KARACHI: Former ping pong stalwars of yore and officials of the game vowed to carry the legacy of the late Dr Essa Mohammad, who breathed his last on Oct 9 after protracted illness.

The occasion was a reference for the departed soul, held under the aegis of the Karachi Table Tennis Association (KTTA) at Islamia Club on Thursday.

Earlier, the programme was slated to take place on Wednesday but was deferred for a day.

President of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) S.M. Sibtain, who presided over the meeting, paid glowing tributes to the deceased.

“He [Dr Essa Mohammad] belonged to the golden era of the Quaid-i-Azam’s Pakistan where values were high, people were loving and caring irrespective of religion and sects and sportsman spirit used to prevail,” he remarked.

The PTTF official said the deceased was a legend and one of the pillars of the game when it was in its infancy.

He disclosed that Dr Essa had won the men’s singles crown in the all-Pakistan table tennis tournament in 1953 before the launch of the country’s premier championship in 1955 where he finished runner-up to Farooq Zaman.

“We need to revive the same spirit by staging a befitting event in memory of the deceased,” he stated.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farhan Essa said table tennis was a passion of his late father.

He also threw light on various aspects of Dr Essa’s personality.

Former internationals Vinoo Advani, Abdul Samad, Jawaid Hayat, Sohail Hayat, former KTTA secretary Shaukat Omeri, Sindh Table Tennis Association secretary Saleem Ahmed also spoke on the occasion and recalled their association with the deceased.

Former internationals Arif Nakhuda, Rubina Arif, Shamez Mukhi, chairman of the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board for Pakistan, were also present at the reference.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2017