My Sardar friends

As a national champion cyclist, TISCO (Tata Steel) offered me employment on August 1, 1975. Within two months I was instructed to report for training at Jamshedpur in order to represent the Company at the Steel Plants Sports Meet at Bokaro.

During my stay there extending over a month, we enjoyed no luxuries. We had to share a room at the Graduate Training (GT) Hostel. I used to have my breakfast at the mess, milk from a nearby restaurant and meals from Light of Asia Restaurant at Kadma run by Khalil. Those days were different.

I made friends with a giant Sardar — Harbachan Singh — national champion in shot put, hammer throw and discuss throw. One day, seeing him leaving early on his hired bicycle, I went with him and found out where our TISCO Gym was. He introduced me to the watchman there and from that day, the Gym was mine too! Once, when I was down with flu, it was Harbachan Singh who recommended a good doctor who cured me within a couple of days.

My colleagues and fellow competitors from the same company were residents of Jamshedpur. Most of them were Sikhs (Sardars). All of them were friendly with me. At 20, I was the youngest of them, a bachcha (child).

Those days were difficult for sportsmen, especially cyclists. Getting new equipment was a dream and even getting a proper outfit was difficult. Simple nylon hosiery shorts were unavailable in our country. My Uncle, Jehangir Kaka, had taught me how to stitch on our Singer sewing machine. I used to tailor my own shorts and even pyjamas that were unique. For smoothness and comfort, they did not have a seam at the inner thighs. I used to have two pairs of shorts for training and one for my races. My training shorts were of cotton and my racing shorts were of satin silk for greater smoothness. Training every day, morning and evening, one pair tore. I needed another pair very badly. I was away from home and my sewing machine too.

One day, while expressing my woes to a fellow sportsman, I was overheard by Dirinder Singh Randhawa who was the champion in the 1,000 m time trial and 4,000 m individual pursuit, which were not my events. In fact, when there were fewer participants in my event, the 1,000 m sprint, he would participate in that too. He was about five to 10 years my senior.

Impressed that I knew stitching he offered me use of the sewing machine at his residence. I was dumbfounded particularly since I was sure that I would not have made him such an offer in Bombay. Next day, I bought the cloth and thread and was at his residence after training. The going was not as easy as I thought since he had a hand-driven machine while I was used to one with a footboard. Anyway, I managed after breaking two needles. He also insisted that I have lunch at his place during the two days it took me to ready my shorts.

In the next two days Randhawa came visiting our hostel to meet his friends. He came to meet me also. He inspected my room and enquired regarding my food arrangements. On learning about my daily routine, he insisted that I should have meals at his residence daily but I refused saying, "It’s okay to have a meal at your place once in a way when I drop in. But I cannot make it a daily routine.”

Pointing out that the milk served at the mess or the restaurant was diluted with water he instructed one of the attendants at the mess to bring it from a particular place. The next morning, Randhawa was back — holding a milk container by the handle in one hand and an electric stove in the other. So great and so helpful were the people in those days.

Just imagine. I was a Parsi, he was a Sikh with a turban. We were both competitors. Yet, here he was, always willing to help. Smiling and even ready to make me stronger. I can never forget his kindness.

My stay in Jamshedpur was very good. I trained early mornings and also benefited from visiting the TISCO welfare department, and speaking for hours to Kenny Bosen, our coach and learning about weight training from him. In the late afternoons, I used to do light training followed by heavy weight training at our TISCO Gymnasium. After a month, when I returned to Bombay, my body (physique) had taken a different shape showing that I hadn’t been homesick at all despite there being no e-mails, no telephones, no STD, just local calls, no mobiles, not even a TV in Jamshedpur!

Looking back I consider myself lucky that I had the good fortune of meeting such kind and lovely people. Today, I don’t know where they are or what they are doing. I sincerely hope that some Parsi gentlemen, having read this in your magazine, could show this piece to their friends who may know Harbachan Singh and D. S. Randhawa and convey to them my lasting gratitude.