Squash News 2008

• 19/10/2008 : SRFI gets lesson from Delhi High Court (19 Oct 2008, Pradeep Vijayakar,TNN)

• 19/10/2008 : HC allows NRIs to play in squash tournament 

• 05/10/2008 : Squash player with British passport moves court over curbs on playing (Article in Times of India, Delhi)

• 19/08/2008 : About a girl (Article in Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai)

• 19/08/2008 : Dipika ready to take on the World (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 18/08/2008 : ‘Saurav lacks court presence’ (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 17/08/2008 : Ritwik Roar (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 17/08/2008 : ON THE ROAD AGAIN (Article in Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai)

• 15/09/2008 : Saurav’s squashing success (Article in Times of India, 15th September 2008)

• 15/09/2008 : Dawn of the other SG (Article in Times of India)

• 15/09/2008 : Ghosal grabs biggest title of his career (Article in Mumbai Mirror)

• 01/09/2008 : Squash professional Faiz Mohammed passed away in Mumbai

• 12/09/2008 : Squashing the age barrier (Article in Times of India, Mumbai by Pradeep Vijayakar)

• 14/08/2008 : A tribute to God’s own  great man.... Gautam Thakkar (By Pradeep Vijayakar)

• 14/08/2008 : Goodbye dost! (Article in Mid-day : By Khalid A-H. Ansari)

• 14/08/2008 : Badminton ace Gautam Thakkar no more (Article in Mid-day : By a Correspondent)

• 14/07/2008 : Squashed Between Pleasure and Exercise (Article in Hindustan Times)

• May 2008 : Dipika Pallikal Desperate To Be Squash's Pinup Girl? (Article in Savvy Magazine)

• 03/05/2008 : Squash Observer Sacked for Speaking Truth (Article in Hindustan Times, Chandigarh)

• 24/04/2008 : Kuwait Open Squash Championship, Kuwait City, Kuwait (Source : www.worldsquash.org)

• 15/04/2008 : Two Cool Racqueteers (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 27/03/2008 : Joshna loses in final (Article in The Times of India, Mumbai)

• 24/03/2008 : No 'priority', SRFI sticks to old ways (Article in Hindustan times, New Delhi)

• 15/03/2008 : Gagged and squashed (Article in Hindustan times, Mumbai)

• 19/02/2008 : Jagtap claims French Junior title (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 19/02/2008 : Joshna Concedes semis tie (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 15/02/2008 : Fixing charges take sheen out of India’s Asiad bronzedd (Article in Hindustan Times, Mumbai)

• 14/02/2008 : Ghosal, Joshna advance; Ritwik bows out of Asian C'ship (Article in Hindustan Times, Mumbai)

• 01/02/2008 : Dipika ignored for Asian squash event (Article in DNA Sports, Mumbai)

• 31/01/2008 : Dipika ignored for Asian meet (Article in Hindustan Times, New Delhi)

• 15/01/2008 : Suchde Scores Maiden PSA Title In St Louis (Source : www.squashplayer.co.uk)

• 23/01/2008 : Fit Nandrajog back, is ready for the long haul (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 08/01/2008 : Reality check for Indian juniors (Article in Hindustan Times, Mumbai)

• 09/01/2008 : Joshna lauds Deepika’s feat (Article in Times of India, Mumbai)

• 07/01/2008 : Deepika wins British Junior u-17 title 

• 03/01/2008 : Indians play as the best stay away (Article in Hindustan Times, Mumbai)

SRFI gets lesson from Delhi High Court
19 Oct 2008, 1340 hrs IST, Pradeep Vijayakar,TNN
 

MUMBAI: The SRFI has had to eat the humble pie. Despite allowing several players with foreign passports, but Indian origin as Person of Indian Origin or Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) to participate in National Squash Championship and even represent India in International championships.

SRFI came up with a rule that players over 16 years of age would not be allowed to do so unless they hold an Indian passport.

Reportedly, this rule was invented to sideline players who had fallen out of favour like Cyril Kuhn who had trained with SRFI at their ICL Academy in Chennai but was tired of being a sparring partner for Chennai girl players as SRFI wanted, and Karm Kumar, because his father was asking for basic rights for all squash players - such as a national ranking system which SRFI has discarded to create ambiguity to favour Chennai based players.

Karm knocked the doors of Delhi High court. In a clearly worded order, Justice GS Sistani quashed the SRFI rule.

The key points of the order are: Foreign nationals have been representing India in various sports since long, even before OCI status being accorded to PIOs.

a) SRFI has allowed foreign nationals Under-16 from competing with their native Indian counterparts in State and National Championships suggesting parity.

b) Karm, albeit a foreign passport holder, has trained in India and won accolades for himself and his country of origin.

c) Any classification must be founded on intelligible criteria for distinguishing groups, and criteria must have rational nexus with object of classification. There is neither intelligible differentia nor rational object resulting from the impugned rule.

d) The contention put forth by SRFI that rule has been made to protect native Indian players against foreign nationals who have a relative upper hand does not impress.

e) The question is whether Sports Federation in absence of any uniform sports policy can pick and choose potential players for competitive sport - the answer is an emphatic no.

f) The impugned rule restricting foreign national is quashed.

g) Direction is issued to Government that such review, as contemplated by them, shall be done as expeditiously as possible and in the best interest of sports in the country.
 

HC allows NRIs to play in squash tournament
19 Oct 2008, 0058 hrs IST, Abhinav Garg, TNN

NEW DELHI: In a step which might inject a greater level of competition in Indian Squash, the Delhi High Court has thrown open the doors for foreign players of Indian origin to compete in the national championship. It has also directed the government to review why there is no uniform sports policy followed by the national sports federations "in the best interest of sports in the country.''

Allowing a plea filed by the father of 16-year-old squash player Karm Kumar, Justice G S Sistani recently knocked off the rule of Squash Rackets Federation of India which prohibited persons of Indian origin from participating in the national championship. "The question thus arises whether individual sport federations, in the absence of any uniform sports policy, can be allowed to "pick and choose'' potential players for competitive sports? The answer is an emphatic `No','' the high court ruled, saying this way a sport can be made more competitive and performance of the country can be improved.

HC took a dim view of arguments presented by the squash federation that unrestricted entry of foreign players would mean they, with superior training, would sweep all championships leaving local players stranded. "The contention that this rule has been made to protect interests of native Indian players against foreign nationals who have a relative upper hand, doesn't impress me. If Indian players can't compete against foreign nationals, they can't be expected to perform any better in the international arena,'' reasoned Justice Sistani, while quashing the rule.

The judge also took note that the "trend of foreign nationals representing India in national and international sports is not new.'' In his petition, Rahul Kumar, father of Karm K who represented India at the junior level in squash championships abroad challenged his prohibition from participating in selection trials for the Asian Junior Championship this year.

The reason for denying permission to Karm was cited as his holding a British passport by virtue of his father being born there. However, Karm himself was born and raised in the Capital.

Terming the rule discriminatory, Kumar, through his counsel Roma Bhagat, pointed out that it is because of such attitudes prevailing in Indian sports that India performs poorly in events like the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Arguing that the rule violated his son's constitutional rights, Kumar cited the case of Prakash Amritraj, a US citizen, who represents India in tennis.

On its part, the squash federation maintained such a rule was necessary to prevent migration of talented squash players from India to greener pastures abroad. It maintained that players below the age of 16 years generally followed the sport as a hobby, leaving the country for greener pastures abroad once they were trained.
abhinav.garg@timesgroup.com

INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE : 24/09/2008
 

All three local bids for success in the qualifying finals of the Internationaux de France failed as two Englishmen, one Indian and an Australian joined the main draw of the $62,000 5-star PSA Tour event in Paris - the first major squash championship to be held in the French capital since 1995.

France’s last hope for success in the Internationaux qualifiers was Mathieu Castagnet.  But the 21-year-old from Le Mans went down 11-3, 11-7, 11-7 to four-time Indian champion Saurav Ghosal, surprise winner of the Ornano International Open title in the French city of Bordeaux earlier in the month.

But Saurav lost to 3rd Seeded French player Thierry Lincou in a  easy 3 setter in round 1.

Round 1: Saurav Ghosal lost to Thierry Lincou (Fra) 2/11, 5/11, 9/11
Qualifying round 2: Saurav Ghosal ( Ind ) bt Mathieu Castagnet (Fra) 11/3, 11/7, 11/7  
Qualifying round 1: Saurav Ghosal ( Ind ) bt Jesse Engelbrecht (Rsa) 11/8, 7/11, 9/11, 11/3, 11/9

ABOUT A GIRL
Article in Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai : 19^th September 2008

16-year-old Dipika says she has no regrets for having to stay away from family and
friends to make her mark in the world of squash

JOSEPH KORAITH PLANNING your career is something which everyone thinks of at quite early an age these days. Your parents are a step ahead and some of them have planned the destination even before the kid is born. And this is no exaggeration. So while 16-year-old Dipika Pallikal’s parents would have thought of what they want their daughter to do, squash definitely wasn’t on their minds. In fact when she took up the game, her mother wasn’t too sure about her choice of sport. “When I took up squash, it came as a real surprise to my parents. Initially my parents didn’t have a clue about the sport. The turning point came when I won an inter-school tournament. That’s when my Mom got interested,” said Dipika who’s here in Mumbai to participate in the 33rd Bombay Gymkhana-HSBC Maharashtra State Open Squash Championships.

BY ACCIDENT

DIPIKA, who is India’s second-ranked women’s squash player behind Joshna Chinappa, took up the sport quite by accident though. “I started of by playing tennis for almost a year. One day a friend of mine (Pranita, for the curious ones) was going to play squash and I tagged along. I played it once and then just stuck on,” she said.

She has an interesting reason for not playing tennis though. “My grandparents didn’t let me play tennis because they felt that I would be spending too much time in the sun,” said Dipika with a smile.
Dipika remembers that, when she started out, it was the fact that she would keep winning all her matches which egged her on, “When I started playing the game I could any kid out there. It was a good feeling to be someone who could beat everyone. It was a rush.”

MOVING ABROAD

BUT WHILE she kept winning, she realized that with Joshna being her only true challenge in India, she had to look at training abroad where she could get better coaching and sparring partners.
Keeping this mind she moved based to Egypt where she has been training under coach Amir Wagih for the past two years.

Her focus is also on taking part in international tournaments. “I haven’t played a local tournament in the past 1 ½ years. I want to focus on international tournaments.

“In India the only competition I have is Joshna. So playing in the tournaments abroad makes more sense for my career,” said Dipika.

Ranked 57 in the world currently, Dipika wants to break into the top-50 and then work her way up the chart and she is ready to make the necessary sacrifices for it. “I have still not digested the fact that this is my career. Not doing my studies, staying away from my family, living in another country. It’s a whole new beginning for me. But I have no regrets,” said the teenager with a level head.

Dipika ready to take on the World
Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 19^th September 2008

Anupama Bagri | TNN

Two days shy of her 17th birthday, Dipika Pallikal is one of the youngest players on the Women’s Intern at i o n a l Squash Players Association (WISPA) Tour. Expectedly, life in the big league isn’t easy and the Chennai girl admits she is often tempted to play the u-19 circuit where she is the second best player in the world.

“It’s frustrating because I’m always losing in the WISPA events whereas I know I can win a lot of titles on the u-19 circuit. So, that temptation is always there but then my coach (Egyptian Amir Wagih) thinks the losses are going to make me tougher and in the end it’s the WISPA Tour that I have to excel in.

“I recently beat a couple of higher ranked players en route to making the final in Chennai, so it looks it’s just a matter of time before I start winning,’’ says the 57th ranked Dipika, who has been playing on the senior Tour since mid 2006.

The teenager, who arrived in the city on Thursday for the Maharashtra State Open, says she’s excited to be playing the World Open in Manchester next month. “When my mom sent my entry, I was like ‘what are you doing? It’s the biggest tournament and I’m going to feel so out of the league’. But I think taking part in the biggest events is what will help me. I’m just going to enjoying myself,’’ explains Dipika.

The second ranked Indian in the world behind Joshna Chinappa, Dipika is going to Chennai for a few days before leaving for London on Sept 24. She will be training with Saurav Ghosal and his British coach Malcolm Wilstrop for a month before the Manchester event kicks off on October 12.

If at 16, Dipika is comfortable competing with the best, Joshna says it’s only now that she’s ready to play her first World Open. “The last two years, I didn’t think I was ready to play the Worlds. I was more of a backhand player but now my forehand is more powerful. The drops were a weakness earlier which isn’t the case anymore. Also, I’m feeling a lot fitter these days. This season’s been good and I hope to keep it up,’’ says the 39th ranked Joshna.

‘Saurav lacks court presence’

Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 18^th September 2008

World No 11 Believes The Indian Can Be Bullied on Court

Anupama Bagri | TNN

TOUGH TALK: Malaysian champion Mohd Azlan Iskandar believes Saurav Ghosal can be tough for players ranked in the 40-50 bracket but isn’t strong enough to be among the top ten

Mohd Azlan Iskandar doesn’t believe in taking the easy route to success. In his ninth year on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) circuit, but without a title to boast of, the world No. 11 says he could win a 3 or 4 star event any day but that’s not what he’s aiming at. Azlan, the top seed at the Maharashtra State Open, says he doesn’t even feel tempted to win his maiden title unless it’s a major one. “I made the quarterfinals of the British Open and had three runner-up finishes this season which has helped me attain my career-best ranking of 11. “I’ve beaten the World No. 1 besides other top 10 players. At this stage, I can walk into a 4 star event and win it, but that wouldn’t help my game. I need to play the highest category tournaments and keep competing with the top 8 players to get better,’’ says the 26-year-old Malaysian, who arrived in the city on Tuesday night. Having beaten the best in business, what does he need to crack the top 10? “Consistency,’’ he replies. “After I beat the World No. 1, I got so excited that I couldn’t sleep that night. I just couldn’t concentrate on my match the next day and lost. This is where I need to improve, on my temperament,’’ adds Azlan.

Talking about Indian players, the Malaysian is impressed with Saurav Ghosal but doesn’t think the Kolkataborn 22-year-old is a top 15 player. “Saurav’s good but he’s physically not strong enough. He still doesn’t have presence on court. He can easily be bullied by the top guys. Anybody with a decent game and good work ethic can crack the top 30 (Saurav is No. 45) but to go higher you need something special,’’ explains Azlan.

Commenting on Saurav’s recent win in France, Azlan says the Indian is a tough opponent for players ranked around the 40-50 bracket. “He uses his game well and forces the opponent to play to his strengths. He’s a rally player and likes to play at a fast pace,’’ says Azlan.

The Malaysian, however, has tremendous respect for India No. 2 Ritwik Bhattacharya. “Luckily, I’ve never had a major injury so far. But the times when I’ve missed on a week’s action because of some niggle here and there, it’s been tough to come back and refocus.

“So, for someone like me it’s difficult to even imagine how after undergoing three knee operations Ritwik still manages to compete at the highest level. It just shows how mentally strong he is,’’ says Azlan, heaping praise on the former National champion.

RITWIK ROAR
Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 17th Sept 2008

‘I’m a much improved player now’ Anupama Bagri | TNN Mumbai: With a string of early losses and only one runners-up finish (at the Chennai Open in July) to show for this season, Ritwik Bhattacharya minces no words in saying “it’s not been a good year’’ for him. In the same breath, though, the 28-year-old reckons he’s playing better than in 2006, the year he attained his career-best ranking of 38. “After the injuries (he has undergone three knee operations in the last five years) I was forced to change my swing as I had to be lighter on my feet. When you are out of the circuit for long due to injuries, a lot of doubt creeps into the mind.

I have had very depressing days but now I’m back to full fitness.  “I’m still a little tentative on the backhand front corner, but on the whole, I’m a much improved player now. I’m hitting the ball better, getting good length and changing sides with greater ease now,’’ the winner of seven PSA titles told TOI on the sidelines of the Maharashtra State Open squash at the Bombay Gymkhana on Tuesday.

Ritwik, seeded second in the Rs 6 lakh tourney, says his immediate goal now is to break into the top 48 in the world, which would help him get direct entry in higher level tournaments. “Given my current ranking (58) I will have to qualify for the World Open in Manchester next month. I want to avoid playing qualifying rounds by the end of this season. I know I have the potential. I just need to figure out how to maximise it,’’ said the former National champion.

For long, Ritwik was the country’s best player, a title that now belongs to 22-year-old Saurav Ghosal. The first Indian to turn pro, however, says the healthy competition keeps him motivated to work harder. “Saurav is playing better than anyone else in India at the moment. We are as friendly as competitors can be. It’s nice to see even Siddharth (Suchde) play so well. We are all raising the bar for each other which is good for Indian squash. But, I want to be the top-ranked Indian again,’’ the player said.

Ritwik has started the journey on the right note. On Tuesday, he hardly broke a sweat in his opening round match, thrashing qualifier Ravi Pande 11-1, 11-4, 11-4. Although he hasn’t had much success against top seed and World No. 11 Mohd Azlan Iskandar of Malaysia, Ritwik is determined to turn the tables around this time in front of his home crowd. “A title here would give me a lot of confidence going into the World Open. I will be leaving for Manchester 10 days before the tournament starts to train with Peter Genever, who’s one of the top coaches in the world,’’ he said, before getting on the court for a hit with Iskandar’s compatriot and No. 3 seed Muhd Asyraf Azan.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Article in Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai : 17th Sept 2008     

“I want to get back to where I was (world no 38) and then take it from there. Once I get back there I will get entries into the main draw of bigger events,” said Bhattacharya.

“I am working on my footwork. I am moving much better and reading the game better too,” he added.

MUMBAI CHALLENGE

BHATTACHARYA, is here in Mumbai to play in the 33rd Bombay Gymkhana-HSBC Maharashtra State Open Squash Championships where he breezed through his first round against qualifier Ravi Pande in straight games 11-1 11-4 11-4.

The 29-year-old is the second seed here and has the world no 11 Mohd Aslan Iskandar, as his biggest threat for the title. “I have played him a couple of times. We have gone to five games but he has won it eventually.” An upset we shall cheer for.

Bhattacharya is currently training in India after a six-year stint in England. “Under Neil Harvey in England, I learned the nuances of the solid English game. It was an excellent experience. I am currently training under Ahmedabadbased Amit Chinai.

“With him I have been working on my swinging and movement. I also did training stints in Egypt to get an overall exposure. After six years in England, I needed a little but more open training.”

On the squash scene in India, Bhattacharya feels that the signs are positive with more and more kids taking to the sport, “There are more kids playing now. The base is much stronger and there is buzz about the sport. We have two players in the top 100 right now.

“It is being featured in the Asian Games. It can be said that it has become a priority sport from a level B sport.”

MORE INVOLVEMENT

BUT THE Squash Rackets Federation of India which governs the sport in India needs to play a more active role to promote the sport and attract players to take it up professionally feels Bhattacharya. “There are at least ten players in India who are active on the PSA circuit. But out of them 3-4 have gone abroad.

“The Federation needs to provide security to these players and prevent them from looking at greener pastures.”

“We should have a system in place where the top-10 players of the players feel secure about taking up the sport professionally.

“They should tie up with firms like ONGC who can employ these players. In that way the player doesn’t need to worry about his finances,” he said.

If all federations would be more pro-active, then we would be beating China hands down in producing Olympic medal hopes. If only. Meanwhile, all we can tell his squash fanatic is ‘Happy climbing Ritwik’.
 

Saurav’s squashing success Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 15th September 2008 Anupama Bagri | TNN Saurav Ghosal just cannot stop giggling. Little did the three-time National squash champion, who decided to put in his entry for a $15,000 PSA event in France only because he had never been to the beautiful country, think he would land up winning the biggest title of his career. The 22-year-old Kolkata-born player continued his aggressive play to score a hat-trick of upsets in the event when he stunned World No. 30 and No. 3 seed Davide Bianchetti of Italy 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 to win the Ornano International Open in Bordeaux on Saturday night.

The win gave Ghosal, ranked 45th, the fourth title of his career, the last one coming in Chennai this July. But the squash ace reckons the win in France is by far the biggest of his career. “I played this tournament only because it was held in France, a place I’ve never been to. Normally, in tournaments of this level I’m seeded fourth, but here I was sixth, which means had I lost before the quarterfinals, I would’ve lost ranking points. The draw also was very tough here but I didn’t really care about these things. I just wanted to see France. How was I to know I’ll end up winning my first PSA crown outside India. I’ve surprised myself,’’ a beaming Ghosal told TOI from his base in Leeds, England, on Sunday. Ghosal faced the toughest test in the quarterfinals where he toppled local guy and top seed Renan Lavigne 7-11, 15-13, 11-5, 11-5 in 63 minutes. The Indian then took out fifth seed Amr Swelim of Egypt, winning the 74-minute marathon thriller 10-12, 11-2, 11-2, 3-11, 14-12 to reach his sixth PSA tour final.

Ghosal carried the momentum going into the title round and outplayed Bianchetti, a veteran of 18 final appearances. The win was sweet revenge for the Indian who had lost their last meeting 1-3 in June 2006.

“A year ago, I would play well one day but struggle the next day. But thanks to my coach Malcolm Wilstrop and trainer Rob Wadsworth, my fitness has improved a lot. I’ve beaten three top players in as many days and yet my body is feeling fine. Also, these days I control the game better. Now I don’t keep running around the court so much, but instead focus on placement,” said Ghosal. anupama.bagri @timesgroup.com 

For long, one has been fervently hoping that he reaps fruits proportionate to his efforts. But in the tough world of pro squash that seldom happens. Players from other countries have such a headstart in the matter of training, infrastructure, physique, diet and sports medicine that the odds are always high against Indians. And Ghosal doesn’t have the big frame of some of the top-notchers.

Considering all that Ghosal has done well to win the Asian Games bronze and four PSA titles, the biggest of which came on Saturday.

Ghosal beat three men seeded higher and the World No. 27. Ghosal’s qualities are his never-say-die spirit. Pain doesn’t hamper him as he showed during the World team event in Chennai last year. He is game for a retrieving duel as Pakistani young gun Amir Atlas found out during the Asian juniors when Ghosal made him fight for every point.

Ghosal made a big sacrifice when he moved from Kolkata to Chennai to train at the ICL Academy. His father ensured a comfort zone by getting Ghosal’s grandparents to also shift to Chennai so that he wouldn’t feel lonely. When he won the National title recently, Ghosal dedicated it to his grandparents.

The results of the shift came in 2004 when Ghosal won the British Junior Open emulating Anil Nayar who won the Drysdale Cup in the 1960s when it was virtually the World Junior Championship.

Ghosal beat Egytpian Adel el Said who had ousted the top seed Khalid Atlas of Pakistan. His win over thirdseeded Pakistani Sharif Kamal had seen him display unbelievable speed of stroke, especially on the forehand.

R N Ghosal, the father who has been secretary of Calcutta Racquet Club, has been the inspiration for his son since 1995 when he first started playing.

Indian squash great Raj Manchanda had said Ghosal’s innovative play, married to greater experience would ensure he would make a mark on the PSA circuit. The veteran’s words have been prophetic as Ghosal has reaped the fruits of hard work at Leeds where he went for further studies and vindicated him with his Bordeaux show.  

SIXTH TIME LUCKY

CELEBRATING his sixth appearance in a PSA Tour final, the four-time Indian national champion faced third seed Bianchetti, the world No 30 and a veteran of an amazing 18 final appearances.

The pair last met in June 2006, but this time Ghosal was better prepared for his more experienced opponent.

“Saurav is playing his first year of full time squash after graduation and we are sure to see him improve his world rank rapidly,” said national coach Cyrus Poncha. Kudos to the spirited youngster for the result. IANS

Squashing the age barrier
Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 12/09/2008 
By Pradeep Vijayakar

Baaqer Shirazi is MD of Cole Paints and is a United Nations Development Organization corrosion expert. His busy work prevented him from competing in open events. He would only play the Bombay Gymkhana’s over-70 squash event and win it and also win the pentathlon which has table tennis, 100m run, badminton, football penalty kicks and tennis besides squash.

In sporting circles Baaqer was better known as state flyweight boxing champion, brother of national bantamweight champ of the 40s, Sadeq ‘Shy’ Shirazi and father of 1986 Seoul Asiad swimmer Reza and national butterfly and medley champ Moeen. Reza went off to Chicago. Moeen, after also studying abroad, however, came back to run the family business.

“That allowed me to play more squash and that’s why I can play this event,’’ said Baaqer.  

Squash professional Faiz Mohammed passed away in Mumbai

One of the country's most respected squash professionals, Faiz Mohamed passed away on September 1^st 2008. He was 72. Faiz and Shyamlal Verma were the two leading pros of the 50s and 60s.   

He was always the bridesmaid, seldom the bride. That’s been the fate of late  Faiz Mohamad in the professional’s events of the leading squash tournaments. That’s how he has set a record of 11 runners-up trophies in the CCI championships of Western India and a fair number in the National where Shyamlal Verma always used to come in his way.  

But for Faiz his main job was to teach people to play the game and not win titles. And if you take that yardstick, Faiz has been a winner all the way.  

He has been a great motivator for club players to take to the game and not give it up because of its toughness. Faiz began playing at the age of 14 under Jamal Din, the famous professional who was his brother-in-law. It was at the Kalyan British Club. Then he moved with him to the Deolali Officers Mess and finally to College of Military Engineering Pune . In1957, Jamal Din left for London and Faiz joined the Cricket Club of India.  

Good professionals were only a handful in the country and Faiz kept getting and accepting good offers, So he moved to the Navy in 1959 and in 1965 to the U. S. Club where he was head coach in squash, tennis and badminton, something of a Nasurullah Khan, the father of Rahmat Khan.  

Mahendra Agarwal, the founder of ISP, said:``For Faiz his main job was to teach people to play the game and not win titles. And if you take that yardstick, Faiz has been a winner all the way. His son Riaz, Shiraz & Aiyaz has been continuing his good work.''

A tribute to God’s own  great man.... Gautam Thakkar
By Pradeep Vijayakar : 14/08/2008 

Gautam Thakkar, vice-president of the Squash Rackets Association of Maharashtra, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 60 after a fourth-month battle with lung cancer. I saw him first in inter-collegiate matches. The University Stadium would be packed for a final between St Xavier’s and Sydenham. There would be Anil Mahesh, Atul Premnarayen, Deepak Premnarayen, Shirish Nadkarni on St Xavier’s side  cheered by the cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Ashok Mankad, Kailash Gattani, Milind Rege and on the Sydenham side players like  Gautam, Bharucha, Sarosh Shroff, among others. St Xavier’s usually won. 

When I got into journalism I always met him at the badminton events and he radiated charm all through. 

Gautam, a former Asian junior champion in 1965, didn’t  join any offcial associations as he had a dislike for politics in sport. But  when he came in contact with the squash fraternity, his outlook changed. As Mahendra Agarwal, former secretary of the Squash Rackets Association of Maharashtra , said:`` Gautam supported my venture, the  Indian Squash Professionals. And his friends like Khalid Ansari, Shrikant Ruparel, Sumed Shah, Sanjeev Saran  were also around. And he agreed to be the vice-president of SRAM.  He would have been  the next president.’’ 

Thakkar, was one of the most handsome players to grace Indian badminton and ever-smiling. 

He  was National boys singles and doubles champion in 1963 his partner being Atul Premnarayan. The year Dinesh Khanna won the Asian senior title at Lucknow in 1965,  Gautam won the Asian juniors crown beating a Thai opponent. He was Maharashtra state champ for six years in the row in the 60s. He used to partner the all-time great Nandu Natekar and later Asif Parpia and married another player Gopika Saran. They had three sons.

On retirement Thakkar served as president of Badminton 45 an organisation of veterans which honours the sport's achievers every year. He was also a former president of Bombay Gymkhana, where he played practically every day till five  months ago with the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Gulam Vahanvati, and Dr Ajit Pai, obsterician gynaecologist. 

 Dr Pai said:``Our foursome played for exactly 20 years from 1988 practically every day from three to four p.m. Gautam used to be fidgety if anyone of us did not turn up by 3.55 p.m. Gavaskar would be his partner. He played till the day it was detected he had cancer of the lung in March-end. His blood reports had come clear.'' 

Vahanvati, who followed Thakkar as Bombay Gymkhana president, said:``When Gavaskar was away I would partner Gautam.'' 

Said Gavaskar in a message from London : ``Gautam was in the same school  as us-- St Xavier’s Dhobitalao. He was our hero. We would run to watch him play badminton. He was all elegance on the court and off it he was even more so. I got to know him better only after I became a member of the Bombay Gymkhana . He knew my love for badminton and so we started playing to try and put away the flab. Not that he needed to, since he remained slim throughout. Having him as my partner meant that most of the shuttles would come to me, the weak link in the partnership and that 's what I wanted as it meant more exercise. Every afternoon from Monday to Friday whenever I was in Mumbai we would play with Dr Ajit Pai and  Ghulam Vahanvati.  He would be the one to call up and check whenever I returned from a trip and would have a hearty laugh when I told him  `Yes, I will be there at 3 pm'. Why 3 pm ?  we were asked often? It was simply because when we started way back in 1988 by 3.30 pm there would be the schoolboys from Cathedral who would come for a game and the rule is that if somebody is waiting then as soon as your game is done you vacate the court. So we didn’t want to play just one game and then sit out so we decided to start at 3 pm which ensured that we got two games on the trot. Of course nowadays there is hardly anybody there even at 4.30 pm….. 

`` Gautam  was also the one to call up all the group of our Saturday Club which met for lunch mostly at Bombay Gymkhana but occasionally at Willingdon or CCI . He was fond of the good things in life, loved his Bacardi and the crab at Trishna was his  special favourite. Once there he would invariably pull the legs of those serving all the time saying that this was not hot or that was not done properly. They loved him there… 

``In December he brought forward his 60th birthday party because I was leaving for Australia and when I came back he excitedly told me about his executive  medical check-up and how all was great but he had to have a chest x-ray done. Alas, he  came back with the dreaded news.I  told him it was my fault.  All these years we would go to our friend  Dr. Nathwanis for our executive medicals together where after taking the first blood  sample we would go down to get the chest x-rays done before coming back up for the other samples. The last two years due to my travel we couldn’t do the medicals together and so he got it done from home instead of the clinic and didn’t get the chest x-rays done.He laughed it off saying that it was `naseeb’… 

``Yes, it is our bad `naseeb’ that  Gautam  is no longer with us. He was not just a dear dear friend but more like an elder brother. Rest in Peace, partner and bhaijaan.’’’ 

Khalid Ansari, another close friend,  wrote from Beijing :``The expression `Those whom the gods love, die young’  was coined expressly for the likes of  Gautam Thakkar. Gautam was the epitome of good grace and sportsmanship. Superbly fit until the end, Gautam played badminton regularly at the Bombay Gymkhana, with his good friend and doubles partner Sunil Gavaskar, until three months before his death. All those who came in contact with him could not but be captivated by Gautam’s  warmth and sincerity and delighted by his infectious, puckish sense of humour.A sincere friend, Gautam was Mr. Reliable, unfailingly dependable and always willing to go the extra mile to help the deserving and those close to him… 

``Gautam had innumerable acquaintances, but ‘dost’ and ‘partner’ were his favourite terms of reference for his close-knit circle of friends (Nandu Natekar was among them), whom he chose with rather exaggerated circumspection.I had the good fortune to be considered a ‘dost’ by Gautam for 35 years going back to our cricketing days at the Rotary Club of Bombay Mid-Town and the Bombay Gym managing committee down to the SRAM, over which he would have presided in the very near future… 

``Saturday afternoons with Gautam at the Gym as members of the exclusive Saturday Club (which he founded) were an unfailing recipe as much for uninhibited hilarity as for serious food for thought and discussion of the world’s problems. Gautam’s distinguished good looks, his immaculate dress sense and gentle demeanour bring to mind the expression: Handsome is as handsome does…. 

``There was much more than good looks to Gautam: His humane nature was exemplary. And, his services to sport, in general, and Mumbai sport, in particular, invaluable. To that extent badminton and squash have been orphaned.Goodbye dost. Your loss is unbearable. We will miss you. May your soul rest in peace.’’ 

International badminton player Uday Pawar said:``Gautam  was the business partner of my dad and later me. When he parted ways last April it was a seamless one and on the best terms. He was like a dad for my son Anand and trustee of my Uday Pawar Badminton Academy .'' 

 Former Mumbai cricketer Milind Rege said:``He was our hero at St Xavier's High School. Later when we went to St Xavier's College Gautam went to Sydenham and the matches between the two colleges would draw a packed house at the University Stadium.'' 

Ramesh Chadha, another badminton veteran said:``He was an artistic player. It was sad he could not rise to international play at senior level. India was strong then with the likes of the Ghosh brothers, Suresh Goel, Dinesh Khanna.’’ 

Bharat Raut, a player of Sydenham  and Bombay Gymkhana member, recalled:``I was always there at his matches. And when he played in the Western India he invariably came up against Denmark champ  Erland Kops in the semifinal and he would lose but with a fight. Kops  would then battle with Nandu Natekar.’’ 

Sanjeev Saran, a sports promoter, said:``He was my best president at Bombay Gymkhana supported all that that I did.’’ 

 Pramod Khanna, another member and president of the Indian Rugby Union, said:`He was a great chap to have around, always full of life.’’

Goodbye dost!
Article in Mid-day - By Khalid A-H. Ansari : 14-08-2008 

The expression "Those whom the gods love, die young" was coined expressly for the likes of former Asian junior badminton champion Gautam Thakkar, who passed away after a brief illness, stoically borne, in Mumbai. A former President of the Bombay Gymkhana and Vice-President of the Squash Racquets Association of Mumbai (SRAM), Gautam was the epitome of good grace and sportsmanship. Superbly fit until the end, Gautam played badminton regularly at the Bombay Gymkhana, with his good friend and doubles partner Sunil Gavaskar, until three months before his death. All those who came in contact with him could not but be captivated by Gautam's  warmth and sincerity and delighted by his infectious, puckish sense of humour. A sincere friend, Gautam was Mr Reliable, unfailingly dependable and always willing to go the extra mile to help the deserving and those close to him.

WILL BE MISSED:  Gautam Thakkar

Friends aplenty

Gautam had innumerable acquaintances, but 'dost' and 'partner' were his favourite terms of reference for his close-knit circle of friends (Nandu Natekar was among them), whom he chose with rather exaggerated circumspection.

I was privileged to be considered a 'dost' by Gautam for 35 years going back to our cricketing days at the Rotary Club of Bombay Mid-Town and the Bombay Gym managing committee down to the SRAM, over which he would have presided in the very near future.

Saturday afternoons with Gautam at the Gym as members of the exclusive Saturday Club (which he founded) were an unfailing recipe as much for uninhibited hilarity as for serious food for thought and discussion of the world's problems.

Gautam's distinguished good looks, his immaculate dress sense and gentle demeanour bring to mind the expression: Handsome is as handsome does.

There was much more than good looks to Gautam: His humane nature was exemplary. And, his services to sport, in general, and Mumbai sport, in particular, invaluable. To that extent badminton and squash have been orphaned.

Goodbye dost. Your loss is unbearable. We will miss you. May your soul rest in peace. 

By: KHALID A-H ANSARI

Nandu Natekar: "We were eager to meet him after learning about his illness, but he kept everyone away. Probably, he did not want us to see him suffering. We kept a track of his health through common friends though," said former badminton great Nandu Natekar from Pune.

"It is a big loss for Mumbai badminton. He could have played longer but I think he gave up early to look after his family business," added Natekar.

UDAY PAWAR: Former international Uday Pawar said, "He was a behind-the-scenes worker. He would quietly go about doing his bit for badminton."

Thakkar helped Pawar to set up his badminton academy at the Andheri Sports Complex. "He always worked for the upliftment of the sport," he said.

MANOHAR GODSE: Thakkar was not an aggressive player, similar to his nature, said former player and well-known coach Manohar Godse. "He had a simple game, but was very stylish. He was a handsome man too. "He was very jovial, the heart of every gathering," recalled Godse, who only two weeks ago, sent him a 'get well soon' card. 

SANJIV SARAN : Sports promoter Sanjiv Saran said Thakkar did his best to promote sports at the Bombay Gymkhana and was known for his " transparency and excellent work delegation skills."

Source : http://www.mid-day.com/opinion/2008/aug/140808Gautam-Thakkar-epitome-good-grace-sportsmanship.htm 

Badminton ace Gautam Thakkar no more
(Article in Mid-day : By a Correspondent : 14/8/2008)

The badminton fraternity mourned the death of former Asian junior badminton champion Gautam Thakkar (61), who passed away yesterday.

"We were eager to meet him after learning about his illness, but he kept everyone away. Probably, he did not want us to see him suffering. We kept a track of his health through common friends though," said former badminton great Nandu Natekar from Pune.

"It is a big loss for Mumbai badminton. He could have played longer but I think he gave up early to look after his family business," added Natekar.

Former international Uday Pawar said, "He was a behind-the-scenes worker. He would quietly go about doing his bit for badminton."

Thakkar helped Pawar to set up his badminton academy at the Andheri Sports Complex. "He always worked for the upliftment of the sport," he said.

Stylish

Thakkar was not an aggressive player, similar to his nature, said former player and well-known coach Manohar Godse. "He had a simple game, but was very stylish. He was a handsome man too.
"He was very jovial, the heart of every gathering," recalled Godse, who only two weeks ago, sent him a 'get well soon' card.

Sports promoter Sanjiv Saran said Thakkar did his best to promote sports at the Bombay Gymkhana and was known for his " transparency and excellent work delegation skills."

Source : http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/aug/130808-Badminton-ace-Gautam-Thakkar-no-more.htm 

SQUASHED BETWEEN PLEASURE AND EXERCISE
Article in Hindustan Times, Mumbai : July 14, 2008

Parambir Singh Additional Commissioner of Police,  Anti Terrorism Squad, Mumbai

Mumbai has a tradition of excellence in playing squash. But while it may be the ideal half-hour workout for some, you need to be careful about certain things if you want to play this all-weather sport.  After I moved to Mumbai, I became a member of the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and that was when I took to squash. A racket sport, squash is a high-impact and swift game played with a small, hollow and squashable rubber ball. It is played by two (or four in the case of doubles) players in a walled-in court.    I have got better at it, I won the Mumbai Open Squash Doubles Title in 2005 at Khar Gymkhana and represented the CCI in a inter-club tournament last year.  What struck me and got me hooked to it was the fact that this sport, which allows for high-impact exercise, lets me get in a good workout even if I don’t spend much time on it. Even half an hour gives me a solid cardio workout.

So even if I had no more than 30 minutes for it on a given day (and three were so many of them when I used to be with the Crime Branch), I could actually get in enough exercise. In one hour of squash, a player may burn approximately 700 to 1,000 calories, much more than most sports. Realizing why it could do a world of good, many of my colleagues took to the game. 

Squash is an all-weather sport. You can play it ensconced in the safety of the walled-in court. You can play it at any time of the day. All you need is access to a court. 

It is said that squash was developed at a boarding a school in England in the early 19^th century when boys discovered that puncturing a ball caused it to squash when hitting the wall, and allowed for a greater variety of shots. 

The sport is simple. Players tend to warm up balls by bouncing them on the ground prior to play. As a rally progress, play is complicated as the ball usually becomes hotter and faster. 

Coloured dots on the ball indicate its bounciness level and the standard of play for which it is suited. So a double yellow ball is extra super slow and of very low bounce; a yellow ball is super slow and of low bounce; and a blue ball will be fast, meaning very high bounce. 

The players take turns hitting the ball against the front wall (called “rallying”). The ball may be volleyed (hit while in the air) or hit after its first bounce and before the second continues until a player is unable to return his or her opponent’s shot or make a mistake. 

Rallies between experienced players may involve 30 or more shots. This is why a player has to be very fit –he needs to be able to retrieve his or her opponent’s shots. 

Mumbai was once renowned as the hub of the sport. It had world-class events and a flourishing local circuit. Even today, Mumbai has a large number of tournaments. 

The passion for the game can be seen in the attitude of the players and their coaches. It helps that world-class coaches provide training at CCI, Bombay Gymkhana and at camps organised by Indian Squash Professionals, an NGO that aims to promote squash in the country. The Mumbai Police too has excellent facilities at the Police Gymkhana on Marine Drive, where coaching camps are organised. 

Many teenagers in the city are now opting for squash over football as they prefer the high-speed sport. A lot of talented young players have emerged from the Jindal Academy. 

The Andheri-based Indian Squash Professionals is helping promote the sport’s cause by organizing tournaments. Since 1993, the NGO has organised 57 tournaments and 16 free coaching camps across India. The NGO also facilities training of top players by foreign coaches. 

However, a word of caution for all players and all aspiring players: this is a very high-impact sport and players are highly prone to injuries. I almost lost my left eye recently since I was not wearing proper protective gear. It is essential that all players wear the essential gear in order to avoid any accidental injuries.

DIPIKA PALLIKAL DESPERATE TO BE SQUASH'S PINUP GIRL?
Article in Savvy Magazine, May 2008

SQUASH PRINCESS

“FROM the time I have known Dipeka Pallikal, first as a bubbly little girl and now as a highly focused teenager, I’ve seen in her the makings of a truly professional sportswoman. She has the ability, poise, confidence and glamour to excel on the international stage and convert her prowess at squash into a major sports marketing asset. I have no doubt that she will make it, and I wish her well.”

-Raj Rajamahendran, Chairman/MD, The Capital Maharaja Organisation Ltd, Sri Lanka, is a one of Dipika’s sponsors 

“I HAVE known Dipika for the last couple of years now and in my opinion, she is not only an extremely talented squash player but also a great kid! She Handles herself very well on and off the squash court, and that is evident as she has more friends on Facebook than any other person I know. We as a trust have big dreams for Dipika and feel that she is on the right track to achieve more laurels.She has immense talent and is now focusing on establishing herself on the WISPA (Women’s International Squash Professionals Association) circuit. She started the year by creating history, and we feel this is just a stepping stone towards even greater achievements in the future”-Manisha Malhotra is CEO, Mittal Champions Trust 

“I HAVE known Dipika for over three years now. It is impressive to see how she has taken her game to the next level consistently and constantly. Winning at the highest level, and yet not getting complacent – that’s Dipika! A fighter through and through, she has everything it takes to be a champio.” – Mahesh Bhupathi (Globosports) manages Dipika’s career. 

I BELIEVE  

They call me the glam doll of squash in India. I’ll say, I’m 16, fun loving, and yes, it feels great to be World No 1 (in ‘Under 17’) in squash. The biggest names in the game have predicted HUGE success for me. Givena good day, I can beat the best of best. Unfortunately, plotics, an intergral part of Indian Sports, has affected my career. But I have confidence in myself and have proved myself time and again…

I was born in Chennai, we are Malayali Christians. My dad Sanjeev Pallikal runs his own business ‘Reach Management Consultancy’, which has 10 branches across the world and my mum Susan Pallikal, was a cricketer in her her days. She now runs a travel agency called ‘Travel Masters India.’

We are three siblings; and II am the youngest. My eledest sistteeer Divya works for the company KPMG and is also studying for her CA. My second sister Dia is doing her masters in graphic designing in Leeds, UK. And my mom always teases us by referring to the three of us as ‘D d d’, which according to her stands for donkeys. But on a serious note, all our names- Divya, Diya and Deipika – mean ‘light’.

I basically come from a sports background. My grandma was a state level athlete. She represented Kerala in javelin and was also a state level sprinter. My grandpa was a very talented state level basketball player. He represented three states in basketball – Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Now you know where my talent comes from. Well, this is not all. My paternal grandfather, who was a colonel in the army, was a great athlete excelling in long jump and triple jump.

And my mom, popularly known as Susan Lttycheria during her cricketing days, played for India. She was one of the best all rounfers the country had. She excelled in bowling, middle order batting and fielding. She was called the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ by her colleagues Behroze and Diana Edulji. She was also chosen as the captain of the Indian team for the World Cup played in India. Though a male dominated sport, she and her teammates Shantha  Rangaswamy, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Sudha Shah, Fowsieh Khaleeli and Diana and Behroze Edulji enjoyed the game, and they played as well as the guys their age. The sport was tough, but they were tougher.

At the age of 19, mom along with 12 other cricketers, formed what was called ‘India Club’, which was like a players association. They would approach sponsors for money, travel to places like Amsterdam, West Indies and the UK, organize matches in each of these places on their own  and play. They would tour and play friendly matches in all these places. Mom, without a doubt, is a major source of inspiration to me.

My school in Chennai Later, I shifted to the  Good Shepherd School, and studied there till the ninth standard . I then moved to lady Andal School because they had a proper sports curriculum there. School days were a lot of fun, especially at the Good Shephered School. I had a bunch of friends who were absolute nerds and since I was not too keen on studies, I would feel quite out of place in this group. Nevertheless, we had great times together.

I discovered squash at the age of 10. Before that, I played tennis a lot. But one day, Praneeta, my neighbor, asked me if I would be interested in going for a summer camp where they were having squash classes. That’s how I started playing squash. Praneeta and I were really close till I was 12 and then Praneeta left for Singapore. It was very hard on me, especially since we used to spend a lot of time together-cycling and playing. Even today, Praneeta is my closest friend and her name comes first in my Facebook group.

Once I got the taste of squash, there was no looking back! I loved playing the game. I had so much to look forward to-smart new clothes, good shoes, my hair tied differently (I had long hair as I was learning classical dance too then, which I later gave up), and most of all beating the boys in the 9-point practice game. So I never missed even a single practice session.

And I think the glamour of it all and the handsome boys just motivated me to play on! Initially, I never used to like boys but when I started playing squash and got my first cell phone, I started hanging out with boys too. Now if you ask me about boyfriends/crushes, well, let me tell you that there’s nothing very serious, I’m just living a normal teenager’s life!

Back to my squash, I first started training with coach Hari Om Tripati. He is the one who taught me how to hold a racket right. The first tournament I participated in was the Indian Junior Nationals in 2002, which is the biggest tournament in India, and I won that! I became the national champion at the age of 11, and from then on, I knew squash was my game. I was not even seeded. I was a new face on the circuit. But if you win the Nationals, you automatically become No1 in the country. That was a proud moment for me.

Squash champ Joshna Chinnapa was a very good friend of my sister’s. Through my sister, Joshna and I became good friends. I then became a member of the India Cements Squash Academy (run by the Squash Rackets Federation of India) to train professionally. It was tough training at the Academy. A great deal had to be sacrificed –no sweets, no chocolates, no getting up late, but let me tell you a little secret, I had my way most of the time. Being the youngest in the family, my parents did pampered me a lot-I don’t remember what I haven’t got in life.

Anyway, I went on to win a lot of national and international titles after that. Over the last five years, I’ve won the German Junior Squash Open followed by the Belgium, Scottish, Australian Open, Dutch Junior Open, Asia Junior Individual Chaimpionship Singapur, Pioneer Open at Cologne, Noric Junior Open at Sweden among many other national titles between 2003 and 2007. Squash became, and is, the center point of my existence.

But I did go through my share of trials and travails in my sporting career. At the India Cements Squash Academy, I became very close to the people in the academy like Cyrus Poncha, the national coach, and Major Mannaiam, the Asian Federation’s Technical Director. But suddenly, I got news that I was not picked for the team for the Asian Games in Doha. Earlier they had sent me a letter stating that if reached the top two in the country, Ti would bes

Automatically picked, two weeks before getting the letter, I had played against Joshna Chinappa and was declared the runners up. But supposedly, being a government organization, they had picked the team one month before an I wasn’t elected!

If you want to play squash in India, you have to be with the Academy, but since they treated me badly, I didn’t want to be with them. But I didn’t really have a choice as I was under a contract till January last year. So I went off to Egypt without telling the Academy. Egypt in known for the best squash players in the world. My mother approached coach Amir Wagi who is an Egyptian and who was the coach of the Kuwaiti national team. I met him at an Asian event. The first time he saw me, he said, ‘this girl has talent and if she trains well, she will do well’.

At that time, I was also pretty frazzled with the national tournament. It was really weird because the first year I won, and the next few years, I lost. It was so jinxed, every time I was 2-0 up, I knew I would screw up. I knew something would go wrong. The refereeing was rigged – I used to play with this other Chennai girl (I am not naming her), and the Academy was always on her side. That’s how the sports arena is, full of politics.

Once I shifted to Egypt, I gained more confidence because I knew I was so much better than that Chennai girl. In the beginning, I was nervous that they would rig the match. But myt coach would tell me to stop worrying about these things and concentrate on the game. And, that is what I believe in now! Know I have so much talent and I should not be worried about other things.

Even though I was in Fgypt, my studies were not really affected. At lady Andal, all the notes were available on the internat, which made it very easy for me and the principal was also very supportive. I don’t go to school half the time but I come back for the exams 

I have been training in Egypt for the past two years. Before the British Open (Janusry 2008), I trained really hard for about one month and injured my back too. I had never trained so hard for a tournament before and the British Open is as big as Wimbledon. The injury happened when I was playing with a boy and he, by mistake, whacked me on my back with his racket. After that I couldn’t walk for two days. My mom said, ‘The British open is a big thing for you but you have many years ahead of you and you don’t have to push yourself’. 

Despite my injury, I played the British Open because I had sent my entry, and it was my last year to play for ‘Under 17’. My first really tough match was the quarterfinals where I played Laura Gemella from Canada who was No. 1 there. I qualified for the finals for the first time in five years. Squash players Saurav Ghosal, who was there too, gave me tips which helped a lot. The girl played in the finals, Heba from Egypt, was the one who had won the British Open successively for five years. 

On the day of the finals, my mom told me, just go and play your best. I went on the court, won the first game, lost the second, won the third and lost the fourth. It was a close match but I made it up by winning the next few points. And finally. I won the game! I was so delighted that I threw my racket in the air with joy. The British open is one of the biggest tournament and only Saurav and Joshna had won it before. And I had actually won it! I was overjoyed! I could see Saurav and my sister jumping in the audience. I had never thrown my racket like that, not my style. Even if it falls down ny mistake, I take it and kis it, but this was a different high altogether! 

Usually, people party after winning the British Open but I slept unusually early that night. The next morning, congratulatory calls poured in from all over. But I didn’t hear from the federation, which really hurt. The Federation also dropped me from the Asian Seniors this years, which was in February in Kuwait. I was doing my physiotherapy during the trails. So I sent them a letter saying. ‘I won’t be able to come for the trails because of this but if you want me to come, I will’ when the selected list was out, my name was not in it, and that’s how I found out that I was not in the team even after winning the British Open! 

My father said he would file a case. I told him there was no use filing a case. Joshna had filed eight cases against the Federatiom, and it did not get her anywhere. But still my dad went ahead and filed case. He is not fighting just for me but a lot of other people who suffer because of the Federation. His two contentions are: there should be proper selections and there should be a proper ranking system in India. 

I have currently shifted base to Kuwait and signed a contract with the Qadsia Club, which is the best club in Kuwait. I also got and offer to sign a contract with the Qatar Squash Federation saying that they will give mea passport and a million dollars to play for their country. But since I’m and Indian first and I only want to represent my country, I declined the offer. 

I am happy the Federation has chosen me for an Asian event this year.  I’m also preparing for the British Open Seniors, and the WISPS (Women’s International Squash Professional Association) tournaments in Malaysia and Vietnam. 

But after winning the British Open, everything has changed.  The Mittal Champions Trust now funds my training and travels, and Mahesh Bhupathi’s Globosport manages my career.  It feels great to be World No.1 in the ‘Under 17’ age group. 

But it’s tough too.  I stay out of the country for almost eight months in a year.  I miss my family, but most of the times, my mother travels with me.  And when I’m goint to a country where I can shop a lot, I coax my father into coming along so I can bully him more than my mom. 

As for life beyond squash, I finished my boards this October and am in the 11^th now, so I am taking it a bit easy now.  Otherwise, I am lime any other normal teenager.  I love dressing, and make it a point to look my best always.  My nails are a very important part of me, I love dressing them up.  Shopping for the latest trends in clothes – ‘Mango’, ‘Guess’, ‘Forever 21’ – when I travel is an obsession.  My weakness though is spending too much.  Well I am not into partying for the moment, but I will, my squash permitting, be a party animal soon. 

I have also been approached by the Tamil film industry and even sat through a story session with actor Madhavan over coffee.  But my father did not agree because he feels I have a bigger responsibility of winning more titles and laurels for the country.  Which is fine by me – squash is my priority love and life! 

My main ambition in life is to have successful squash career and a relaxed modeling career, and excel in both! Yes, I have a thing for modeling.  Both may seem tough but I have the faith and ‘Faith and Impossible’ don’t go together.  I have a tough mind and a strong will.  I believe in never giving up.  It’s a tough world out there, but you can overcome it…

Life is short, Play it till you win !

Click below for the enlarged view of the scanned articles

Squash Observer Sacked for Speaking Truth 
Article in Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, May 3, 2008

SHOCKING As it may seem that while the new Sports Minister, M.S. Gill has taken a serious view of the observations made by the government observer (GO) on women’s hockey regarding the poor fitness of players during the Olympic qualifier’s in Kazan (Rusia), another GO in another sports discipline has been shown the door for calling a spade 

Six times national champion and the government nominee for squash- a priority sports now- Brig Raj Manchanda has been told his services are no longer required. A terse two lineletter written by deputy secretary, Government of India. Deepika Kachhal, says; “I am directed to inform you that Brig Raj Manchanda will no longer be the government observer in the discipline of squash.” 

Even more shocking is the fact that this is the same GO, who was given a pat on the back by the Ministery just a forthnight back. In his letter to the controversy ridden Squash Racquet Federation of India (SRFI), the Ministry director Joe Sabstian had said on April 4. “I would like to bring to your notice that Brig Raj Manchanda has been repeatedly reporting that SRFI is not selection trials and events. 

The government observer is the representative of this ministry and the national sports federation (NSFs) are obliged to inform the GO aboutselection Committee meetings and important national and international events, “Sebastian said in his letter addressed to SRFI secretary general N. Ramchandran. 

In fact, the Ministry has quoted extensively from Manchanda’s scathing report on SRFI in its submissions to the delhi High Court recently in the squash players Deepika Pallikal vs Union of India& others case. 

Manchanda has pointed out in his report that for opportunity was not being given to deserving players. He has highlighted scores of anomalies over the years in selection procedures for major international events like Asian and World championships.

He also raised a big question mark over the 2006 Doha Asian Games bronze medal won by Saurav Ghosal. 

HT had carried a report titled “Doha Asian Games bronze medal fixed?” on February 14 this year highlighting the fact that the Games draw could have been manipulated to ensure India a medal, Only a couple of mo9nths back, Insi’s World no.1 ranked player in the U-19 category and British Open champion Deepika Pallikal was ignoredfor the Asian in Kuwait. 

Manchanda had written in his report, “The main aim of SRFI appears to be to promote the Indian Cement Ltd Academy players with a condition that they obey at their diklats, right or wrong, ethical or notat the expense of players from the rest of India.

Apparently those players having a mind of their own and having different views, also quickly get into the ‘outsider’ category. India No.1 Joshna Chinappa and Deepika Pallikal are the blatant examples of this discrimination. 

There are quite a few other examples of discrimination and suppression, of losser players. That does not make those any less poignant since talent was nipped in the bud

Now the Gossacking has come just five days before the trials for the Asian Junior championship (in Korea-June) and world junior championships (Switzerland July), Government guidelines say it is mandatory for the GO to be present at the trails. 

Interestingly, what would be the ministry’s take on the submissions made to the High Court in the above mentioned case in the aftermath of the sacking of Manchanda. Will they withdraw the submissions?                                                                                

While M.S. Gill did not take calls despite repeated attempts, the misistry’s join secretary in Jeti Srinivas phone was switched off. Secretary (Sports) S.K. Arora declined to comment on the issue “No comments,” he said.

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Article in Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, May 3, 2008
Article in Hindustan Times, Delhi, May 3, 2008
Article in Hindustan Times, Calcutta, May 3, 2008

Kuwait Open Squash Championship, Kuwait City, Kuwait  

Thursday, 24 April 2008.

Qualifying Finals:

Julian Illingworth (USA) bt Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 

Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 11-6 
 

Daryl Selby and Alister Walker boosted the English content of the draw by two following four-game qualifying final wins over India's Saurav Ghosal and Jan Koukal, from the Czech Republic, respectively.

"I'm ecstatic to qualify for such a big event again," said 25-year-old Selby after his 11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 11-6 victory.  "There's always pressure on the top eight seeds in qualifiers, and it's such a big difference in points and money if you get through.  I've just got a new flat with my girlfriend, so she can have a trip to IKEA now!"

Julian Illingworth, the three times US champion from New York, made it through to the biggest tournament of his career when he beat former Indian champion Ritwik Bhattacharya 11-7, 11-4, 11-9. 

"I don't have a game plan really - if I'm hitting it well, I go for it, if not, I'm not going to force it, whatever the body/racquet tells you on the day," explained the 24-year-old world No39.  "But today, I was shooting more than I would normally do, because at the back, he is pretty strong."

1st qualifying round:

Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) 11-4, 11-9, 11-6

Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Tawari (KUW) 11-5, 11-0, 11-3 
 

The only upset came as Ritwik Bhattacharya, the former Indian champion returning to the venue where he played the Asian Championships in February, overcame Australian Aaron Frankcomb - ranked 15 places higher in the world - in three well-contested games, triumphing 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 in 53 minutes.