Carrom is struck off Shiv Chhatrapati award list; jobless world champ Dive distressed

Sandeep Dive with his 2022 Malaysia World Championship individual and team trophies; (right) Arun Kedar

As per the Maharashtra government's latest (December 29) order, carrom has been removed from the list of 38 games for the prestigious Shiv Chhatrapati Award. This has came as a shock to the carrom fraternity with Maharashtra Carrom Association (MCA) secretary Arun Kedar calling it an abrupt and illogical decision.

"It will affect the game very badly as players will stop playing carrom. So far, the government is giving us only the Shiv Chhatrapati award, nothing else. We will discuss the issue in our MCA meeting soon and act," Kedar told mid-day from Goa on Monday.

Plethora of champs

Since MCA's inception in 1954, Maharashtra has produced 30 international players and as many Shiv Chhatrapati award-winners.

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"I strongly object to this abrupt and illogical decision which is against the overall interest of carrom and our players. Current world champion Sandeep Dive, World No. 3 Nilam Ghodake and international player Abhijeet Tripankar will be deprived of this prestigious award for the year 2023-24 because of this decision by the government of Maharashtra.

"This is not only detrimental to the sports culture of our state but also affects the morale of our players. We condemn such acts of injustice towards our game and players," remarked Kedar, who was a recipient of this award twice - in 1984-85 as a player and in 2016-17 as a coach.

Meanwhile, Badlapur-based Dive, 38, who won the 2022 World Championship in Malaysia, said: "I became world champion recently and I was hopeful of getting the Shiv Chhatrapati award this year. As I am jobless, I felt this award would help me get a good job. Now, who will give me a job? I urge the government authorities to reinstate carrom in their list and support needy players."

Pastime during pandemic

According to Kedar, the government has removed those games which are not part of the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. However, the list consists kho-kho, kabaddi, mallakhamb and atya patya.

"Carrom gave everyone a life during the COVID-19 times. Everyone used to play carrom in their homes because all other activities stopped. But now, with this development you are killing this game. It's very discouraging," Kedar signed off.