Solely the opposite day, quickly after the Committee of Directors (CoA) took over the cost of Desk Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) on February 18, then Chief Coach Manjit Dua was warmly welcomed by the CoA Chairperson Geeta Mittal.
Conscious of the Arjuna Awardee and three-time Nationwide champion’s stature and immense contribution to the sport, the chairperson prolonged the courtesy he so genuinely-earned. For the following three months, the CoA used the providers of Manjit to pick the Indian crew members, throughout age-groups, for numerous worldwide tournaments.
As soon as the CoA invited recommendations from the state associations earlier than making adjustments to the choice standards and Manjit, as secretary of the Delhi Desk Tennis Affiliation, opposed them, issues took a dramatic flip.
Quickly, Manjit stop because the Chief coach and Nationwide selector, after he was supplied the submit of an observer within the new choice committee.
However worse was to observe.
On Might 31, the eve of the prize-distribution ceremony of the Nationwide cadet and sub-junior championship at Indore, Manjit was in for a impolite shock when a deeply-anguished organiser knowledgeable him concerning the CoA's “want” to maintain him away from the stage.
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“I didn't go to Indore to be seated on the stage. I've been related to the sport for 55 years. However to be advised that it was higher to stay within the resort as a substitute of coming to the venue for the ultimate was very humiliating. Being an Arjuna Awardee, a former Nationwide champion and medallists at Asian [Games] and Commonwealth [Games] ranges, I certainly didn't need to be handled with such disdain and contempt,” recalled the 67-year-old Manjit, vastly revered by a technology of desk tennis lovers.
Enquiries made by Sportstar revealed {that a} member of CoA was of the view that nobody related to the suspended TTFI office-bearers ought to be seen on the stage as “it will ship mistaken indicators".
Sarcastically, two office-bearers of the Madhya Pradesh Desk Tennis Affiliation - Om Soni and Jayesh Acharya - held the posts of Vice President and the Joint Secretary within the TTFI. Whereas the CoA was effective with their presence on the stage in the course of the prize-distribution, they noticed pink if Manjit, who didn't maintain any submit within the TTFI, was seated on the stage.
Equally, in the course of the Nationwide championship at Shillong, Geeta Mittal had no challenge with sharing the stage with TTFI's Vice President and Organising secretery Chiranjib Choudhury.
Many took to social media on Friday to precise their displeasure over the remedy meted out to Manjit and slammed CoA for its stunning dictat.
When contacted, Acharya defined, “We've got nice respect for Manjit Ji. He's a legend. We've got organised greater than 100 Nationwide degree occasions at Indore however by no means confronted such an ungainly scenario. Our
respect for Manjit Ji stays. We, as organisers, may solely management the controllable.”
