It all started with Rs 5,000!

The BCCIrsquos pension scheme for retired players and umpires has come a long way both literally and figurativelyMay 2004 is when it started and exTest players got just Rs 5000 be it for a oneTest career or one of 100plus games in the traditional form Now a player who figured in even one Test in a certain era gets R60000 with the maximum being Rs 70000The recent announcement by the BCCI to hike pensions prompted me to recall that 2004 function held at Wankhede Stadiumrsquos PD Hall where cheques of Rs 5000 each were distributed one by one to retired Test players and umpires based in MumbaiThere was cynicism in the room and not without reason After all R5000 per month from the richest board in the world bordered on peanutsInsiders say the Board was not exactly rolling in wealth and the then president Jagmohan Dalmiya did realise that he was leaving out players and umpires who represented the country in oneday international cricket But a start had to be made and that was part of Dalmiyarsquos plan for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations An exhaustive history of the Board commissioned to author Boria Majumdar was also Dalmiyarsquos way of celebrating the landmarkProf Ratnakar Shetty then the Executive Secretary and Joint Secretary of the BCCI was given the task of organising the function close on the heels of his return from the historic tour of Pakistan where he was the manager of the Indian team Dalmiya wanted as many former Test players to attend as possiblePolly Umrigar who had made his debut in the 194849 India v West Indies Test series was the seniormost Test player in the room while 82yearold Mantri was the eldest in the pack Umrigar thanked the Board and Dalmiya vehemently for initiating a scheme that ldquoput so many smiles on faces of players and umpires in this hallrdquoRavi Shastri came up and started off with a quotable quote after collecting his cheque presented to him by BCCI functionary Niranjan Shah ldquoIrsquom here for the gesture not the bucksrdquoHe pulled no punches We listened ldquoItrsquos about bloody high time that the Board looked into the welfare of its former players We appreciate that this pension scheme has finally come better late than never This is just the start hope it carries on Irsquod like to echo what Jimmy Amarnath said a little while ago I think itrsquos the senior players who have just been forgotten Irsquod like to pay my respects to all these players here They were great role models when I was growing up This is the wealthiest board in the world and it could do a lot more for senior playersldquoAs far as players before 1975 are concerned itrsquos my requesthellipwith Prof Shetty at the helm He can tell the BCCI and Dalmiya that I think players before 1975 should get another benefit It shouldnrsquot be that they go out with a begging bowl to sponsors It should be a fixed amount allotted by the BCCI and give it to all those playersrdquoShastrirsquos wish came true years later when the BCCI initiated the onetime payment scheme for players They have yet to do so for umpiresYajurvindra Singh was up on stage next to receive his cheque He opined that 1975 could be stretched to a few years later because players were not well paid even in that eraUmpire Piloo Reporter spoke from his heart and admitted how helpful this pension would be in ldquotight economical conditionsrdquo and what an honour it was to represent India as an umpire in the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand He ended his speech by saying how all in the room wished that the Boardrsquos Platinum Jubilee would have come earlier for their benefit That brought about a few laughs Reporter could well be in the same jovial mood today with his pension raised from Rs 22500 to Rs 45000Balvinder Singh Sandhu told this newspaper later that evening that the scheme should encompass parents and the wives of deceased players He cited the example of Ramnath Parkar who would have availed of pension had he not passed away following a road accidentNari Contractor the former India captain told us ldquoIt could not have come at a better time for us as we can no longer depend upon the earning from the interest The interest rate has gone down from 15 per cent in 1993 to just six per centrdquoOver the years with changes in regimes the BCCI has enhanced their pension scheme to commendable limits Widows were included in the scheme and so were longserving firstclass players oneday international cricketers and women cricketers There is suggestion to also reward groundsmen and official scorersShetty who has seen it all right from the start was appreciative of the Boardrsquos gesture but wanted to see current domestic players have something to fall back on by way of a contract system His point about how not all domestic cricketers figure in the lucrative Indian Premier League is a sound one From a modest beginning with Rs 5000 in 2004 the BCCI has made great strides in its pension scheme The journey has not ended and it is still away from being totally fair Yet itrsquos no time to be a pessimist Today a commendation is meritedmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzelloSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper