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By Paritosh Pramanik
Apr 22, 2020
HE HAS never missed a single major sporting event around the world in last 20 years. But the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought the entire world to a grinding halt, has forced globe-trotting Omprakash Mundra to reschedule his tours of 2020.
The young 70-year-old Omprakash Mundra, a steel businessman from Nagpur, has been travelling around the world, being part of each and every sporting extravaganza since 1982 Asiad in New Delhi. He was ‘part’ of all the major sporting events, be it the Summer Olympics, Paralympics, Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Cricket World Cups, Wimbledons, French Opens, Australian Opens, to name a few.
This year, too, he was gunning for the Tokyo Games but his plans received a roadblock with 2020 Olympics postponed to next year due to COVID-19.
“Everything was in place. I had booked my air tickets last year (2019) itself. The opening ceremony and tickets of several events were also purchased. Even the stay at hotels have been booked. Being a sports lover, my wife (Premlata) and I wanted to see all sports. I had booked my stay at Tokyo till September because I wanted to watch the Paralympics as well. But the schedule has now gone haywire,” said Mundra, who was suppose to travel to Tokyo mid July.
There is very less chance of Mundra getting refunds. “I have written to Singapore Airlines either to reschedule my tickets or give me refund. But they said that their waiver policy is applicable for all bookings for travel upto May 31, 2020. Since my travel is for July 2020, this policy does not apply to my ticket,” Mundra told ‘The Hitavada’.
Mundra is least bothered about the refund. What he will miss is the chance to meet and watch world’s best athletes and learn different cultures.
“I love different cultures. I love to meet the athletes. I don’t care losing a few bucks. What I will miss is the sport and the sporting spirit, the culture of the host nation. I had booked my stay in Tokyo till September as I wanted to watch the Paralympics as well,” elaborated Mundra.
“I talked to the hotels where I have booked my stay in Tokyo and they said they would retain old bookings. My match tickets of different events will also be the same which I have booked,” a relieved Mundra said.
The city’s “sports fanatic” has purchased Olympics tickets for table tennis, artistic swimming, basketball, beach volleyball, athletics, Indian hockey matches, handball apart from opening and closing ceremonies.
If not only Tokyo Olympics, Mundra has already booked tickets for the ICC T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be held in Australia in October.
“If situation improves I would be leaving for Perth on October 15. I have purchased tickets for 15 matches including semi-final and final at Melbourne on November 15,” revealed Mundra.
“I am an optimistic person. I still believe that WT20 will take place,” said a self proclaimed diehard sports fan.
“Being ICC’s privileged member, I got match tickets at much cheaper rates. I would not lose much of money on tickets and air fares as they were also booked well in advance and at the cheapest rate. The thing is I am missing the sports very much. For the first time in my life, with no workout and physical movement, I am feeling old, which I never felt in my entire life,” concluded the 70-year-old sports enthusiast.
Published on April 18, 2020
By Paritosh Pramanik
HER father used to play chess as a hobby while her great grandfather (maternal) used to spend Saturdays challenging the great revolutionary Vinoba Bhave in the game of 64 square. Inculcating father’s hobby and grandfather’s ‘roots’, Nagpur’s Divya Deshmukh carved a niche for herself to become a Woman International Master in chess at a tender age of 14 years.
The yet-to-be 15 Divya has claimed many a title, dethroned several well-known figures in chess as she emerged Queen of the 64 squares at a very small age.
An “obedient” daughter of ophthalmologist Dr Jitendra and Dr Namrata Deshmukh, Divya, too, started playing chess as a hobby with her father and gradually developed intererst only to make it her passion.
“She has been a very obedient and hard-working kid. Her interest in chess generated slowly over a period of time. My husband used to play chess as a hobby. I knew the game because my grandfather used to play chess with Vinoba Bhave every Saturday. So it was not new to our family,” Dr Namrata told ‘The Hitavada’.
Divya’s growing interest in chess forced Deshmukhs to help her pursue her dream. The way she picked the nuances of game, the doctor couple were sure their daughter would make a name sooner than later in the brain game. But both never thought that their daughter would start winning titles at a very tender age. “We knew it is too early to assume anything. But she started playing well and also started winning trophies,” Dr Namrata proudly said.
Looking at her progress Deshmukhs started supporting her in every possible way. “We tried to do everything that was required to do. There were challenges and there will be more diffifult paths in future but we have to face it. Monetary challenge is the biggest one,” admitted Dr Namrata. Dr Jitendra is working as professor and head in Government Medical College at Gondia and gets very little time to spend with his daughter. But whenever he is at home, he makes it a point to spend time with the WIM daughter. “When he is at home he helps in everything. When on duty he is just a phone call away. He is the decision maker for us,” admitted Dr Namrata. Divya does call her father regularly and at times also does video call. “Thanks to video calling, little compensation is there. She always make a video call and talk to her father. She calls him anytime...talks to him about chess,” mentioned Dr Namrata.
When on tour Divya, who is an Under-14 Commonwealth Championships gold medalist (2019), makes a point to talk to her father before the start of
her round. “Many times just before the round starts Divya makes a call to her father. That makes her more confident,” claimed Dr Namrata. The little princess of Deshmukh family is passionate for chess. “Once she decided to play a tournament in high fever. We were reluctant but she did not budge. And she won the title. That was the proudest moment for all of us. She is a very hard nut to crack. Does not give up easily,” said Dr Namrata.
Dr Namrata gets concerned when Divya, who won the Under-12 World Cadets Chess title at Pocos de Caldas, Brazil in 2017, insists to play any tournament even if she is not well. “As I said earlier, she is very passionate for chess. Even half fit, she wants to participate in any tournament.”
Being a chess wizard, Divya, who won her first World title (U-10) at the World Youth Chess Championship in Durban in 2014, wants to live life fully.
“She loves going out, wants to eat good food, also tries her hand at outdoor games. She is open for anything. She loves sports, music. That the best part of her. We hope she continues her journey ahead and achieve all the success,” concluded Dr Namrata.
Published on April 15, 2020
By Paritosh Pramanik
THEIR dream of a new ‘big house’ has been put on the back-burner, for time being. There are loans to be repaid. The travelling cost to different parts of the world is obnoxiously high. But still, there are no regrets at all until their kid is conquering the world step by step. That too at a tender age of 14 years!
Bharat and Heena Sadhwani, proud parents of city’s first Chess Grandmaster Raunak are the happiest couple despite keeping their personal desires, dreams under the wraps. For them their son’s chess career tops everything at present.
To some extent, they have succeeded in guiding Raunak to the top. But there is still a long way to go. The dream of their son winning the World Chess title is yet to be fulfilled. The Sadhwanis are confident Raunak will achieve that too in near future.
At every step, since Raunak started his chess career when he was not even eight years, (7.5 to be precise), their confidence grew. “Raunak was under nine years of age when he won the first State title (8 years and six months) in 2014. That ‘crown’ kick-started his career in chess. Before that it was a leisure sport. Raunak used to eagerly wait for his father to return from his chemical factory and play chess with him,” recalled Heena, who has now turned as Raunak’s “tour manager”.
“It was that State and after that National title at Pondicherry in 2014 which helped our confidence grow. It was more satisfying as Raunak had defeated a well-acclaimed and top-rated Chennai’s Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Those were the days when a State or National title was the topmost prize for us. But when Raunak got selected in Indian team for World Youth, Asian Youth and Commonwealth Chess Championship (he won gold) and then for Asian Chess Competition (bronze), we decided to devote ourselves in making Raunak a master of 64 squares,” Heena told this scribe.
“A few months later (in 2015), at the World Chess Championship at Greece, Raunak finished joint second. That gave wings to our dreams,” said Heena.
Heena and Bharat had to do split duty as Raunak’s tour partners. They had to take care of their business (chemical factory) as well as of their second son (Armaan). And they very immaculately divided the tours.
As businessman Ratan Tata puts it “I don’t believe in taking right decisions. I take decisions and make them right’, Sadhwanis too decided first and made the decisions count right.
“It was not possible for both of us to travel with Raunak at the same time. So we divided the tours. When Bharat was travelling with Raunak I took care of our business and Armaan and when I was travelling, my husband looked after Armaan and the business. By God’s grace, my maternal home is very close to my house (in Jaripatka) and my mother took care of Armaan. We are very much blessed to get her support,” remarked Heena.
“Armaan, despite being just two years old, never troubled Bharat or my mother. I think Raunak winning the GM title should be attributed to Armaan too,” felt Heena.
Till a certain stage, chess doesn’t look a very costly game but as the player reaches higher level, the cost, specially of advanced coaching, travel, stay, increases. Sadhwanis, too, faced this situation but took this challenge on
the chin.
“Raunak’s father Bharat worked day and night. He started a construction business just to add a few more bucks which would help us in Raunak’s coaching, travel and stay,” revealed Heena with pride.
“Bharat has a dream of having a big house. But we have kept that dream pending. We are now fully concentrating on Raunak’s future,” she revealed.
After Raunak won the International Master (IM) title in May 2018, it hardly took him another 17 months or so to achieve the most coveted GM title.
“When Raunak became International Master it became more challenging for us. We wanted him to become a GM and that was not easy. For that he had to participate in major tournaments in the world.
“We took loans from various sources to foot Raunak’s tour bills,” said Heena.
The Sadhwanis were ‘forced’ to do so as Raunak had started getting acclamation and was billed as future star by several top rated Grandmasters, including GM Viswanathan Anand.
GM Anand’s words gave Sadhwanis more confidence which took Raunak to that edge of glorious achievement from where the Grandmaster norm was visible.
“Last year Anand appreciated him and said ‘Raunak is a big talent who is ridiculously underrated. His rating should have been much higher. The moves he is playing is of a high class’,” recalled Heena. “Once after playing against Raunak, Anand had admitted that he was ‘searching for a draw’. It is a very big compliment for us. That gave a fillip to Raunak’s as well as our confidence,” acknowledged the proud mother.
That confidence boosting words gave a push to Raunak in getting GM title last October.
The Sadhwani couple still dreams of first watching Raunak becoming a World Chess Champion and then moving into a ‘big house’. “The path is very difficult but not impossible,” accepts Heena.
Former India President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had said, “dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let your sleep.”
The Sadhwanis have spent several sleepless nights and still continue to do so. It is for sure that their dreams will be fulfilled.
One Day.
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PAINTING LESSONS FOR DIVYA
CHESS MASTERS APPEAL CITIZENS TO STAY AT HOME
Principal Correspondent
THE nationwide lockdown might not have affected these city chessmasters as they usually enjoy the company of computers or chess boards and are mostly confined to their rooms. But, surely they know the importance of social distancing and self isolation during this critical period.
The COVID-19 has claimed more than 21,000 lives world over and the best thing to keep the virus at bay is to stay at home. India is under 21-day lockdown and authorities are urging citizens to stay at home.
City’s only Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani, International Masters Divya Deshmukh and Sankalp Gupta are enjoying the forced but important break from their routine, staying at home with their families.
Raunak and Divya are globetrotting chess players. In last 12 months they might have played more than a dozen international tournaments. But at this time of crisis, they prefer to remain confined to their homes.
“The world is in a critical condition. We all have to accept it and fight with this disastrous virus. This lockdown is very important for everyone’s safety,” Sadhwani said while talking to ‘The Hitavada’.
The youngest Shiv Chhatrapati award winner requested all to abide Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to stay at home to stay safe. “I request everyone, as responsible citizens, to follow and respect the decisions of our beloved PM. It is for our good.”
Not the one to sit idle on a couch, Sadhwani is practicing on computers to improve his game.
“I am practicing and using this time to improve my game. I am also reading some chess books like ‘Mind Master’ and ‘Deep Thinking’ by the great GM Gary Kasparov and studying the games of the legends,” said Sadhwani.
“I am also spending some time with my younger brother,” he added.
Giving example of Viswanathan Anand on how he won the world title, Sadhwani said, Vishy sir (Viswanathan Anand) faced so many problems before his world championship match against Topalov. But he did not panic and emerged a world champion. So, this is not the time to panic but to have patience, it’s just a matter of time.”
Woman International Master Divya Deshmukh, too, is relishing the forced break by spending time at home. Like Sadhwani she too has played around 25 tournaments in the past one year.
“I am enjoying the forced break. But I am, as usual, playing and practicing on computers. Trying to improve my game,” said Divya. Divya now has to work a bit hard as she has slipped in rankings.
“I have to work hard as I have to improve my rankings,” she said.
Apart from chess, Divya is trying her hands at drawing and paintings. Though she is not an expert, she is trying to be one.
Newly crowned International Master Sankalp Gupta stays in a joint family and is using the break by playing cricket in their compound apart from board games.
“I have a joint family, we are playing cricket, board games, watching shows, movies. Apart from that I’m practicing chess also and learning new openings,” said Gupta.
“For at least 4-5 hours I play chess online, check new openings, studying middle game and endgames,” he added.
Till Wednesday, Gupta was following Candidates Chess but it was called off by the Russian organisers due to coronavirus.
“I was following candidates tournament but unfortunately it got called off,” added Gupta.
Gupta also requested Nagpurians to stay at home to stay safe. “This is very critical time. If we follow the rules we will be safe, if not, only God knows what will happen. I request all citizens to stay at home till April 15,” he signed off.
