typical journalist-cricketer relationship. I feel proud to have once faced her left-arm orthodox spin. During my days in Mumbai, Rajsingh Dungarpur, then president of the Cricket Club of India (CCI), enjoyed inviting journalists and cricketers to play friendly matches. Although it had been only a while since I had stopped playing regular cricket, I was confident of playing her. But she beat me with her spin and had me stumped by Chandrakant Pandit!

 

Diana Edulji with whom I have even played cricket 

In 2022, the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM) honoured her with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The photograph from that event reflects the affection and respect she commands from everyone she has interacted with. Born into a Parsi family, she is a legend who captained India and paved the way for women’s cricket in the country. Her devotion to the game led to her appointment by the Supreme Court of India in 2017 as part of the BCCI administration panel. She served as a member of the Committee of Administrators that managed the BCCI during those challenging times.

 

Diana Edulji when she received the SJAM Life-Time achievement award 

A humble person, Edulji’s contributions to the game earned her the Arjuna Award in 1983 and the Padma Shri in 2002. This Lifetime Achievement Award is yet another well-deserved honour for her.

 

Prof. Ratnakar Shetty

 

Prof. Ratnakar Shetty deserved the Life-Time Achievement Award for dedicating most of his life to serving the game as an administrator. He was a blessing for me because he always provided valuable information on Mumbai and Indian cricket. A professor of chemistry by profession, he served the game purely out of passion. But his chemistry with people is what made him stand out. He was knowledgeable and understood the importance of media coverage in promoting the game.

 

With Prof. Ratnakar Shetty after he received the MCA Lifetime achievement award

Even after I left Mumbai, he was ready to help me once when I needed accreditation for an India-Australia series. At that time, he was the chief administrative officer of the BCCI. His attitude of not following the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach made him special. During the Mumbai Cricket Association award function, after receiving the award, he made a heartfelt request: “Please don’t forget Ajit Wadekar. He deserves to be honoured at Wankhede Stadium. He was one of the greatest captains, and it’s time we give him that recognition.”

 

This incident perfectly encapsulates who Shetty is as a person. Even while collecting a personal honour, he thought about others who had served cricket. Such qualities are what make administrators memorable, and that’s why he is still revered for his service to Mumbai cricket and the BCCI. He once held the most powerful and challenging role as the tournament director of the 2011 World Cup, executing it with brilliance.

 

Though he was surrounded by well-wishers after receiving the award, he still inquired about me through a journalist. When we finally met, he displayed the same warmth he always did when we used to meet regularly in the past. It is indeed heartening when such people are honored with a Life-Time Achievement Award.