"You taught us to be champions of the game…and beyond!... The man who taught us about life through table tennis… our greatest guru and inspiration.” Bomi Minocher Amalsadvala earned a tribute from his students at JSW Sports (part of the O. P. Jindal Group) in The Times of India of November 30, 2020, eight days after he succumbed to Covid-19 on November 22, 2020 at the age of 82.
Former Indian table tennis coach from 1975-1984, recipient of the Dadoji Kondadeo Award and founder of the Jindal Table Tennis Academy, his students acknowledged, "We were all lucky to have you in our lives and blessed to call you our beloved Sir. You have touched people in more ways than you can imagine. The values that you have instilled in us will live on.”
Devoted to the game of table tennis, he expected the same commitment from his students who recalled his frequently used words, "If you laugh in practice, you will cry at the match and if you cry at practice, you will laugh at the match.”
Inset and above: Bomi Amalsadvala with his students
"Bomi found his true calling as a coach,” observed Farrokh Khodaiji who represented India at three world championships and four Asian championships. Being perceptive, Amalsadvala was "perhaps the best observer of the game and gave very good advice” in those days when there was no video recording of the game to replay the matches and analyze the opponent’s moves, added Khodaiji. He regretted that the Table Tennis Federation of India was not kind to Amalsadvala and never appointed him as coach for the national men’s and women’s teams although he had produced outstanding results when mentoring the boys’ junior team. "He would sit through all matches and guide very accurately. Very loyal, enthusiastic, eager to ask questions without being intrusive,” he was an asset to Indian table tennis, according to Khodaiji who is four years his junior.
Although Amalsadvala was disheartened that he never made it even to the Bombay or Maharashtra teams, Khodaiji considered him "a great practice partner. He was a completely defensive player. You could be reasonably secure that he would not hit back. That was the lacuna in his game.” With both of them working at the State Bank of India (SBI), together with another colleague Baji Khambata they conjointly won many tournaments when representing the Bank.
He was the public relations officer of SBI for several years, mentioned Bomi’s younger brother Maheli. Bomi’s Sikh wife Beena who predeceased him two years prior worked for SBI too. His brother-in-law Balbir Singh Dhillon recalled how Bomi was "hardworking, persevering, determined to achieve his goal after setting his mind to it.”
The eldest of three brothers, Bomi was an alumnus of Sir J. J. High School in Bombay. During his student days he enjoyed playing cricket but later got drawn to table tennis, initially practicing the game at the Young Men’s Christian Association at Bombay Central. On completing his matriculation he joined Central Bank of India as an apprentice and after working there for two years, he shifted to SBI, stated Maheli.
Respecting all religions, he would continue observing his Zoroastrian practices whilst joining in the Sikh rituals too, thereby appeasing his parents as also Beena. Their son Siddharth is an automobile engineer settled in Canada.