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In Memoriam, Raju Chainan1

by Martin Bronstein, London © 2001; photo Debra Tessier

Chainanu brought coverage of Asian Squash, in his own style

Sept 2 2001 -

Raju Chainani’s sudden death from heart problems occurred when it was thought he was getting over his ailments and on the way to recovery.

The news of his death came as a sad surprise to those who knew of his various ailments and applauded his attempts to listen to his doctors and get back to full health. His death will leave a very large hole in squash journalism as Raju was one of a dwindling group of journalists who report on squash around the world at all levels.

Chainani with Peter Nicol at a recent event

He covered World and Asian junior tournaments with the same seriousness as the high profile WISPA and PSA professional events. Indeed he was the only non-British journalist and he served the entire Asian media well with his knowledgeable and outspoken reporting.

During the long reign of the Pakistani players, Raju’s Indian background put him at an advantage over the English speaking journalists. Raju was able to get stories from the Pakistan players that other journalists – sometimes purely because of the language barrier – were unable to obtain. This factor, together with his voluminous knowledge and global contacts made him unique in the squash world.

His mischievous sense of humour sometimes made him enemies and he would sometimes allow a good line to get the better of his judgement. His battles with the Indian squash authorities were ongoing, caused by his criticism of the way they ran things, selected teams and anything else that caught his attention. It was not criticism for the sake of criticism but a sincere desire to see things done properly. To that end he was actively involved in junior development, often escorting Indian teams abroad to compete.

He was also the founder of Simply Squash, his monthly magazine which had Geoff Hunt as a regular commentator. He used this publication to good effect to get sponsors such as Perrier involved in squash. Raju was a colourful fixture on the world squash scene. Always ready with a quip and a laugh never far from his face.

Up until this year, a glass of something alcoholic together with his cigar was also an integral part of the picture, but increasing circulation problems forced him to seek medical help – something, he boasted, that he had not done for thirty years. The doctors told him to cut out drinking and go on special diet, and, to everyone’s surprise, he followed his doctors’ orders punctiliously.

I spent time with him this year in Hurghada and Penang (for the women’s world junior championships) and he reported that he was on the mend, losing over two stone, watching his diet and determined to

Chainani with Jahangir

get better, his doctors being delighted with his progress. Which is why news of his death came as a shock. I shall miss his presence at tournaments and world squash will be much the poorer for his absence. There is no-one to take his place... Perhaps nobody could.

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