Biography
Mekhala Subedar // Manish Choitrani // Niraj Shirgaokar // Neerav Tomar
   
Mekhala Subedar
Place : Deolali (Nasik) //  Age: 23 Yrs. // Ranking: National no 1/ State no 1

In the mould of her predecessors, Misha Grewal and Bhuvaneshwari Kumari, Mekhala Subedar has been dominating women’s squash for more than five years now. With no players worth her salt to challenge her in the senior category, it was common knowledge that the competitive Mekhala would romp through all the major tournaments in the country.

Having tasted considerable success at the Asian level too, Mekhala should have set here sights on the world arena, but the lack of patronage for a game of squash in the country, and also the lack of competition proved detrimental to Mekhala’s aspirations.  

Being based in Deolali, Mekhala’s constant lament is the limited opportunities to practice hard and improve her game. The complete domination she enjoyed over the other players may have also heralded in a sense of complacency, which was probably why she was shocked by the teenager from Chennai, Joshna Chinappa, in the recently concluded Senior Nationals.

However, this reversal will only propel Mekhala to work harder and, at 23, she still has a good many years of top level squash left in her.  

1999: Winner Nationals (Chennai)
1. May 1993: Winner of lions Club Award
2. Oct 1993: Maharashtra State Inter School U-19 Squash Tournament Bombay - Winner
3. Oct 1993: Selected to participate in selection trial for 7th Asian Senior Squash championship  in Kuala Lumpur in Jan 94 - Nil since the Indian team did not go.
4. Dec 1993: 50th ANZ Grindlays CCI Western India and 40th National Squash Championship at Bombay - Girls -II(U-19) Women's Semi finalist. Lost to India No 1.
5. Feb 1994: Hongkong Bank sponsored Maharashtra Open Squash Tournament at Bombay.  Awarded "Most Promising Junior Girl Award". - Girl's-II (U-19) Women's semifinalist. Lost to India No. 1
6. May 1994 & Oct 1994: Coaching under Mr Satinder Bajwal (Coach of World Champion Jansher Khan) at Bombay. (Tournament at the termination of the camp).
7. Nov 1994: Kingisher Diet at CCI Bombay - Winner
8. Dec 1994:  51ST ANZ Grindlays CCI Western India Squash Tournament at Bombay. - Girl's-II (U-19) Women's Semifinalist Lost to India No 1.
9. Dec 1994: Hongkong Bank sponsored Maharashtra State Open Squash Championship at Bombay. - Women's-II Lost in the finals to India No 1.
10. Dec 1994:  41st National and East India Squash Championship at Calcutta. - Women's - II Lost in the finals to India No 1. Girl's -I (U-19)
11. Jan 1995: 7th Perrier Asian Junior Squash Tournament at Hongkong - winner of the Plate
12. Feb 1995: DDA sponsored LG's Cup at New Delhi - Winner Ladies.
13. Feb 1995: Northern India Squash championship at New Delhi. - Winner Ladies
14.  Selected to participate in Fuji Film Hongkong Junior Squash open 1995, by the squash rackets association  of Maharashtra. Could not attend for want of funds which were to be borne by me.
15. Aug 1995:  Deolali open. Runner up
16. Sep 1995: King Fisher Queen Mumbai - Winner
17. Dec 1995: 42nd National championship New Delhi - Womens - II
18. Dec 1995: Attended National training camp.
19. Jan 1996: Selected to proceed with the National Team to Jordan for the 8th Asian senior squash championship from 8-18 Jan 1996 - Winner of the Classic Plate
20. 5 to 10 Feb 1996: Northern India Championship, New Delhi - Winner
21. 12 to 18 Feb 1996: DDA open championship, New Delhi - Winner Ladies
22. 6 to 11 Oct 1996: Seeded 10th in the World Qualifiers round & participated in World Women's Championship at Kuala Lumpur - Lost in IIIrd round
23. 14 to 19 Oct 1996: Asia Sugar Delhi State Championship, Delhi - Winner Ladies Event
24. 25 to 27 Oct 1996: King Fisher Tournament, Mumbai - Winner Ladies Event
25. 11 Nov 1996: Seeded 11oth in the World in Women's squash
26. 19 Nov to 24 Nov 1996: Banque Indo Suez Western India open Championship  - Winner
27. 25 Nov to 30 Nov 1996: Hongkong Bank Maharashtra State Open Championship - Winner
28. 16 Dec 1996: National Championship New Delhi - Runner up
29. 28 Dec 1996: Northern India Squash Championship, Delhi - Winner Ladies Event
30. 10 Feb 1997: Eastern India Squash Championship, Calcutta - Winner Ladies Event
31. 10 Mar 1997: 4th DDA Open Squash Championship New Delhi - Winner Ladies Event
32. 10 Mar 1997: Dhampur Sugar Mills Squash Championship, New Delhi - Winner Ladies Evnet
32(A). Jun 1996-1997: Videocon Squash Classic Winner Ladies Event
33. 20 Aug 1997: Malaysian open Championship Kuala Lampur - Winner of Woment Div II Event
34. Sept 1997: Milo National Open Kualalumpur Malaysia
55. Nov 2000: Winner Maharashtra State Open Championship.      
56. Jan 2001: Runner-up Senior Women’s Nationals  
 

Manish Choitrani

 

Age: 29 Yrs
National Ranking: 2 

Manish Chotrani, an immensely talented player, who began playing competitive squash relatively late, created a flutter when he won the Men’s nationals in 1999, at the age of 29. 

Superbly fit for his age and possessing a vast repertoire of strokes, Chotrani got the better of India’s only professional player, Ritwik Bhattacharya, nine years his junior, to claim the mantle of the country’s best squash player.   

However, Chotrani, who has to balance his game of squash with a successful business in garments, did not enjoy a very satisfactory 2000. In the Otters Club Open, the richest prize money tournament, Chotrani was afflicted by a stomach bug and though he made it to the final, he just did not have the legs to slug it out with Ritwik Bhattacharya. 

He did win the Maharashtra State Open Championships, but in the absence of Ritwik. In the final, Chotrani made a mockery of second seed Navneet Narain’s challenge, beating the Serviceman in straight games. 

Chotrani met his nemesis Bhattacharya in the final of the CCI Open, where he lost once again and Bhattacharya proved his complete domination over Chotrani by defeating him in four games in the final of the recently concluded Nationals.

Chotrani, however, still remains theleading squash player in Mumbai and a formidable force in the country.

1997 Runner up in Hongkong Bank open championship.
1997 Runner up in Maharashtra state open championship.
1998 Semifinalist in men’s national championship (Calcutta )
1998 Runner up in C.C.I squash open championship.
1998 Winner in Dewan Housing squash classic championship.
1998 Winner in Leela Squash Masters championship.
1999 Winner in men’s national championship (Chennai)
2000 Winner in Maharashtra State open championship.
 

Niraj Shirgaokar
 

Born on

25-02-1972

Plays at

Otters Club

First title

Otters home tournament-97

Semi Finalist

Junior National 1989.

Captain

Winning Maharashtra team 1997-98 & 1998-99.
Winning Bombay University team 1993-94 at Rurkee.

Runners-up

 

Winner

Bombay University Individual Championship 1993-94.

Finalist 

Pune Open -97, Dewan Housing-97

Countries played in

Singapore, Malaysia, U.K., UAE(Dubai)

Email ID

niraj.shirgaokar@bom1.siemens.co.in
 
Neerav Tomar

Delhi
Age:17 Yrs.
E mail: neerav_tomar@yahoo.com
Age group: U-17 / U-19
National Ranking: Indian rank-4
State Ranking: Delhi rank-2

Another Delhi player, whose rise has been steady through the junior ranks, but now seems to be losing focus.

When he won the Little Masters tournament in 1999, beating Junaid Nathani, who was playing at his best then, Tomar seemed on the right path, but 2000 has been a disappointing season.

He never seemed at the peak of his fitness and people who follow the fortunes of the young squash players in the country seem ready to write him off as a has been.

Achievements : 

  • 1999 Runner up in U-17 Malaysian MILO junior open championship.

  • 1999 Quarter finalist Malaysian junior open championship.

  • 1999 Runner up in U-17 Western India squash tournament.

  • 1999 Runner up in U-17 Maharashtra state open championship.

  • 1999 Winner in U-17 Little Masters Wellingdon sports club tournament.

  • 2000 Seventh position in U-17 Pioneer German open championship.

  • 2000 18th rank in U-17 Dutch open junior championship.

  • 2000 12th rank in U-19 ASF grand finalist championship.

  • 2000 Semifinalist in U-19 National championship.

Home