Aspy Adajania

Aspy Adajania
Born	(1942-05-07)7 May 1942 British India
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 an Indian Army officer and boxing administrator. He served as a captain in the Indian Army Infantry; after retirement from service he became known as a pioneer in the sport of Indian amateur boxing.

Early life and service

Adajania was born into a Parsi family and as indicated by his surname hailed from Adajan, a suburb of Surat in Gujarat. Soon after leaving St. Xavier's College, Bombay, Adajania joined the Indian Army on an emergency commission to fight the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War as a Captain of the 5/9 Gurkha Battalion.

Boxing

Adajania was president of the Indian 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 the Dronacharya 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 prestigious Boxing World Cup to India at a time when international sports of this magnitude were a rarity in the country. Held at the Bombay Gymkhana, Adjania chose Boman 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 the International 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]

Awards and recognition

The Government of India awarded him the fourth-highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1992 for his relentless service to Indian sport and commitment to promoting and supporting underprivileged Indian athletes.^[8]

Personal life

He was married to Persis Adajania with whom he had two children, Zia Diwan Adajania (d. 2014) and Homi Adajania. Homi is a well known director of Bollywood films and is the husband of fashion designer Anaita Shroff Adajania.^[9]

See also

• Indian Boxing Federation
• International Boxing Association (AIBA)
• Surat district

References

1. "Boxing ex-official Devine Jones dead". Indian Express. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
2. "Packing a new punch". India Today. 15 December 1990. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
3. "Boman Irani had a bakery shop". Times of India. 4 July 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
4. "Surprised to receive the Dronacharya Award, says Fernandez". Zee News. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
5. "Bhiwani via Havana". Indian Express. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
6. "Executive Committee AIBA" (PDF). Olympic Information Cente. 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
7. "Anthony Hembrick earlier this week avoided a fight he..." UPI News. 19 September 1988. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
8. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
9. Director Homi Adajania's sister Zia Adajania Diwan passes away. India.com.