Dear Members,I stand before you as the president of SWAB for the first time, at what I personally feel is an important stage in the history of our association.
By its very definition, an association is the coming together of people to meet common goals and purposes. It is inevitable that, even within the ambit of an association, there will be differences of opinion and divergent views. As mature adults, it is our responsibility to work around these differences which, I must stress, should never be allowed to assume personal hues.
It’s been an eventful time since our last AGM, with action flying thick and fast on the sporting front. Given the profusion of events, it has been extremely difficult for SWAB to be as active as we would have liked it to be, but from my friend DV Garud, the secretary’s report, it is obvious that despite the constraints, we have tried to implement the activities we could. With this being SWAB's 35th year, we hope to execute several of the plans that are in place.
It’s notable and fitting that most of our successes in the time since we met last have been on the playing field! The Bangalore component of South Zone has done exceedingly well in the SJFI’s annual conventional and sports meets over the last two years. Last year, South Zone won the cricket title for the first time since 1998, and this time, the weather thwarted our designs of defending that title.
SWAB had great success in table tennis, football (penalty kicks) and putting, too. We also have representatives in the SJFI’s list of office-bearers, with my predecessor Mr SS Shreekumar being elected one of the vice-presidents and I being elected to the executive committee. Significantly, both of us polled the highest number of votes for our respective posts, an indication of the affection and respect with which the rest of the fraternity views SWAB.
This change of guard at the helm of SWAB, therefore, was necessary for us to remain a team, and to continue to enjoy the goodwill and support of the other units across the country. There have been simmering tensions within our association for the last several months, as most of you are well aware, and things had come to such a pass that EC meetings were becoming acrimonious and leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
The bottom line is that we are not here to confront and contradict. Every problem, perceived or real, has a solution, and that solution inevitably involves dialogue.
A way was sought to be found around the imbroglio that has led us to this situation, but unfortunately, that didn’t eventuate. I don’t wish to use this platform to discuss at length the compulsions that forced us to opt for a change at the helm of SWAB, though I will confess that the entire situation should have been handled with more tact and common sense had some of us not allowed our egos to come in the way.
That sorry chapter is behind is, and now it’s time to look ahead. I will address the questions raised by outgoing president Mr Shreekumar in the e-mail he has forwarded to several members of the association, but as I said before, this is not the forum for that. I would like to believe we are here to spark a new beginning. The Executive Committee has decided that to commemorate our 35th anniversary, SWAB should bid for the right to host the SJFI convention and the sporting disciplines.
Irrespective of whether our bid is successful or not, it’s my earnest request to everyone here, and to those not here today but who are still very much a part of SWAB, that we move forward as a team and as an association. We must solve problems that will arise from time to time amicably, and realise that this is a platform to come together and share our views, time and thoughts, not an avenue for mud-slinging and taking pot-shots.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
R.Kaushik, Interim President
Sports Writers' Association of Bangalore