For archery fraternity, Malhotra was a 'father-figure' who built a family, dreamt Olympic glory

Guwahati, Sep 30 (PTI) Olympian Dola Banerjee, India's only World Cup Final winner, still remembers vividly how Vijay Kumar Malhotra waited at the airport lounge late in the night to receive the Indian archery teams after a historic qualification for the 2004 Olympic Games.

India have been competing in archery at the Olympics since 1988 -- barring absence in 2000 -- but it was only at the 2003 World Championships in New York that both men's and women's teams secured quotas, ensuring full participation at Athens Games.

Malhotra, a veteran politician and sports administrator who led the Archery Association of India (AAI) from 1973 to 2015, died in New Delhi on Tuesday morning after a prolonged illness.

He is remembered as the man who gave archery an identity in India, getting it recognised as a national sport, building the federation from scratch, and nurturing it like his own family in the early 70's.

Revisiting that monsoon night in July 2003, Dola said Malhotra, whom she describes as a "father figure", was overwhelmed with joy.

"He would call me by name and said, 'Dola, you all have made us so proud. Finally, we will see our full team in the Olympics.' It was always his dream to see Indian archery win an Olympic medal. That night was the first stepping stone," Dola, the 2007 World Cup Final gold medallist, told PTI.

The women's quotas went to Dola, Reena Kumari and Chekrovolu Swuro, while Satyadev Prasad, Tarundeep Rai and Acharya Ved Kumar qualified from the men's side. Later, Sawaiyan Majhi and Sumangala Sharma also made it to Athens.

"Malhotra sir took us straight to his residence for a celebration. It was a memorable night. It's hard to believe he is no more," Dola said.

Back then, just 16 archers trained at national camps, often held in Kolkata under AAI secretary general Paresh Nath Mukherjee. The federation itself ran like a "close-knit family" from Malhotra's official MP bungalow in Delhi.

Dola also fondly recalled how her board exams once clashed with a national camp.

"Paresh-da told me not to worry. I called Malhotra sir and he simply said, "Write your exams well and come back with a fresh mind. That’s the kind of person he was." When she received the Arjuna Award in 2006 alongside Tarundeep, Malhotra personally invited her parents for the felicitation.

"He told me, 'Your parents deserve to be here.' That evening at his residence was unforgettable. We have had countless lunches and dinners there it was like our second home." Mukherjee, now 80 and unwell, said he is heartbroken.

He managed the day-to-day functioning of archery while Malhotra handled the administration. Their partnership lasted over two decades until Mukherjee quit after the London 2012 debacle.

On a high after dominating at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010, India had gone into London as medal favourites, with Deepika Kumari ranked world No 1 and the men's team seeded first, but the campaign ended in disappointment.

"Malhotraji never interfered, never dictated terms," Mukherjee said.

"He was the rarest of rare politician who kept sport above politics. He was associated with sport for a long time but never brought in politics into it.

"He allowed us to exploit his position without asking us what to do and what not to do, without any dictation. Archery is what it is today because of him. It's all part of the history now," he said.

If Olympic medal comes, it must honour him ============================ Dronacharya awardee and Olympian Sanjeeva Singh, who worked closely with Malhotra, said Malhotra's biggest dream was to see India win an Olympic medal in archery.

Singh fondly remembers how Malhotra also gave his full support to introduce the non-olympic compound event in 2004 at the Jamshedpur Senior Nationals.

With the compound event set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Singh believes that dream is finally within reach.

"If India win their first Olympic medal in LA, it must be dedicated to Malhotraji. He gave us everything. He let me introduce compound archery in 2004 and supported it wholeheartedly. Today, we are among the strongest in the world in compound," Singh said.

Singh remembered Malhotra as "a fine gentleman, a noble person, and the fairest sports administrator I have seen. He never mixed politics with sport." Singh was part of India's first archery Olympic contingent along with Limba Ram and Shyam Lal.

From sending the first Indian team to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, to backing the growth of the sport through tough years, Malhotra remained the pillar of Indian archery for over four decades, Singh said.

"He was always for the archers," Singh said. "You could call him anytime, and he would find a way to help. He never said no." PTI TAP AT AT