Posted by: arzan sam wadia in Sports
In the aftermath of the just concluded 29th Olympics in Beijing China, we received an email forward title “What Would India’s Olympics Opening Ceremony Be Like”
Author: Porus Homi Havewala.
On the 8th of August as the world watched the Beijing Olympics, there was a tear in my eye as I remembered how Nehru and India had helped China in its formative years in the 1950s, when the whole world was against Communist China even entering the United Nations but India was its strongest ally and supporter. And now the Olympics were being held in China, which was aspiring to be the strongest and most powerful nation in the world, even over and above the USA, in the Olympic arena.
Indian Prime Ministers have certainly aspired to hold the Olympics, but they have been ignored. I started to imagine, if indeed the Olympics were held in India, what would the opening ceremony be like?
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Posted by: Shirin Kumaana-Wadia in Sports
Swimmer Rehan Poncha of Bangalore was among the last Indian athletes to qualify for this edition of the Olympics, so naturally it’s a reason to celebrate for the 22-year-old.
However, Poncha who was adjudged the best swimmer at the National Aquatics last year harbours no illusions to the competition that awaits him in the 200m butterfly event at Beijing. Coached by Pradeep Kumar, Poncha trains at the Basvanagudi Aquatic Centre and his qualification can be attributed to sheer determination.
“I know the tag Olympian is a big deal. It means a lot to me too. But I’m looking at it as one step on the ladder to excellence. Beijing will be an inspiration for me to do better in the next editions of the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
The 2012 London Olympics too is in my radar,” said Rehan after his qualification. Rehan who leaves from Beijing on August 3, will take to the pool on August 11.
With little time left, Poncha is working with his coach on sharpening his start, turn and underwater power.
Vadodara, April 18 One of the three men was a Barodian; almost 80 years after it was first published, his son will release a new edition of the book today
Just in their twenties and living off a shoestring budget, three young Parsis, one from Baroda, ventured on the first ever trip around the world on bicycles on October 15, 1923. The trio covered 44,000 miles in three years and three months across 27 countries and four continents. On their return, Adi Hakim from Vadodara, Jal Bapasola from Mumbai and Rustom Bhumgara from Pune, who later became a freedom fighter, wrote a book of their memoirs from the epic journey, of which but a few copies still exist. The original book includes a foreword by Jawarharlal Nehru and comments from leaders around the world like Benito Mussolini and Calvin Coolidge.”
Now, after five years of labour and commitment, Hakim’s son Daryous will release a new edition of the book in Vadodara on Saturday, almost 80 years after it was first published.
Says Daryous, who is fondly called Dara: “The original line-up of cyclists was six, but only three completed the tour, with three others returning to India for various reasons. In their book, the trio believed they wanted to take India to the world, even as they were caught up in the fervour of the freedom movement.” He says the three were left with not much money and did odd jobs while travelling, for meeting their expenses for food, clothing and shelter. They decided on the trip after meeting at the Mumbai Weightlifting Club, he says.
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With Cyclists Around The World (Roli, Rs 350)
by Adi B. Hakim, Rustom B. Bhumgara and Jal P. Bapasola
It is the fascinating memoir of three young Parsi men of a group of six from the Bombay Weightlifting Club, who set a precedence in globe-trotting by going around the world in bicycles. Starting in October 1923, they journeyed for over four years, going from the Middle East to south Europe, across the British Isles to America, then covering Japan and China to come “rolling home” through Bengal, Madras and Ceylon. While the authors revel in the “gay amusements” of Paris, they have nothing but scorn for the filthy Italian peasants with dirty neckties, and are repulsed by the Japanese meal of live mice dipped in honey. However, they find the biggest surprise of the trip right in their own country, in Calcutta, when only a handful of people turn up to welcome the cyclists, who had become quite famous elsewhere in the world by then. To read the book is to travel not only all over the globe but also to another time preserved in the memory of the adventurers.
Original Review here.
Posted by: Shirin Kumaana-Wadia in Sports
Celebrating its 100th year this season, the Calcutta Parsee Club is going to conduct the Jiji Irani Parsee Pentangular cricket tournament from December 21 to 26 at the YMCA and Parsee grounds.
Teams from Nagpur, Jamshedpur, Secunderabad, Surat and Kolkata will take part in the tournament, which will be played on a league basis, and each innings will last 30 overs. J Vatcha, tournament convenor, told reporters at a press conference today: “A number of prominent cricketers are expected to take part in the tournament, including Russi Jeejeebhoy’s sons Ardeshir and Rayomand.”
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