It’s 12 months since COVID-19 struck to bring sporting activity to a grinding halt. But what is a game without recovery and positivity? These two aspects are slowly showing up on the local scene
Gangadhar Devlekar repairs a bat at Dadkar Maidan in Matunga. Pic/Subodh Mayure
By Ashwin Ferrro, Sundari Iyer and Subodh Mayure
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When the COVID-19 pandemic struck a year ago, just like the rest of the world, Mumbai’s local sports scene was abruptly halted. But the players, administrators, officials and ground staff didn’t know that this was anything but a brief halt. And that it would impact their lives so severely with jobs and livelihoods of many lost with widespread salary reductions.
A year later, while everyone is grateful at the possibility of life crawling back to normal, the after-effects of the lengthy break are most visible.
“We resumed cricket coaching around January this year and it is evident that the boys have lost touch due to the Coronavirus-forced break. Now, they have to work hard all over again to cover this backlog,” Manish Rumde, who runs Rumde Cricket Academy at United Cricketers in Cross Maidan, told mid-day.
Cricket coach Manish Rumde and MSSA groundsman Rakesh Gaud
Money obviously remains a cause for concern. “Given the financial difficulties that most people have faced with job losses and salary cuts, many parents are struggling to pay the fees,” added Rumde.
‘Big relief’
For the hardworking groundsmen, who toiled across the city’s empty maidans throughout the lockdown, the sight of young kids once again filling up the grounds is heartening. “It’s a big relief that cricket nets and matches have started again. Though there was a lockdown [March to December] and empty grounds, we [groundsmen and curators] continued working on cricket pitches because if we had to leave them unattended, they would have been ruined. Now, it feels great to see cricketers back on the same grounds after nearly a year,” said groundsman Deepchandra Bari, 55, who works at the Karnatak Sporting Association (KSA) Ground at Cross Maidan.
“Thank God, this lockdown is over. I would never wish these hardships even on my enemies. Kaam nahi hoga toh paisa nahi tha aur paisa nahi toh khaana kaha se milega? [with no work there was no money and without money how can we get food?] Bhagwan se prarthana hai ab sab normal hi rahe [I pray to God that everything remains normal now],” said groundsman Santosh Gaur, 40, who has been with KSA for the last nine years.
Groundsmen Santosh Gaur (left) and Deepchandra Bari at Karnatak Sporting Association, Cross Maidan
Matunga’s Dadkar Maidan-based bat repairer Gangadhar Devlekar’s business shut almost overnight due to the COVID-19 situation. “I used to repair almost five to six bats daily but with all cricket activity suddenly shutting last March, I ran out of work. Throughout the lockdown I had no work. I still kept going to the ground with hope but no work came my way, so I went back to my village in Mahad. When I returned to Mumbai after a few months, cricketing activities had only resumed at Azad Maidan and Shivaji Park. The Matunga ground was the last to start cricket [around December] and my family celebrated the resumption as though it was a festival,” said a relieved Devlekar.
Salary cuts
The Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) ground at Azad Maidan normally is a hub of footballing activity throughout the year but 2020 was unprecedented and abnormal, said MSSA groundsman Rakesh Gaud. “As there was no work throughout the lockdown, initially we were not getting salaries. Then, mid-day highlighted our plight, and we started getting paid again. Otherwise, I don’t know what would have happened to our families,” stated Gaud.
Young footballer Dhruv Yogeshwar, 15, a Class 10 student of St Francis D’Assisi High School, Borivli, has been caught off-side by the COVID-19 situation. “I was part of the U-14 Maharashtra team in 2018-19 but last year, there were no state selections due to the pandemic so I missed out on making the U-15 state team. I lost a year. Now, when the selections for U-17 happen, I’m not sure I’ll make the cut because I’m lacking match practice. I’m also missing out on playing MSSA inter-school football in my final year of school,” said Dhruv.
Footballer Dhruv Yogeshwar
Not just footballers, even referees have been affected adversely by the pandemic situation. “It’s been a horrible time. Many of us referees, who are also part-time football coaches, lost our coaching jobs because all activity at football academies across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai were halted. Our income suffered and we had to make do with the pending match fees that we managed to collect from previous tournaments conducted before the lockdown. Thankfully, the Bombay Referees’ Association (BRA) was kind enough to realise our hardship and supported us with financial assistance in the form of a repayable interest-free loan from the BRA’s benevolent fund. Each referee, who required financial help, received a sum of R5,000 for a couple of months. Around 20 referees took advantage of this scheme. Additionally, some of the senior referees, who have secure corporate jobs, came forward to help the juniors in different capacities like providing them ration and some funds for daily expenses. Thankfully, football activity has resumed and most of the academies too have started their training, so things are looking good for us now. It will still take a few months for us to settle down though as we have to first repay the loans some of us have taken, but I think our situation will improve going forward,” explained a city referee, who did not wish to be named.
Hockey activity in the city also has been dead for nearly a year. The Mumbai Hockey Association Limited (MHAL) has not conducted any activity at its Churchgate stadium since the 54th All India Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament in February 2020. Sadly, MHAL staffers have struggled to tackle staggered wages. “The MHAL management has been paying salaries to its employees, including groundsmen and other utility workers regularly but in parts. For some months, we were paid 50-60 per cent of our salaries but we are not complaining as it is something better than nothing. Thankfully, during the festive periods [two months] we received our full salary,” said Kumar, a senior manager with MHAL.
MSSA hockey secretary Lawrence Bing was grateful to Hockey India and the state authorities for permitting him to conduct the city’s first competitive hockey tournament in the form of the Winter Rink Hockey event at St Dominic Savio High School, Andheri, last month. “I’m both happy and proud to see hockey resume in our city again. We conducted the tournament for U-14 and U-16 boys and girls, women and men and it was a huge success. It just goes to show how eager our children are to come out and play. I hope there are more such hockey tournaments across the city soon,” said Bing.
Interestingly, the city’s badminton fraternity was largely unaffected by the COVID-19 chaos. “Most of our referees, umpires, judges and almost all coaches are employed with different government and private companies while the court markers work with the various gymkhanas and clubs in the city. So, all have been getting their salaries from their respective employers. And now with the government permitting training for individual sports with certain SOPs, normalcy will soon return to badminton courts. We are awaiting permission from the state government to start competitions. Once we get the green signal from them, we will commence our tournaments across the city,” said Greater Mumbai Badminton Association, Secretary, Mangirish Palekar.
‘Worst is behind us’
MSSA president Fr Jude Rodrigues has a positive outlook towards the future despite the gloomy past. “I feel the worst is behind us and the future can only get better as the vaccine is slowly but surely administered to all. It’s only a matter of time before the state authorities approve the full-fledged commencement of sporting activities and competitions at all levels, including MSSA tournaments. Sport has this unique power to heal and spread joy to both players and spectators alike and that can only be good for everyone,” said Fr Rodrigues.
With inputs from Gordon D’Costa
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