LIKE hundreds of thousands of his well-wishers across the country-he had a large number from among the sport fraternity alone-I too had hoped that Vidya Charan Shukla would come out of the deep slumber he was pushed into by the Maoists’ dastardly attacks.

Shuklaji, as he was fondly called by his well-wishers, had fought and won many political battles in a career that spanned more than five decades. Those who had known him personally well even this day recall that the 84-year-old politician had a knack of surviving any battle. But, alas, the God had willed otherwise this time and he succumbed to the bullet injuries he had suffered while on a visit to Chhattisgarh.

His demise was as much a loss to his followers in the political circle as it was for us among the sporting groups which would miss the presence of a guide, philosopher and, above all, an able administrator from our midst.

My personal association with Shuklaji was no more than that of a colleague in the TTFI. But there have been occasions when I had interacted with him personally in connection with the technical aspects of organizing tournaments. From my experience, I could say he was someone who would always hear you out fully before letting his views known. He was one person who had always weighed other’s opinion before arriving at decisions.

This special quality of his came in handy to all concerned in the TTFI. But what kept my interests going was that Shuklaji was always a man who had kept his words. If he had committed to something-mostly arranging money for conducting tournaments-he had always stuck to it. In fact, he would deliver more than what he had promised.

I remember him getting elected as President of the TTFI first time in 1993. That election in February ’93 had been possible after a Delhi court verdict following some dispute. Once he settled down in his seat, he started clearing the decks and paving the way for a smooth functioning of the federation. In fact, he had helped TTFI grow in stature and that saw him re-elected for his second four-year term in 1997. Subsequently, he was made life president of the TTFI in 2002 after he had relinquished his charges and since then he had served the cause of table tennis in one way or the other.

Shuklaji had successfully conducted several international championships, including the Asian championships in 1994 and many Asia Cups during his tenure as chief of the TTFI. But the most remarkable achievement of his stint-it is still talked about-is the setting up of the PSPB Academy at Ajmer. This was one major contribution by Shuklaji that will be etched in the memories of all table tennis administrators and players alike. Today, the academy has to its credit of churning out several best paddlers from its stable and all credits should go to Shuklaji for showing the way.

We, in the TTFI, would miss his words of wisdom and someone whom we looked up to as a fatherly figure whenever any guidance was needed. RIP our beloved Shuklaji.