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His mighty roar and full beard sent us scurrying in all directions to avoid getting in his way, till we realized that this was just a mask to keep undesired mushiness at bay. Shiraz Jal Gimi (we called him ‘Lion’) is not the same dictator today who used to instil fear in us then on account of our limited abilities.
I discovered cricket at the not-so-young age of 18, when I moved to Nagpur. The fact that today, at 45, I continue to be involved with the game is largely, nay, solely thanks to him. But he is the same cricketer who loves the game with a passion that never stopped him from carrying water out to the tired batsmen or selflessly running the third run, gasping for breath, at the age of 60 plus, because his batting partner was close to a milestone. His love for cricket was rivalled only by his love for things Parsi (eat, drink, sleep).

 

 

 

 

A self-confessed bits-and-pieces player Gimi started in the regional Guzder League in 1958. Begun by the late Jiji Irani, the annual contest is one of the oldest in the country. Soon after, the reins of the Nagpur Parsi Gymkhana were thrust into Gimi’s hands. He loved to make examples of us Parsi boys who he thought needed a little toughening up. So we came in for ‘special’ treatment, much to the delight of our non-Parsi mates. We were marked for especially stinging catches during practice, laying the matting before matches and being called all kinds of juicy names, nicknames and/or swear words too colorful to be reproduced in family magazines. Yet, after closely contested encounters, he treated us to delicious Dinshaw’s falooda, whether we had won or not. The life lessons we learnt through this treatment made men out of boys.

 

 

Comparisons abound with his illustrious father the late Jal Gimi, Central India president of Jan Sangh and former vice chancellor of Nagpur University. This led Lion to distant shores through the merchant navy to find his true calling. He soon returned to Nagpur as head of the region for Exide Industries. The city’s laid-back lifestyle, friendly people and easy pace soon found him gaining a reputation and a paunch, both of which are quite fearsome. He is a past president and active member of the Rotary Club of Nagpur, one of the premier service clubs in all of South East Asia. To head a service organization filled with leaders of society is no easy task, but he did it with poise and aplomb, only rarely managing to lose his cool as he reminded himself that this was not his cricket field and these weren’t his not-so-talented boys. Retiring from Exide Industries, he joined the Bapuna Group of industries, where he is president, heading the marketing initiatives of this liquor and dairy foods giant, which, I suspect, is a calculated ploy to officially enjoy the things he loves.

 

 

 

His lifelong love affair with cricket saw him rise to the post of vice president in the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) along with his dear friend Shashank Manohar, who himself was president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Currently on the BCCI Museum Committee, Gimi jokingly admits he is a relic himself and so aptly stationed! At the VCA, he was known to be a no-nonsense, approachable and able administrator, handling a variety of projects from the local cricket leagues to the TV broadcasting committee during international matches, to the spanking new clubhouse made with the magnificent Jamtha International Cricket Stadium at Nagpur, to the very prestigious chairmanship of the VCA Cricket Academy, the only residential cricket academy in the world. Every cricketer from Central India worth his salt has come across Gimi. They know him as Shiraz Uncle, not Lion, as the attitude was reserved only for us part-timers who had no competitive future in his favorite game. The annual Parsi Pentangular Cricket Tournament where players from Nagpur, Jamshedpur, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Surat vie for the Irani Cup sees him don the role of mentor and chief patron, where he rejoices in seeing Parsi boys compete and display their talents. Maybe to satisfy his  urge to be with talented cricketers   he   pioneered   night   cricket  in   the  country way back in the 1980s, with all top teams from the region participating in this floodlit carnival.

 

 

Gimi’s long-standing association with both The Nagpur Parsi Gymkhana and the Nagpur Parsi Anjuman has helped keep the Parsis in Nagpur close knit. Joining these bodies in 1978, he has long been president of the Gymkhana and is currently the honorary secretary of the Anjuman. Even here, he has his hands full, managing the activities of both bodies with an iron yet loving hand. Of special mention here is the way he turned around the Gymkhana to make it financially stable and extremely active. The Dr Dadi Balsara Annual Indoor Sports Tournament is the highlight of the year, with participants ranging from eight to 80 years in age. The annual dar-e-meher salgirah functions spread over three or four days see enthusiastic participation from all community members. At funerals you can see the quiet sadness in his eyes at the loss of yet another Parsi from an already dwindling population but he is philosophical in the view that "God made us; He will ensure our survival!”
For a person who believes in living life to the full the Lion finds it difficult to come to terms with signs of aging (he is now 70). His sports related aches and pains and lifestyle related niggles nag him like his charming wife Bachi never did. So now he takes solace in choosing to play cricket matches where the opposition is somewhat lenient with bowling and throwing. We can see shades of the man in his grandson Yohaan, who accompanies him to the grounds. His son Parheez has recently been elected to the executive committee at VCA. We, at the Nagpur Parsi Gymkhana cannot imagine the day when he hangs up his boots and really decides to retire. The signs are all there; none of us is willing to accept them just yet. For without the roar of the Lion, it will be just another game.