Imagine Kamlesh Mehta, left-handed batsman, playing strokes with meticulous precision of a table tennis champion. That’s what he would have been if not for a life-threatening illness. We have a lunch rendezvous at the eau de Monsoon, a popular dining venue at Le Meridien in the heart of Delhi.
Mehta is in Delhi in the role of an organiser. The World Tour event is a first for India. A dream that Mehta had nurtured for years and given boost by support from Vita Dani, chairperson of 11Even Sports. “We are dedicated to promotion of table tennis in India,” asserts Mehta. A refreshing sip of water melon juice sets the tempo for his nostalgic trip.
“I was telling you about my love for cricket. I was a right-hander and my father trained me to bat left-handed because he felt there was a stiff competition among right handers. Well, I also liked cricket and practised diligently. I was 11 when I fell ill. In fact, I returned from the death bed and the weakness did not allow me to play cricket again. My father, however, insisted I must play some sport and I took to table tennis, which comparatively was easier for me than cricket,” Mehta remembers.
An eight-time National champion, Mehta, 56, revels as a table tennis promoter today. He does not mind another round of water melon juice. “11Even Sports is committed to provide title sponsorship to conduct National championships in all three categories (sub-jr, jr and senior). We will also provide sponsorship to eight even of the TTFI and support or organise one international event every year.”
Mehta orders paneer tikka and continues with his journey. “Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the country. It has lost space in the media I know but there is scope to make it a visual treat. One of the issues the spectators face is that the game has become too fast. The rallies have become shorter. There have been changes in the game too. It was white ball to orange ball and now back to white. The rubber technology has undergone a change. The glue plays a big part. We call it doping of racquet where the glue used dictates the speed and spin of the ball. It is important to reduce the component of speed and spin.”
A strict vegetarian, Mehta opts for daal and roti. “I am not at all fussy about my food. I eat what my wife (Monalisa Barua) cooks or orders,” he laughs. The table tennis camp for the 1982 Asian Games brought the two close and Mehta did not lose time in proposing to her. “I love my papaya and sweet lassi. I can polish off a kilo of jalebi. I love paneer and my phapda. I can survive on bread and butter/jam.” On his tours to China, Japan and Korea he would struggle to find vegetarian food and often would have to do with rice and ketchup. “Also cold salad for food. It made me tough,” he says.
Once, he recalls, Mehta went without food for two days in China. “Even the bread had ham in it.” He competed on empty stomach and won two matches. “The next day, I spotted fried rice at the breakfast table. Very tasty it was.”
Dessert is welcome and Mehta goes for the pineapple jalebi. “I love sweets,” he smiles. His 24-year-old son Sunit played table tennis for some time and is presently studying in Australia to be an electronic engineer while daughter Sneha, 20, aims to be an interior designer. “I will be very happy to see a table tennis champion at the Asian level. We have the talent and need to support the players and the game.” Mehta has done justice to the dessert and it is time for him to return to the venue of the World Tour event at the Thyagaraj Nagar Sports Complex.
