Revisiting a special bond

It felt like old times for the city’s sports journalists at the Wankhede Stadium’s PD Hall, where 18 former journalists were felicitated by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM) last week. Respect for each other, memories, cheers and clapping were all in abundance on the evening of May 29.

The PD Hall was unforgettable for the second-generation cricketers, as they were housed in an accommodation facility for home games above the hall. The venue was named after one of the most passionate administrators of the Mumbai Cricket Association, VB Prabhudesai – who went to England as the assistant manager of the Indian team in 1986. Dilip Vengsarkar, who played a key role in that rare series win (2-0) in England with two centuries in three Tests, was the chief guest at the ceremony along with 1972 Munich Olympics sprinter Edward Sequeira.

When Sequeira spoke about his exploits on the track and the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes in Munich, Vengsarkar recalled his childhood memories. The former Indian captain recalled that photographer Girish Dixit used to take young performers like him to his newspaper office and click their pictures for the next day’s newspaper. And whenever he performed at the Giles Shield, to get a mention in the newspapers, he would go to his Hindu Colony newspaper vendor at 5 am and buy the publication.

Vengsarkar also remembers being declared the best junior cricketer of the year by SJAM in the 1970s. While we were listening to Vengsarkar, he surprised us by announcing a reward of Rs 25,000 for the best junior cricketer of the year. It was a nice gesture, no doubt, but it also showed that the media and the players have a common fondness for rewarding sportspersons. Most media persons are modest when it comes to accepting accolades, but people on the other side value them very much.

Former Mumbai captain Shishir Hattangadi told me on Wednesday how journalist Makarand Waingankar (now more involved in cricket consultancy) had called up then BCCI president M Chinnaswamy to get him and Ravi Shastri included in Hemu Adhikari’s national camp at the Brabourne Stadium. According to Hattangadi, Waingankar also urged Vengsarkar to include him and Shastri in his Pink XI that took part in the Moin-ud-Dowlah tournament in Hyderabad in 1979-80. Waingankar was among the 18 journalists honoured but couldn’t make it due to his busy schedule in Bangalore, where he is an advisor to the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

H Natarajan, whose work for the Indian Express in the 1980s and 1990s was commendable, also could not attend the ceremony. Peter Rodrigues, who was a tireless reporter and sub-editor in the 1970s and 1980s and David D’Souza, who covered various sports but did particularly well during the 1982 World Cup of Hockey for Sportsweek magazine.
The guests present at the ceremony were delighted to see two agency journalists – Jamie Bardoliwala (United News of India) and SS Ramaswami (Press Trust of India) – being honoured.

The latter was a sharp reporter who had experience of covering the Olympics and other big events. Cricket reporting could also be considered his forte. In 2000, SJAM asked former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur to write for a souvenir about 12 journalists (Behram Contractor alias Busybee was his 12th man) and evaluate them from the point of view of match referees. About Ramaswamy, he wrote, “He could call half a dozen times a day for clarification or to get a story. Among the fathers [Ramaswamy Sr had covered India’s tour to the West Indies in 1961-62] And son, he would have covered more sporting events around the world. I don’t think I would find any fault in Ramu as a match referee.”

Among the 18 journalists honoured were three photographers – Mukesh Parpiani, PM Shirodkar and Anthony Azavedo. Shirodkar, 90, received his award sitting in a wheelchair, a dynamic lensman. Noted Marathi sports writer Dwarkanath ‘Pappu’ Sanjgiri attended the function despite suffering from a serious illness. Fredon de Vitre, a man with a sweet voice and charming personality who graced the black and white television sets of the 1970s, was also awarded a medal.

How can anecdotes not be remembered at such a ceremony? There were real characters among the awardees and the audience. One of them came to Delhi for the All India JK Bose Cricket Tournament in the 1980s and returned to Mumbai when he found out that he was not in SJAM’s playing XI – just like Sidhu. Another would hurl so much abuse when something went wrong as deadlines approached that someone suggested that the typewriter of this hot-headed reporter could be auctioned under the label of ‘the most abused typewriter in the history of Indian cricket’. And who can forget a now-deceased journalist successfully explaining to a newcomer in the Brabourne Stadium press box that the daily food and tea coupons (Rs 150 for each of the three days) could be redeemed at the end of the Mumbai vs Australia game in 1998. When a seasoned professional was introduced to a current broadsheet writer, he reminded him of a drunken journalist’s dictum, “You can be a good journalist only if you drink good wine.” The laughter was natural.

It is in such programs that journalism becomes a fun path. It can also be seriously rewarding when it comes to being honored by members of your own fraternity.

Mid-Day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is an open-minded purist. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello

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The views expressed in this column are personal and do not represent the views of the newspaper