Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

SPORTS

Arjun Awards: Hav Uday Chand, Malwa, Ganpat Andelkar, Trishambu Singh, Bhim Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Master Chandgi Ram, Sudesh Kumar, Prem Nath, Jagroop Singh, Satpal, Rajinder Singh, Jagminder Singh, Kartar Singh, Mahabir Singh, Subhash, Rajesh Kumar, Satyakar, Ombir Singh, Guru Hanuman. Padmasri: Master Chandgi Ram, Guru Hanuman, Satpal, Kartar Singh.

In 1975, India took the initiative for the formation of the Asian Yachting Federation and India’s Lt. Gen. Das was elected the first chairman of the federation. Again in 1987, India was the main force in forming the Commonwealth Yachting Federation and India had the privilege of hosting the first Commonwealth championships in Bombay. In the 1978 Asian Games, India earned its first silver medal through S.K.Mongia and D.Kumar in the Enterprise class. This was followed up with a bronze in the World Enterprise championships in 1981. The same year India took a lion's share of the medals in the Asian Yachting Championships held at Bombay. E. Tarapore and D.Z. Karanjia made history in the 1982 Asian Games yachting events by winning the gold medal in the Fireball class. Though the Asian Games were held in New Delhi, the yacht- ing and rowing events were held in Bombay. With a silver and a bronze also in that Asiad, the Indian yachts- men now set their sails on the Olympic Games. Tarapore and Bhandari opted for the 470 class with this in view and immediately reaped success in the form of silver medals in the 1983 Asian Yachting Championships and 1986 Asian Games. India has also been participating in the Olympic Games in the 470 class since the 1984 Olympiad. India also hosted the International Cadet Class world champi- onships in Bombay in 1978 with Farokh Tarapore and Sanjay Rawell winning bronze medals. India’s moment of glory in the cadet class was during the 22nd International Cadet Class world cham- pionships held again at Bombay during 1988. Cyrus Cama and Amish Ved claimed the gold with Nikhil Ved and Kapila bagging the bronze. 1989 saw another golden moment in Indian yachting with Kudroli and Patel bagging the gold and becoming the new Asian champions in the Enterprise class in the Asian Yachting Champion- ships at Beijing, China. F. Tarapore and Cyrus Cama won a silver in the 470 class in the same meet. Apart from the above achievements, the Yachting Association of India has been in the forefront of encouraging various ocean sailing voyages. The major trophies of the association are: the ‘Admiral Kohli Trophy’ awarded to individuals for their contribu- tion to the sport; the 'Yachtsmen of the Year Trophy' awarded to the yachtsmen with the most outstanding performance in a year, presented by Admiral R.R Tahliani; and the ‘Most promising Yachtsmen of the Year Trophy’, presented by Admiral J.C. Nadkarni. Soli Contractor, Afsar Hussain, S.K. Mongia, D.Z. Karanjia, F. Tarapore, Fali Unwalla, Jeejee Unwalla, Gulshan Rai, Dhruv Bhandari, C.S.Pradipak and K.S. Rao. OTHER INDIGENOUS SPORTS Following is an area-wise brief description of other indigenous sports of India. ASSAM Dhop : An ancient game, dhop is a seasonal sport played during the spring festival. Demanding a high degree of acrobatic skill, stamina and speed, there are two kinds of dhop, played by men and women respectively. The game is played with a solid rubber ball on Awards and Winners Padmasri: Gulshan Rai. Arjuna Awards:

Dronacharya (for coaches) : B.B. Bhagwat, Guru Hanuman.

YACHTING

The use of boats and ships can be traced back to the time when man discovered wind power. The use of sails to propel boats has been in vogue for over thousands of years. The earliest use of a yacht for pleasure sailing dates back to the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, who cruised in her yachts on the ‘big blue Nile’

during her free moments. The yachts are also associated with Eng- lish monarchs. Queen Elizabeth in 1588 was the proud possessor of a pleasure ship called “Yacht” while King Charles II owned a 25-tonne yacht called ‘Jamie’. Yachting, in its modem form, however originated in 17th century Holland, where it became a necessity as a means of transport along the country’s lengthy waterways. The first international rules for yachting as a sport were framed in 1904 and the International Yachting Federation formed in 1907. Though yachting became an Olympic sport in 1900, the rules were completely revised in 1964 by the international body. The sport made its debut in the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970 and became a regular feature of the Asian Games movement from the 1978 Asian Games, again in Bangkok. Though not a popular mass sport in India, the steps to form a yachting association at the national level were taken at a get-together of 19 like-minded persons at the College of Military Engineering, Kirkee, Pune on 13th September, 1959. Represented by six clubs, the promoters decided on the title of Yachting Asso- ciation of India, which was bom on 15th May, 1960 with the approval of the draft ‘Constitution’. Sardar Surjit Singh Majithia was unanimously elected the first president and K.O. Stiffle as the first honorary secretary. Subsequently more clubs joined the asso- ciation. With eight clubs participating, the first sailing regatta was held in 1960 at the Khadakwasla Lake in Pune. With the introduction of new classes of boats, the nationals have now become an annual feature under each category. India’s first international exposure was the participation in the Southern Asia Yachting Regatta held at Trincomalee in Sri Lanka in 1970. Participating in the Asian Games in 1970, the Indian pair of Soli Contractor and Afsar Hussain won the bronze medal (the country’s first ever medal abroad) in the ‘Enterprise class’. 1971 saw another landmark in India’s yachting history with the formation of the Indian National Cadet Class Association with a view to tapping the talent of young yachtsmen. A new era in the history of Indian yachting was heralded with the participation in the 1972 Olympic Games. Soli Contractor, Mogul, Basith, V.P. Singh and Oberoi represented India in the Flying Dutchman and Finn class.