Pune: The late Dr G A
Ranade, who pioneered
tennis administration and made Pune — and by extension, Maharashtra — the sport's hub in the country, was nicknamed "human bulldozer" for his persuasive power in getting big-ticket projects done.
To quote a 1985 brochure published by Deccan Gymkhana on his 60th birthday, "Today Poona is one of the most important tennis centres in India ... all because of the tireless efforts of our Doc. Ranade. Dr Ranade is a human bulldozer. He is also a visionary."
As the city gears up to host its first ATP
World Tour event, the Tata Open Maharashtra, it is only appropriate to remember the contributions made by Gangadhar Achyut Ranade, who served as secretary of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) and Deccan Gymkhana. Ranade was also an interim general secretary of the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
Getting Pune to host the 1963 Davis Cup tie between India and Pakistan, which the hosts won 4-1, was a particularly fine feather in Ranade's Cap.
His daughters Anuradha Kanitkar and Rohini Lokhande recalled what a Herculean task it was for their father. "At the time, Ramanathan Krishnan, Jaideep Mukherjee and Premjit Lal were in the Indian team. They were good on grass, but Pune didn't have a grass court," Lokhande (62), the younger daughter, said.
"In the AITA meeting, dad said he would create grass courts. There was about six months left for the tie, and a lot of work had to be done," she added.
Ranade got cracking. He did a great deal of research on the type of soil and grass required, which the state didn't have. So Ranade had to import it from either Kolkata or Delhi, the two premier grass court venues in Idia. He prepared six courts on Deccan Gymkhana's cricket ground, without disturbing the centre pitch.
"He was a hard task master, but also had the discipline and brain to back it up," Kanitkar said.
"Those days there were no automatic sprinklers, so he would stay in the office overnight, wake up at 2am and get the staff and labourers to work," she added.
At the time, international tennis was a rarity in India. "You must also remember the size of the population then. Except for the trio of Ramanathan, Jaideep and Premjit, other players never played outside India. So it was a treat to see our best in action against international players," Lokhande said.
After Pakistan, Pune would go on to host Japan (1969), Germany (1970) and the erstwhile USSR (1974) in a relatively short span, putting the city firmly on the international map.
"Premjit was the star attraction then," 66-year-old Kanitkar said, grinning at the recollection.
Lokhande also recalls that the legendary actor Raj Kapoor and his family attended the tie.
But not everything was about the Davis Cup. Ranade and Ramesh Desai, his friend and MSLTA colleague, joined forces to host tournaments in Pune and Mumbai that were popular among the players on the Indian domestic circuit.
"You can say they had a larger impact on Indian tennis. Both shared a vision and were selfless. The way they held tournaments — outstanding, clean, no nepotism and no nonsense. The players enjoyed playing here and in Mumbai," Lokhande said.
Through all this, his wife Sarojini, five years his junior, remained a pillar of strength. "Our mother never complained. She was a big support for him and completely looked after the family. At home, I remember only her because dad was always at tennis or his clinic," Lokhande said.
Ranade also established a comprehensive coaching programme at Deccan Gymkhana, which produced national champions like Nandan Bal and Shashi Menon, who went on to become international players on their own merit.
His son, Ajit Ranade (now 68), too played the game at a competitive level, and would have accomplished more had he not chosen to pursue medicine.
There is a symmetry and irony there. The senior Ranade sacrificed his career as a doctor for tennis, while his son gave up tennis for medicine.
After serving Deccan Gymkhana, Ranade established the Pune Tennis Mandal for the exclusive promotion of the sport. He also played a key role in reviving the tennis courts at the Shiv Chhatrapti Sports Complex in Mhalunge-Balewadi.
Now, Ranade's hard work in getting Pune to host the Davis Cup ties have paid off, with the city hosting several international tournaments for various age groups and a WTA event in 2012. From Monday, the city will play host to its first ATP event, the Tata Open Maharashtra (the erstwhile Chennai Open).
