Aspy Adajania | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1942-05-07)7 May 1942 |
| Died | 7 July 1994(1994-07-07) (aged 52) Budapest, Hungary |
| Occupation(s) | Indian Army officer, sports administrator |
| Known for | International Boxing Association Member,Indian Boxing Federation President, Bombay Boxing Association Chairman |
| Spouse | Persis Adajania |
| Children | Zia Adajania Divan Homi Adajania |
| Relatives | Anaita Shroff Adajania (daughter-in-law) |
| Awards | Padma Shri (1992) |
Aspy Adajania (1942–1994) was anIndian Army officer and boxing administrator. He served as acaptain in theIndian Army Infantry; after retirement from service he became known as a pioneer in the sport of Indianamateur boxing.
Adajania was born into aParsi family and as indicated by his surname hailed from Adajan, a suburb ofSurat inGujarat. Soon after leavingSt. Xavier's College, Bombay, Adajania joined the Indian Army on an emergency commission to fight the1965 Indo-Pakistani War as a Captain of the 5/9Gurkha Battalion.
Adajania was president of theIndian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) in 1985, 1987, 1990 and 1991 and chairman of the Bombay Boxing Association.[1][2][3]
Adajania is credited with the development of Indian amateur boxing by bringing in Cuban boxing coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez, the first foreigner to receive theDronacharya Award (the highest Indian coaching award), for coaching Indian boxers.[4][5]
Adajania officiated over six Olympic Games (1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow, 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul, and 1992 Barcelona). He also brought the prestigiousBoxing World Cup to India at a time when international sports of this magnitude were a rarity in the country. Held at theBombay Gymkhana, Adjania choseBoman Irani to photograph the event. Irani would later go on to become a popular actor in Indian films.[3]
Adajania served as a member of the Executive Committee and the Grievance Committee of theInternational Boxing Association and was the first and only Indian to hold this honour on an international platform.[6][7]
Captain Aspy Adajania died on July 17, 1994, while on assignment in Budapest, Hungary at the age of 52.[1]
The Government of India awarded him the fourth-highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri in 1992 for his relentless service to Indian sport and commitment to promoting and supporting underprivileged Indian athletes.[8]
He was married to Persis Adajania with whom he had two children, Zia Diwan Adajania (d. 2014) andHomi Adajania. Homi is a well known director of Bollywood films and is the husband of fashion designerAnaita Shroff Adajania.[9]
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