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2007
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| Just 12, Joshna
packs a squashing success
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| 26-10-98: Indian Express By: Kulvinder Singh | ||
| The only Indian squash player to win the
Singapore and Hong Kong opens, Joshna Chinappa did not stop there.
After clinching the two prestigious titles in successive weeks, the 12-year-old Joshna underlined She gave a hint of her opponents on court, She gave a hint of her arsenal recently at the Willingdon Sports Club here during the Little Masters Squash tourney. But Joshna's campaign in the country's commercial capital experienced a fall in fortunes. She lost in both (under-14 and under-16) Semi-finals to top seed, Rhea Bhandare and Tricia Chuah. Doing some soul searching Joshna reflects on the reverses: " I don't give excuses for those defeats but I had a sore ankle since Wednesday and it affected my play. That's all. They won and I lost ---- simple," defines the seventh standard student of Lady Angal, Chennai. Despite a twisted ankle ankle during practice session of basketball at school, she preferred to play, " I wanted to play so I did not inform my father. The confident of Joshna claims that doesn't hesitate to play anybody in the country falling in her age group. And surely enough she ahs become a terror on the court. "Not many girls like the idea of practicing with me. I think they are too afraid. But I do enjoy my status as I have my father as my partner, " she says. "I defeated Pia Abraham 3-0 in a tournament and she refused to play me after that" adds the current u-14 national champion. Joshna trains for three hours with her father Anjan Chinnappa at Madras Cricket Club (MCC) the only squash facility in Chennai and through the sweat and toil, aspires to be a Professional squash player. But she laments:" People in our country use sport to win a scholarship or admission to the United States. Once they do so, they neglect. Joshna currently tops the rankings in her age group and was the youngest under-14 competitor of the Masters. And quite naturally perhaps, the most enthusiastic. Joshna talks of her plans: I plan to play the British and Scottish Opens and I am quite sure that I'll win both the events because I am playing in the under-13 Category, " she says almost in the same breath when asked about her prospects. "The motivation is there representing your country is the greatest feeling, " the schoolgirl adds. Anjan, her father, hopes to send Joshna to Malaysia for training sometime in May 1999. No mean player himself in his days, Anjan's ability to read the opponent's well before a match appears to have rubbed off on his daughter. Younger brother Gaurav, aged eight, has also been wielding the racquet in several tournaments perhaps inspired by Joshna's sparkling achievements and Dad's encouragement. Joshna admires Scotland's Peter Nicol and Malaysia's Nicol David Asian champion only 14 and among the top 30 in the world. A feat not quite out of reach, should she sustain her remarkable progress. |
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| Times of India: 8-10-98 | ||
The Mumbai-based Indian Squash Professionals (ISP) has taken up cudgels on behalf of the players by pleading with the sports ministry to intervene and ensure India's participation in the December Asian Games at Bangkok. ISP's director, Mahendra Agarwal, in a letter to the minister of human resource development (department of sports and youth affairs) has expressed concern at the attitude of the government recognised Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) vis-à-vis the Games where the sport is making its debut, Directing the minister's attention to reports that the SRFI is not taking any interest in sending the team to the December 5-20 Asian Games, the ISP director has wondered what will happen to the game because of the indifferent attitude being adopted by the SRFI. Agarwal, pointing out that his association has organised 26 tournaments, four free coaching camps and adopted two young talents (Arif Paul and Deepali Anvekar) with the sole aim of promoting the sport, has also reminded the minister that SRFI had failed to send a team to last month's Common wealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. A copy of the letter has been sent to the secretary of the department of sports and youth welfare and the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). SRFI is not an affiliated unit of the IOA. |
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| Press ISP Takes Up Cudgels on Behalf of Players | ||
| 8-10-98: Free | ||
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THE Mumbai-based Indian Squash Professionals (ISP) has taken up cudgels on behalf of the players by pleading with the sports ministry to intervene and ensure India's participation in the December Asian Games t Bangkok, reports PTI. ISP's director, Mahendra Agarwal, in a letter to minister of Human Resource Development (Department of Sports and Youth Affairs) has expressed concern at the attitude of the government recognised Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) vis-à-vis the Games where the sport is making its debut. Directing the minister's attention to reports that the SRFI is not taking any interest in sending the team to the December 5 to 20 Asian Games, the ISP director has wondered what will happen to the game because of the indifferent attitude being adopted by the SRFI. Agarwal, pointing out that his association has organised 26 tournaments, four free coaching camps and adopted two young talents (Arif Paul and Deepali Anvekar) with the sole aim of promoting the sport, has also reminded the minister that SRFI had failed to send a team to last month's Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. |
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8-10-98: Indian Express |
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The Mumbai-based Indian Squash Professional (ISP) has taken up cudgels on behalf of the players by pleading with the sports ministry to intervene and ensure India's participation in the December Asian Games at Bangkok. ISP's director, Mahendra Agarwal, in a letter to Minister of Human Resource Development (Department of Sports and Youth Affairs) has expressed concern at the attitude of the government-recognised Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) vis-à-vis the games where the sport is making its debut. Directing the minister's attention to reports that the SRFI in not taking any interest in sending the team to the December 5-20 Asian Games, the ISP director has wondered what will happen to the game because of the indifferent attitude being adopted by the SRFI. Agarwal, pointing out that his association has organised 26 tournaments, four free coaching camps and adopted two young talents (Arif Paul and Deepali Anvekar) with the sole aim of promoting the sport, has also reminded the minister that SRFI had failed to send a team to last month's Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. A copy of the letter has been sent to the secretary of the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare and the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). SRFI is no an affiliated unit of the Indian Olympic Association. |
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Times of India: 1-10-98 By Pradeep Vijaykar
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The moaning of India's uncrowned squash queen, Mekhala Subedar, about the struggles of Indian players has made one see it all over again in perspective - the good, the bad and the ugly of Indian squash. One has seen the three sides of the game all in a matter of a few days. The good was Indian squash getting a website of its own thanks to the initiative of the Indian squash Professionals. The bad news, like misfortune, came in twos. First was the drain of talent to the Ivy league in the U.S. The Juneja bothers, Gaurav and Rohan, went to U.S. university soon after representing the country in the World Juniors Championships in Princeton. And they were followed by Indian's reigning national champion, Akhil Behl. Akhil is doing nothing new. He is following the trail of former national champions Anil Nayar and Adrian Ezra who left for the promised land in the 60s and 80s to be followed by a score of other youngsters. Indian squash, because it promises so little, can do little to prevent this drain. And as if this drain of talent was not enough, it was followed by a squash event drain. This was the shocker of the Mahindra World Open, the richest event on the circuit of the Professional Squash Association, leaving, Indian shores. First slotted for Mumbai as in the previous years it was shifted to Bangalore on account of the Shiv Sena's diktat against the presence of Pakistanis in the state. Then, with the apprehension of the virus spreading nationally, the international federation shifted the event to an apolitical ' venue, Doha in Qatar. From bad to ugly was the lack of the Squash Rackets Federation of India to respond to a letter from Dhampur Sugar Mills for clearance to apply for staging a Satellite event. The prime mover behind this was Arjan Singh, till recently the national champion of the country. In sheer frustration, Arjan applied for staging the event through the local Professional Squash Association, which organized the Dewan Classic in Mumbai last moth. Mekhala Subedar's sob story proves how Indian sports is getting de-motivating day by day. Truly, one's heart goes out to the likes of Mekhala who long day in and day out without seeing a ray of hope in front of them. Very much like our swimmers who spend a lifetime doing laps of the pools with very little tangible coming their way. Indeed the good, the bad and the ugly of squash are tied up in the most vicious of circles. It's like this. Squash is said to be an elitist game. This has been disproved by the makers or professionals in neighboring Pakistan beating those who taught them - the British - to win world titles through their progenies like Qamar Zaman, Jahangir khan and Jansher Khan. Helping the Indian counterparts of these pros is the ISP which is giving them the status they never got earlier. But since the ISP is a non-official body it has its limitations. What is needed is for the official bodies to get their act together. By now they should have got going a flourishing squash satellite circuit as in tennis. Such a circuit would have meant some money and ranking points coming the way of Indian players. This, in turn, would have prevented the Indian players from leaving the shores to join American squash for good. Instead, we have the official body, for unknown reasons, not only shying away from creating Satellite events but not helping bodies wishing to do so. The national federation has been singularly wanting in facilitating the participation of Indian players in events abroad. It has been delaying things like information and clearances every time. If India has been holding one big squash extravaganza it is due solely to the enterprise of promoters like Procam and sponsors like Mahindras who staged the Mahindra Challenge these past years. But there is little to enthuse Indians in this event for barely a couple of Indians take part and lose at the first hurdle. It's like Malaysia staging a cricket event in the Commonwealth Games. What little there was for the Indian - to watch the greats of the game - has now also been taken away with the event being shifted to Doha or security reasons. Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray could have reversed this had he given his blessings to this event, say enthusiasts of the game. After all, an Indian snooker team was in Karachi last month to participate in the Asian snooker event there. |
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Misha
Grewal was honoured with the Arjuna Award, the country’s
highest sporting honour In September.
Misha won the National Women’s Crown From 1993 To 1996. She then
gave up the game to take up a career as TV presenter on Star News. |
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