Chairs are stacked one upon the other in the verandah, so it’s easy to guess the opening ceremony of the Delhi State Ranking Table Tennis tournament is over. Sitting amid those, Manjit Dua sips his tea as it drizzles outside, a well-deserved break after a hectic day. Organising a sports event, as the former national champion paddler finds out, is no less demanding than participating in one — and much less rewarding.

So what is the motivation? “To see Delhi table tennis back to where it was,” replies Dua, India No.1 in the 70s for seven years. An Arjuna awardee, Dua is now the president of the District Table Tennis Association (central) — one of the nine units of the Delhi State Table Tennis Association (DSTTA). “In my playing days we used to beat the best in the business regularly, now Delhi paddlers don’t even make it to the medal rounds anymore,” he says.

It’s not any former player grumbling about dwindling standards of the game, there is genuine concern in his voice. In some way, Delhi’s golden run at the nationals started and ended with Dua. He guided the team to it’s first-ever title at Indore in 1974 and he was again part of it when they pulled it off the last time — at home in 1983.

“In 1976 in Allahabad, Delhi won five titles across all the categories. That was also the year I came up with my best performance, I won four titles — men’s, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and team. Unfortunately, I was roped in by Railways at that time, otherwise Delhi would’ve won nine titles,” he recalls. He did return to play for Delhi and helped them win the men’s team championship in 1980 and 1982.

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