WBVA felicitate great spikers of yesteryears

Kolkata, Aug 5 (UNI) Emotions and memory spread around the corners of Netaji Indoor Stadium as West Bengal Volleyball Association today felicitated a few of the great spikers of yesteryear in a glittering ceremony.

10 Arjuna awardees and three members of the organising committee were honoured. The star of the show was definitely the tournament director and former great A Ramana Rao.

The charismatic Rao is the only volleyball player in the country to have won both the Arjuna and the Dronacharya award.

Rao won the all-coveted Arjuna award as a player in 1977-78 before he bagged the Dronacharya award as a very successful coach in 1990.

Dhyanchand Award winner Om Prakash (2003) was also felicitated on the occasion.

The present Indian coach G E Sridharan, who won the Arjuna Award in 1982, was ecstatic about the noble endeavour taken by the local organising committee and said, '' It feels good to be recognized for your past efforts even after such a long time. It has been really thoughtful on the part of the organisers to hold such an event. And sharing the podium with so many former greats have been a humbling experience. '' The three members of the control committee of this year's Commonwealth Volleyball Championship, Allan Brodia, Habib Ali and Major (Retd) Mohammed Afjal were also presented with mementos.

West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta handed over the mementos and a shawl to the awardees.

Also present on the occasion was the Mayor of Kolkata Bikas Bhattacharya.

The Arjuna award winners, who were honoured, were Balwant Singh (1972), Inspector Ranveer Singh (1975), A Ramana Rao (1977-78), G E Sridharan (1982), Cyril C Vallor (1986), Dalel Singh (1991), K Udaya Kumar (1992), P V Ramana (2000), Amir Singh (2001) and Ravikanthy Reddy (2003).

UNI