Press Reports (1993)


	Press Reports (1993)

2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996	2-11-1993 : Now the other side (Afternoon, Mumbai) 1-11-1993: Get the Facts Right (Afternoon, Mumbai)
	NOW THE OTHER SIDE
	AFTERNOON : 2-11-1993
	Harry Singh, President, SRAM, has made certain statements in his letter "Get the facts right" (published on November 1) which he has linked to me. Rather than be judge or jury, I have given herewith certain explanations and leave it for the public to decide on these matters. 1. Singh has suggested that Rs. 22,000, being the expenditure on the two 'Maharashtra teams that' participated at the 1992Nationals, are reflected in the 1992-93 SRAM accounts. I am a life member of the SRAM. As yet, I have not received theseaccounts. Perhaps they are coming by airmail, sea mail or Frontier Mail. 2. On Dev Malani's traveling to Madras on someone, else's ticket,Singh has NOT refuted this. Instead he says there is no means to verify this. There is reason to believe that ALL the tickets for the players we're booked together. Is Singh not aware of this? There was criticism about Malani being chosen for the team. In Madras,when some Maharashtra players told Singh that thethen SRAM secretary, Commander Krishnan was openly supportingthe Services team, ask him what he did? He wanted the boys to put it in writing, despite having heard it from senior players. Does the public know that Arjan Singh, the Services champion, has had support from the SHAM President?,Like help in becoming a member of the Professional Squash Association? Whatever happened to our Maharashtra boys? 3. Harry Singh suggests that Fali Madon should have objected to the date of last year's AGM and asked for it to be postponed.Why does he shirk the responsibility? Just prior to that, Singh had accepted "full responsibility" for running the matches against the senior team as pan of the preparation for the juniors who were off to Hong Kong. These matches were sponsored but no moneys were paid out. Singh has suggested that "the money was not his responsibility". Fali andAnanth Nayak met him for a particularpurpose. They gave him the papers on "doping control". The boys were-to leave for Hong Kong in a couple of days and nobody (including Singh) had come forward to enlighten themon this important issue. The AGM was discussed and both, Fali and Ananth confirm that Singh took it i upon himself to get the AGM push-.ed back. 4. Singh has accused me of saying, "Truth is not important;people will believe what I write". When you give the public the facts, it is for them to decide what is right and wrong. I have asked many a question of the manner in which the game is being conducted in Bombay and even in India. Let me share with you a recent happening. K.C. Mehra, the President of the SRFI, was in town. Harry Singh, Harry Melwani and 5. Rustom Dalal, a member of the SRAM, set up a meeting with Anil Nayar,Pali Madon and myself to discuss the NRISA. It was to be a case oflet bygones be bygones. Harry Singh has suggested that I apologised to him. He must have a good imagination. He says I accused him of taking money for the 1990 Inter-State. Please do look at the accounts. Someone has made an entry of "Manager's expenses for Inter-State, Rs. 12,000", or words to a similar effect. I asked Singh what it was about and he subsequently told me it was for him AND the team. It is difficult to comprehend what he is making all this fuss about. At the NRISA meeting, which if you care to check with Rustom Dalal,was to a certain extent brought about by me, Singh and myself shook hands. He agreed with Anil Nayar that the SRAM would back the scheme. When the boys came back from Seattle, the NRISA asked the SRAM if they could procure the courts for the juniors to train. He has a letter in "black and white to that effect and I don't know what else he is going on about. Singh did not reply for a long time. Eventually he did. He said that he had made commitments to the NRISA in a personal capacity!!. So now, there is a jokewhen people meet him — is it official or personal?? 6. Harry Singh has suggested that since he took over, the tournaments have increased. The Patel Masters was introduced last year, but it's been missing this year. Isn't it because of the controversy that it created? Chandrakant Pawar, the Otters Club Professional, is the man who has brought some life into the SRAM with new sponsor-ships. The SRAM can say what they like but it is Pawar who deserves the kudos. As for Harry Singh claiming that the SRAM got wide acclaim for the 1992 Asian ladies event, wasn't this the tournament when the medals fell off at the presentation ceremony? Wasn't this the event that our team got extra large tracksuits and told it was designer wear? Of course, such acts do need to be acclaimed. 7. Fali Madon has always called a spade a spade. He has told Harry Singh in no uncertain terms why he did not want to join the SRAM. Who wants to be made a laughing stock? A few days ago, the NRISA felicitated the sub-junior National. Champions. The boys deservedly got a splash in the press. What did the SRAM do for these boys, all of whom are from Bombay? Is it hot a fact that Harry Singh had strong words with a certain press reporter of a leading daily and told him what the paperhad done was wrong? When Meherwan Daruvala won the Arjuna award, the SRAM did not felicitate him. When the junior team (all Bombay boys) came back with the silver medal from the Asian at Singapore, the SRAM did not felicitate the boys. 8. Harry Singh has mentioned he nor the SRAM wish to resort to litigation. It is the players who should sue the SRAM for canceling events and making them suffer. Ask Meherwan. He came rushing back from Hong Kong to go to Calcuttathe next day and was shocked to learn the event had been cancelled. Hadn't he suffereda loss? With all these happenings, Singh says he wishes to restore the honour of theAssociation which has now been maligned in the sports world and the public in general.I shall let the public decide on whether it is the players who have suffered by this sing-song or whether it is Harry Singh who has to be garlanded for his efforts.

	GET THE FACTS RIGHT

	Afternoon (Mumbai): 1-11-1993.
	We refer to the article. 'Has the SRAM chief misused funds and authority?’ which appeared in your paper on Thursday, October 7th on page 23. We believe that this article is full of distortions and inaccuracies. In order to give you the correct picture I answer the said article issue by issue which it has raised. We have reasons to believe that the special correspondent of this article is Raju Chainani. 1. The accuracy of the accounts of SRAM (to represent Maharashtra in the Interstate Championship in Madras in Dec.1992.) SRAM has sent two teams comprising A and B teams consisting of a total of 11 players. Each player was entitled to Rs. 2,000/- towards his expenses. Hence the total cost for sending both the teams was Rs. 22,000/-. This is correctly reflected in the Income-Expense statements for the year 1992-93. 2. Did Dev Malani travel on someone else's ticket and is it a violation of the Airlines code? Since Dev Malani is abroad, we have no means to check or verify the statement. However SRAM is not responsible for the travel of the players. The players are free to travel by whichever mode they desire, as long as they report on the due date. It is also understanding after checking with a leading solicitor firm, that it is not a violation of the Airlines code and, in fact, in the recent crash in Bangalore, even the victims who had traveled on someone else's ticket were given compensation. However we are in no way stating that this is a proper thing to do but only trying to put things in the right perspective. 3. Whether I had met Fali Madon and Ananth Nayak before the junior team's tour of Hong Kong? If yes, what was discussed? I did meet Fali Madon and Ananth Nayak. They expressed a desire to have the AGM postponed since Fali Madon (a member of SRAM), was to undergo an operation during that period. After reflecting on this I called Nayak the next day and asked him to get in touch with Madon to ask him to speak to the then President as it would have been the proper thing to do. Incidentally Madon was also present when the date of the AGM was fixed and he could very well have raised his objection at that time. 4. Whether Fali Madon was subsequently approached to join SRAM? When Fali Madon was in hospital both I and Rustom Dalal visited him and offered to co-opt him into the committee. He agreed to think it over and subsequently refused the offer. 5. What transpired in the meeting with Anil Nayar? Yes, I met Anil Nayar and he was willing to let bygones be bygones. We agreed to work jointly to develop the game of squash. Fali Madon and Raju Chainani were present.Since Chainani had accused me of taking money from SRAM for the Calcutta Interstate 1990, I was not on talking terms with him. Madon told him that he should apologise to me 6. Has Bombay's squash suffered considerably because of SRAM? Prior to my election, SRAM had conducted three tournaments, Western India, Maharashtra State and Interclub. This was in the year 91/92. Since I took over, we have added the Patel and the Transworld Twin event. In fact the squash calendar extends to May when earlier it ended February/March. This year besides these tournaments, we are also organising the Presently SRAM is also conducting the team selection for the Asiad. For the first time more emphasis is given .to the role of professionals to raise the level of squash. 7. I have no squash qualification. I find this statement very strange. I have been playing squash at club level for 20 years. In my own humble way I believe in giving back to the game what I have got from it. I was of dedicated members like Aubrey Pereira, & Rustom Dalal, and others, the Club was able to produce National Champions. In fact in 1983, I as Squash secretary was lucky to In January 1992 when the Asian women’s championship was held in Bombay I was in charge of hospitality. The tournament received wide acclaim. 8. Mr. Fali Madon has been quoted as saying that he did not join SRAM as he could not trust anybody who had stabbed him in the back! I find this statement very strange. Even as recently as Sept. 4,1993. I had made plans to visit Otters Club to meet Rustom Dalal. It was to sort out certain squash matters. Also, Meharwan Daruwala and Chandrakant Pawar wanted to apply for the Chatrapati Shivaji Award. Rustom had also informed me, that S. Shirgaonkar wanted to meet me in connection with the juniors coaching, to my surprise Madon was also present. Rustom, Shirgaonkar, Madon and I discussed various matters. It was then Madon and Shirgaonkar brought to my notice that NRISA had approached CC1 for the use of the Squash courts and had been refused permission. They wanted SRAM to use .its good offices to obtain CCI’s permission. I told them to get a letter from the boys interested in the coaching so that I could approach CCI as the SRAM President. They agreed to get the letters. After that I have reminded Shirgaonkar but have yet to receive the letters. I wonder how I stabbed anybody in the back. I am writing this letter in order to seek justice. This article has hurt me both in my professional and personal capacity. The article implies fraud where none exists. I believe in doing the right thing. Neither my Association nor I wish to resort to litigation. However, the name of my association is at stake and I, as president, deem it imperative to restore the honour of the Association which has now been maligned in the sports world and the public in general.

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