_{Late Phani Sharma was my intimate friend for last 55 years. Our friendship was solid till yesterday. I met Phani Sharma in 1951 when I joined Cotton College and was staying in Assam Tribune with Late R. G. Baruah, Sharma was then a student of B. Com in Gauhati University and was staying in University undergraduate hostel at Chandmari (presently the Alankar Hotel). Our friendship grew stronger when both of us started playing table tennis.}

We know, but fail to believe that death is the ultimate truth of this world. We come across sad news of death almost daily in our routine life, but when somebody very close and dear to us leave us, the ubiquitous presence of death see eye to eye with us.

The sad demise of Phani da, who had all along been with us in social and political activities, caused a similar feeling to me. His death made me to feel the presence of some unfathomable truth and existence of ‘‘Atma’’. In 1976 Guwahati was readying itself to hold National conference of All India Youth Congress. I and Phani da both were in the Reception Committee of the conference. This was his significant entry to the political arena. His straightforwardness and simplicity impressed me very much. Nobody could escape his enchanting smile. As the time rolled on my intimacy with him increased.

I took it as my privilege to work with Phani da on social and political platforms. He was a very sensitive person, he was a farsighted leader and always worked with undaunted energy. Cheap gimmicks of politics never attracted him and he always spurned such gimmicks. He always tried to sick to his principles. Before his death he was the treasurer of the Congress party and seeing him in such a vital place, filled partymen with confidence. He was very popular among party workers.

Phani da excelled as a sportsman and administrator of National repute. He worked commendably on different posts of different sports bodies. He led the sports bodies like Assam Olympic Association, Guwahati Sports Association, Assam Football Association and Assam TT Association, All India TT Federation for quite some time. He was the Deputy Chief de Mission of Indian Contingent participating in Seol Olympic in 1988. He was the Vice-President of the Indian Olympic Association from 1977 to 1989. A champion of Table Tennis, he was the captain of the state team. Table Tennis took him to National and International arena, where he contributed immensely.

Today we pay him glowing tribute and vow that every congressman will take inspiration from his principled life. Personally it will be very difficult for me to forget the eventful days passed with him. His demise has created a large vacuum in my life which will be hard to fill up. I will remember him ever as an ultimate man.

Bhubaneswar Kalita
President Asom Pradesh Congress Committe. Guwahati

My association with Dr. Phani Sharma is for the last 30 years and more particularly for the last 5 years.

He was a dynamic personality and looked to the problems of others as his own. He has done great services to the film industry and obtained great relief from the government for improvement of the industry. He was the chairman of Joint Advisory Committee, Assam and was also a member of the executive committee EMPA (Eastern India Motion Pictures Association).

His contribution to the film industry is unique and has been a friend of the exhibitors particularly. He was not only a friend philosopher and guide and was also an inspiration as far as I am concerned. His departure has been a personal loss to me. I wish and pray that is departed soul may rest in peace.

C.S NARAYAN Film Distributor

(Eastern Motion Pictures Association)

At the dot of 9 am the 25th of June, Eleye baidew rang me up to inform me that Phanida was no more, I knew that he had been ailing for quite sometime and had visited him at the International Hospital but nevertheless the news came as a shock– the creator of the golden era of Assam Table Tennis was no more.

The floodgates of memories of the past opened up and visions of Phanida at his best began to crowd my mind. At the time, I was playing table tennis in the State and National level in the 70′s, Assam Table Tennis Association and Phanida were synonymous. He was my guardian at Guwahati and his family was a surrogate one to all of us– the young players. Like Phanida, his family too welcomed us at all times. Inspite of his busy business schedule, Phanida always made the time for the sport that he loved.

He used to come to the Indoor stadium and oversee our game, correct out errors, suggest remedies in order to make us better players. He arranged many coaching camps including the Korean coaching camp in 1974 for the benefit of the Assam players. His involvement with the game extended to the players and at the same time his equation with us was at a personal level. Phanida insisted on physical fitness and all the lazy ones like me often got a whip lashing of his tongue.

His pride when we won the Padmavati Trophy in the National Table Tennis Championship in January 1974 knew no bounds. When I went to Japan for the 2nd Asian Table Tennis Championship, 1974, Phanida accompanied us as a team member since he was the treasurer of the Table Tennis Federation of India. I fondly remember his concern for me as a young team member of the contingent.

Throughout all these years Phanida has remained for me a dear family friend and well wisher. The sports loving people of Assam will miss his endearing presence. I join his family members in mourning for a good human being that Phanida was. May his soul rest in peace. I end by paying tribute to Phanida by quoting from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar :

■ Dr. Nandini Barooah Sharma

A True Sports Lover

I first heard about Mr.Phani Sharma in late seventies when I was a junior player representing Maharastra. It was during that time Assam State Table Tennis Players were a force to reckon with at the national level.

They were extremely hardworking, disciplined, and a fit lot of players who came to participate in the National Ranking Championships after long, tedious, hard and uncomfortable travel of 2/3 days by train. It was probably the first State to travel for National Ranking tournaments with a designated Manager and a Coach as a team.

This, I believe played an important role in improving their performances. It was from these players that I learned about Mr. Phani Sharma’s contribution to Assam Table Tennis. All the players addressed him as ‘Phani da’ out of respect and love. In the years to come I met him in various National and International Tournaments in different capacities and he showed tremendous patience and interest in witnessing all the matches of the players from Assam. It was after my marriage to Monalisa that he became ‘Phani da’ to me also.

He was a True Lover of Sports which was evident during the historical 33rd National Games which was held at Guwahati- 2007, where in spite of physical limitations he made it a point to attend and witness almost all the important events.

For me it was a fixed fixture to meet Phani da during my visits to Guwahati as I enjoyed interacting with him. Phani da is not with us physically but his memories will be with us for ever.

(Kamlesh Mehta)
Mumbai

Phani da, as he was respectfully addressed by one and all, was a name synonymous with Assam Table Tennis. He was a players himself but I remember him as a administrator. I consider myself fortunate that I took up this celluloid game during that period which is considered as the Golden Era in the history of Assam Table Tennis. It was during this time that Assam produced some of the finest players who won numerous laurels for the state of Assam and India. Phani da took lot of personal interest and pains for the improvement of Table Tennis in the state of Assam.

I clearly remember him coming regularly in the evenings to the Nehru stadium to see our practice and without fail having a word with us. During that period it was extremely difficult to procure basic and yet essential equipment like Rubbers, Ply, balls etc., required to play better Phani da would make all efforts to procure them for us. Before every Nationals he would provide us with Japanese made Nittaku balls, which were expensive and not easily available so that we could practice with them and get used to them and play better in the nationals.

The pre National dinner and pep talks arranged at his residence was an event which we all looked forward to as this motivated us and also helped us to instill a sense of pride for the state of Assam and developed one of the most essential quality for success of a team – TEAM SPIRIT.

Phani da knew very well that appreciation and recognition were two things which were one of the strong motivating factors for a player and hence he would organise a welcoming gathering of association officials, parents, players and media with flowers and garlands at the Railway station to felicitate the winning Team and the players. This act coming from our own people really gave us great satisfaction, boosted our self image, confidence and the will to do better. His one quality which always appealed to me was his cool & composed nature.

Whenever there will be talk of Assam Table Tennis Phanida’s name is bound to crop up because of his tremendous contribution for the upliftment & development of the game of Table Tennis in Assam.

Monalisa Barua Mehta
Mumbai