Veteran cricketer bats for fair play at inter IIM sports meet; urges students to compete hard and stay humble
Padma Sri Syed M H Kirmani gamely posed for innumerable photographs, shared a joke or two with his charmed audience, patted students on their back, and spoke many wise words before declaring Sangharsh 2014 - the inter IIM sports meet, hosted by IIM Bangalore - open at 9 am on Friday (January 10).
Even as the mellow morning turned warm, the former cricketer turned cricket administrator, looking dapper in white, mopped his brow and quipped, "I can feel the heat on my head first so before my pate starts melting, let me subject myself to a quick stumping!"
When the students - from IIMA, IIMB, IIMC and IIML - roared their approval at his witty remarks and insisted that he say more, he added: "I am used to addressing 14- and 16-year-olds in my capacity as a cricket academy man. They are young and I keep impressing upon them the need to play fair. You are a mature bunch. Yet I would say to you: there is very little space for honesty and humility in the world today. Yet honesty and humility are the ultimate victors. So, plan your innings well, not just on the field today, but also in life. Play hard, play fair; compete, be humble and have far-sighted goals."
Charmed by IIMB's green campus and bowled over by the glittering trophy, Kirmani declared, "This trophy tempts me to become nostalgic. It takes me back 30 years to our World Cup victory. We played hard; we played right. I can only suggest you do the same. Enjoy whatever sport you play, appreciate each other's glories and earn the respect of your peers. While I wish that all of you do win, I want you to remember that there cannot be winners without runners-up. Set aside ego and stay humble even in victory."
Somya Arya, PGP'13 of IIMB, introduced Kirmani as the quietly efficient worker ant who replaced the flamboyant Farokh Engineer behind the stumps for India, and went on to become India's greatest wicketkeeper.
"His 12-year stint at the top saw a sea-change in the way India played. The early part of Kirmani's career was spent keeping wicket to the famed spin quartet, never the easiest of tasks. After they faded away, he had to step back a few paces to deal with a seam attack spearheaded by Kapil Dev. It is testament to Kirmani's greatness as a keeper that he was able to perform both roles with distinction. A doughty batsman down the order, he scored two Test hundreds and baled India out on several occasions. He played a crucial role in India's triumph in the 1983 World Cup, contributing a flourish or two with the bat in addition to being immaculate behind the stumps," she said, quoting cricket writer Dileep Premachandran, even as Kirmani tried hard to dismiss the praise with a self-effacing aside. "The media, especially statisticians, do follow our little achievements diligently don't they?" he said.
Flanked by Professor S Raghunath, Dean Administration, IIMB, and Professor Sourav Mukherji, Kirmani released a dove to symbolize peace and fair play and declared Sangharsh 2014 open, saying he deemed it an honour to be the first person from the sporting fraternity to be associated with Sangharsh.
Over the next three days, teams from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow and the hosts (IIMB) will face off in football, cricket, hockey, badminton, table tennis, basketball, volleyball, throwball, kho kho, swimming, chess, carom, and pool.
Dean S Raghunath welcomed the visiting teams to IIMB and remarked that it was heartening to see so many sportspersons on campus. "I hope more IIMs join this sporting family soon," he said.
Professor Sourav Mukherji urged the students to keep the 'sportsman spirit' in them alive. "Don't get bogged down by life. Make sports a part of your life. Stay fit and compete hard," he advised the youngsters.
Veteran cricketer bats for fair play at inter IIM sports meet; urges students to compete hard and stay humble
Padma Sri Syed M H Kirmani gamely posed for innumerable photographs, shared a joke or two with his charmed audience, patted students on their back, and spoke many wise words before declaring Sangharsh 2014 - the inter IIM sports meet, hosted by IIM Bangalore - open at 9 am on Friday (January 10).
Even as the mellow morning turned warm, the former cricketer turned cricket administrator, looking dapper in white, mopped his brow and quipped, "I can feel the heat on my head first so before my pate starts melting, let me subject myself to a quick stumping!"
When the students - from IIMA, IIMB, IIMC and IIML - roared their approval at his witty remarks and insisted that he say more, he added: "I am used to addressing 14- and 16-year-olds in my capacity as a cricket academy man. They are young and I keep impressing upon them the need to play fair. You are a mature bunch. Yet I would say to you: there is very little space for honesty and humility in the world today. Yet honesty and humility are the ultimate victors. So, plan your innings well, not just on the field today, but also in life. Play hard, play fair; compete, be humble and have far-sighted goals."
Charmed by IIMB's green campus and bowled over by the glittering trophy, Kirmani declared, "This trophy tempts me to become nostalgic. It takes me back 30 years to our World Cup victory. We played hard; we played right. I can only suggest you do the same. Enjoy whatever sport you play, appreciate each other's glories and earn the respect of your peers. While I wish that all of you do win, I want you to remember that there cannot be winners without runners-up. Set aside ego and stay humble even in victory."
Somya Arya, PGP'13 of IIMB, introduced Kirmani as the quietly efficient worker ant who replaced the flamboyant Farokh Engineer behind the stumps for India, and went on to become India's greatest wicketkeeper.
"His 12-year stint at the top saw a sea-change in the way India played. The early part of Kirmani's career was spent keeping wicket to the famed spin quartet, never the easiest of tasks. After they faded away, he had to step back a few paces to deal with a seam attack spearheaded by Kapil Dev. It is testament to Kirmani's greatness as a keeper that he was able to perform both roles with distinction. A doughty batsman down the order, he scored two Test hundreds and baled India out on several occasions. He played a crucial role in India's triumph in the 1983 World Cup, contributing a flourish or two with the bat in addition to being immaculate behind the stumps," she said, quoting cricket writer Dileep Premachandran, even as Kirmani tried hard to dismiss the praise with a self-effacing aside. "The media, especially statisticians, do follow our little achievements diligently don't they?" he said.
Flanked by Professor S Raghunath, Dean Administration, IIMB, and Professor Sourav Mukherji, Kirmani released a dove to symbolize peace and fair play and declared Sangharsh 2014 open, saying he deemed it an honour to be the first person from the sporting fraternity to be associated with Sangharsh.
Over the next three days, teams from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow and the hosts (IIMB) will face off in football, cricket, hockey, badminton, table tennis, basketball, volleyball, throwball, kho kho, swimming, chess, carom, and pool.
Dean S Raghunath welcomed the visiting teams to IIMB and remarked that it was heartening to see so many sportspersons on campus. "I hope more IIMs join this sporting family soon," he said.
Professor Sourav Mukherji urged the students to keep the 'sportsman spirit' in them alive. "Don't get bogged down by life. Make sports a part of your life. Stay fit and compete hard," he advised the youngsters.