Ramola Wankhede reflects on father’s role behind Mumbai's third Test venue

The Wankhede Stadium whose golden jubilee as an international venue is being celebrated by the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA this month has witnessed many memorable performances including an ODI World Cup win by India in 2011And just like the cricketers who showcased their fighting spirit to win games across all formats grit and determination played a role in the building of this iconic ground which became the cityrsquos third Test venue after Bombay Gymkhana and Brabourne Stadium Those qualities were brought to the fore by Sheshrao Wankhede the then Bombay Cricket Association president himselfThe first Test at the Wankhede Stadium was held 50 Januarys ago when Clive Lloydrsquos West Indies clashed with MAK Pataudirsquos menWankhedersquos daughter Ramola Wankhede Mahajani at her south Mumbai home PicsAtul KambleEarlier this week the late Wankhedersquos daughter Ramola Wankhede Mahajani turned back the clock at her south Mumbai home and spoke to Sunday midday on how her father got the motivation to build a new stadium which would belong to the BCA through an argument with former India batsman Vijay Merchant the then president of the Cricket Club of IndiaThe Wankhedes are a sporting family Sheshrao and his wife Kusumtai used to play tennis and were mixed doubles partners in Morris College team at Nagpur Their elder daughter Kundatai was a badminton player while Ramola was a track and field athlete and a table tennis player who represented St Xavierrsquos College in MumbaiEdited excerpts from a chat with Ramola Wankhede MahajaniThe refusalCCI had their own Brabourne Stadium and BCA had to depend on them to organise Tests There was an agreement for CCI to give 1500 seats to BCA during matches but they didnrsquot give allOnce a few young MLAs told my dad then speaker in Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha and BCA president that they wanted to play a friendly match at CCI So along with Prof MV Chandgadkar MW Desai who was the BCA vicepresident and dad went to meet Merchant at his home When dad requested him to allow them to play the MLAs match at CCI Merchant refused it A heated discussion followed Dad told him ldquoIf you donrsquot allow us to play a single match and not consider our other demands we BCA will build our own stadiumrdquoThrown a challengeMerchant said to my dad ldquoHow can you Marathi people build a stadiumrdquo Merchant had a grudge against Marathi people My dad and the others left his home without saying anything more But he told his BCA colleagues that they will now build their own stadiumThe vital CM visitMy dad went to then Maharashtra CM Vasantrao Naik and requested him to allot BCA a piece of land between Marine Drive and the railway tracks to build a stadium Then he decided to build a stadium of 40000 capacity just 500 metres away from the CCIShashi Prabhu a young architect then made a plan for the stadium Under Test player Polly Umrigarrsquos guidance pitches were made and later the stadium was constructed in record time lsquoHappy satisfied emotionalrsquoWhen stadium was fully constructed and ready for the Test dad was very happy satisfied and emotional after 14 months of continuous following People wrote various things and criticised dad People used to say that the stadium is going to collapse because itrsquos only a structure built with cement and steel But dad said ldquoit will never fall down because it is built with cement steel and WankhedeHonoured Merchant tooMy dad made Merchant a life member of the BCA and put his photograph in the BCA office When people asked him why he did it for a man who had insulted him and BCA dad said ldquoIf he had not behaved with us in that manner we wouldnrsquot have our own stadium todayrdquoModest NaikMy dad suggested naming the stadium after Vasantrao Naik saheb because he had given the plot to the BCA for the stadium When Prof Chandgadkar and Desaiwent to meet CM saheb he said ldquoI didnrsquot do anything Whatever is done is done by Sheshrao so his name deserves to be given to the stadiumrdquo It was a big honour for dad to have the stadium named after him and that too while he was aliveWankhede the disciplinarianDad BCA president from 196364 to 198687 was very strict and never gave us any special treatment during international matches We were not allowed to be in the President Box We got only a couple of passes to watch matches and that too from the G Block We were not even allowed to be on the outfield He only allowed his granddaughter Mukta when she was little to roam around