Bombay Gymkhana, one of Mumbai’s most iconic and historic sports clubs, unveiled its new logo recently as part of its grand 150th-anniversary celebrations. The refreshed emblem beautifully encapsulates the club’s rich legacy while embodying its forward-looking vision for the future.

Established in 1875, Bombay Gymkhana has been a cornerstone of Mumbai’s sporting and cultural landscape. Over the past century and a half, it has not only fostered cricket, rugby and other sports but served as a cherished hub for the city’s vibrant and diverse community.

President Sanjiv Mehra (left), Vicaji Taraporevala (center), and Dilip Vengsarkar (right) at the Bombay Gymkhana’s 150th anniversary celebration.

The new logo is a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity. Featuring elegant typography, a bold crest and subtle references to the club’s historic architecture and sporting triumphs, the design symbolises resilience, camaraderie and excellence — values that have defined Bombay Gymkhana since its inception.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Sanjiv Saran Mehra, President of Bombay Gymkhana said, _”Founded in 1875 by a group of sports enthusiasts, Bombay Gymkhana was envisioned as a meeting place for those passionate about sports. Over the years, it has evolved into a sporting powerhouse that not only organises events for its members but also engages with the broader community, hosting official championships in collaboration with various sports bodies. We take immense pride in playing a role in India’s sports growth story.”_

Former India cricket captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who attended the ceremony, said, _”This is a fantastic celebration of 150 remarkable years. The atmosphere here is electrifying, with members coming together to commemorate this historic milestone. It was especially heartening to see our president, Mr Sanjiv Saran Mehra, meet Mr Vicaji Jivanji Taraporevala, who witnessed the first Test match held at this ground. My best wishes to Bombay Gymkhana for continuing its incredible legacy.”

Reflecting on his memories, Vicaji Jivanji Taraporevala, a lifelong member of the club, added, _”I was just 10 years old when I watched the first-ever Test match here between India and England in 1933, a memory I will always treasure. Becoming a member of Bombay Gymkhana in 1966 allowed me to witness remarkable feats, such as Lala Amarnath’s century and C.K. Naidu’s iconic run-out. It is truly an honour to be a part of this legacy.”_

The 150th-anniversary celebrations will unfold throughout the year, with a line-up of exciting events including sports tournaments, cultural evenings, heritage exhibitions and charitable initiatives. The unveiling of the new logo marks the beginning of what promises to be a memorable and momentous year for Bombay Gymkhana’s members and supporters alike.

The new logo serves as a proud reminder of Bombay Gymkhana’s illustrious past and a beacon for its promising future, as it continues to play an integral role in Mumbai’s sporting and cultural heritage.

Sri Krishna temple, Veera Desai Road, Andheri West celebrated their annual day recently, with great pomp and pride.  The eight day long celebrations, coinciding with the annual day, were attended by sincere devotees from all over.

Temple officials, temple priests and devotees during the annual day celebrations

The celebrations began with 7 days bhagavatam recital by eminent acharya Soma Warrier and team from kerala between 6.30 am to 6.30 pm daily, culminating with the 10th kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu .

Lamp decor around the temple during annual day celebrations

The Laksharchana with all ladies and gents participating together, created divine atmosphere followed by distribution of prasad. Breakfast and lunch prasad were served to all devotees on all 8 days.

On the concluding day, the festivities had a grand celebration. A chariot procession bearing lord Krishna idol moved across Veera Desai Rd. and Azad Nagar area. Devotees Mr. MS Krishnan and Suvarna Joshi who regularly visit this temple briefed the media persons about the work undertaken in social field by the temple authorities.

The temple authorities thanked all the dignitaries, devotees and also the govt authorities like Amboli police, BMC, etc for facilitating smooth conduct of their annual festival.  

After winning 6 Gold medals at the IMA_ Mahasports held in Nanded, last month, Dr. Reena Bhagat from Mumbai- Maharashtra has now become an All India Champion at Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) National Table Tennis Championship, which concluded recentlyat MGM Sports Complex. .

Dr. Reena Bhagat ( Ext. Right) receiving her All India IMA-TT Championship trophy.

In this All India championship, Dr. Reena won Gold in Women’s Singles 40 to 50 section, followed by another Gold in Women’s doubles in above 45 section. Her third Gold medal came from Mixed doubles above 45 age group. Dr. Reena thereafter went on to bag a Bronze medal in Open Table Tennis category and also a Silver in Carrom. During this entire year, she has worked very hard finding time for practice out of her busy schedule; to achieve this big success.

Dr. Reena Sharma Bhagat from Mumbai won 5 Gold medals in Table Tennis and One Gold in Carrom at the IMA- MS Mahasports jointly organised by Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra & Indian Medical Association, Nanded. This three day tournament, which concluded in Nanded today, had 100 participants in Carrom and 50 participants in Table Tennis.

Dr. Reena Bhagat from Mumbai receives her Trophy at the IMA_ MS Mahasports meet in Nanded

Dr. Reena won Women’s Singles final in below 45 age group, beating Dr. Gayatri Toshniwal 3-0 and then also went on to bag another Gold beating Dr. Maya Wankhede in Women’s 45+ singles. Thereafter, partnering Dr. Maya Wankhede in Below 45 group she bagged her 3^rd Gold beating Dr, Gayatri and Dr, Madhuri Jadhav 3-0. Her 4^th Gold came from Women’s 45+ group, when partnering Dr. Maya the pair beat Dr. Shailaja and Dr. Vishakha 3-0. Dr.Reena’s 5^th Gold was in 45+ Mixed doubles partnering Dr. Akshay Marawar, when the pair beat Dr.Madhuri and Dr.Rizwan 3-0.

Thereafter, swiching over to the game of Carrom, Dr.Reena bagged her sixth Gold medal in Women’s Singles beating Dr. Manisha Nandes 25-2. In Women’s Carrom doubles she however settled for a Bronze partnering Dr. Maya. All in all, it was a great show by the Mumbai doctor, who finds time from her busy schedule to play at MCF Club, Borivali, Mumbai.

Om Lotlikar, one of the finest Para TT Players from India died yesterday due to heart failure. He was 31. According to reliaable sources, Om was actually suffering from Dengue. When he had further complications after vomiting, he  was admitted to nearby hospital, where he breathed his last.

Para TT Player Om Lotlikar

A finest Para TT player that he was, Om was two times Nationl Para TT Champiuon and had represented India at the Para Asian Games in 2014 and Para Asian Championship in 2017. He never restricted himself to Para Games, but played in the open TT tournaments at the state level, with a good show. He represented P.J. Hindu Gymkhana team in the first division TT league; as he was offered sports membership there. Earlier , he played in different clubs like YMCA and MLWB.   

Om had lost his one hand in an unfortunate accident , when he was just 10 years old. But, with the encouragement received from his parents and especially his mother, Om focussed his attention on the game of table tennis and made good progress.

Om was finding it difficult to manage expenses of the game of table tennis at competitive level, when he graduated and was pursuing Law. At that time, his father worked for a courier company and mother served tiffin services from their house in Girgaon. But, Om was determined. With Collective help from well wishers, he managed his outside tournament expenses.

Renu Menon wife of Late Vilas Menon, was the first to recognise his talent and offered him financial help through Vilas Menon Memorial Trust. Soon, few well wishers from TT department of P.J. Hindu Gymkhana sponsored his Para Asian tournament and this boosted the morale of Om. He was also offered job by State Government at Thane. Thanks to Nitin Dolas TT player from Mantralaya for pursuing his recruitment process. Later, he joined Postal Department.  

It is very sad to hear about his shocking end. On social media, Many TT lovers have expressed shock on his untimely death and have offered condolences to his family members.   

Like the game of Cricket, not many other games offer good returns and therefore many youngsters from middle and lower middle income group families, avoid playing these games, which are played at international level. There is no enough support coming from the state and national federations of many such sports to deserving youngsters, whose family members  cannot afford to spend for their children, towards the cost of travel and hotel stay arrangements during the state and zonal championships of these sports.

Sagar Kasture

Now, take for example 19 year old Sagar Kasture, who lives in a chawl at Nehru nagar, Vile Parle, Mumbai. His father drives autorickshaw for his daily earnings, to support his family. Since his childhood Sagar has been passionate about the game of table tennis. He was first spotted by Jayesh Lakhani from Juhu, who asked him to join his academy JLTTA and offered free training. Thereafter, two renowned TT trainers Raju Sawant and Nilesh Pandirkar also offered free training to Sagar at their traning academy.

However, due to poor financial condition, he was not able to take part in all the Zonal, National and international level tournaments, till the time he was under 18 years of age and while playing in Junior’s section. Now, Sagar has turned 19 and due to cancellation of Youth Singles (U-21 category) at the state and national level TT, he has to play in the Men’s category. Neverthless, he still finds his ranking in this category and is all prepared to participate in all state ranking and national ranking TT tournaments. Till now, Sagar has performed extremely well at the state level tournaments, for the past seven years and his only wish is to represent India in international TT tournaments and make all his supporters proud of him.

‘If there is a will, there is a way’. His PT teacher Ms. Sakshi Satish Kamtekar from his earlier Municipal School in Vile Parle, where he did his schooling;  has been approaching well wishers, to sponsor Sagar for such outstation tournaments. During the recently concluded MCF 3 star TT tournament, she was introduced by her family friend Girish Wagle – a coach at MCF, to few senior players playing in the 60+ category. After hearing about Sagar’s plight, they came forward to help this youngster. When they heard that Sagar was going to kangra at Himachal Pradesh for Zonal All India TT tourney, two of them sponsored his air ticket expenses. Other senior player presented him with new branded shoes and also offered his own prize money won in two Masters’ tournament to him, to meet the partial cost of the hotel expenses, which Sagar will be sharing with four other friends from Mumbai during this tournament.

If this was not enough, another good news he heard from a senior player and well wisher- former TT Champ Shalmalee Gosar( whom he calls Shalmalee tai) , at the Khar Gymkhana 3 Star Ranking tournament. Shalmalee Gosar along with nine other well wishers who are business entrepreneurs from Mulund, namely Rajendra Dulla, Amit Patani, Prem Churla, Rajeev Parekh, Pooja Gada, Shraddha Thale, Vikram Shah, Jay Kotecha and Nipam Bhatt; will be offering Sagar Rs. 10,000/- per month, to meet his TT expenses. This is a fine gesture and also a very good news for Sagar. Sagar also receives help from Tibhar company in the form of Ply and rubbers. He uses Tibhar Evolution K3(F) Tibhar Evolution MX-P50 rubbers and Tibhar STRATUSCarbon ply. For his physical fitness and exercises, he goes to Positive Physiotherapy,Vile Parle East, where Dr. Yuvraj Singh has offered him special concession in fees.

But, Sagar is seriously looking for a Job or scholarship from big corporate houses or NGO’s. “I would prefer a job, rather than depending upon help from individual sponsors. I am really thankful to all those who came forward to help me during the period my struggle. Mr. Praful Shah donated Rs. 1 Lakh to me. Arjun Patra Sir helped me a lot with training and equipments during Corona pandemic lockdown period. Salian Brothers Kiran and Naveen, donated Rs. 25,000/- in memory of their late father. Bhavesh Shah helped me with financial assistance for many tournaments. Yogesh Desai also donated Rs. 5,000/- for one tournament. Few other senior players who are presently helping me, don’t want their names to be disclosed. I am really grateful to them. They are real inspiration for me.”  

Sagar, who is studying in the first year of Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at ADAMAS University, Kolkatta; through online course, is certainly a bright prospect, if he takes part in all state ranking , zonal, national and international TT tournaments. He plays with penholder grip, which makes his game more unique during rallies. But, he certainly needs guidance from a Chinese coach on his services with penholder grip. Hope he finds a suitable sponsor for the same in near future. Wishing him all the best for the forthcoming Zonal TT tournament in Himachal Prdesh and other major tournaments to follow. Those who are really keen on offering him job or offer him sports scholarship, can contact him on his mobile number 7208690081 Or write to him on his e mail id’s : sagarkasture05@gmail.com or sagarkasture13125@gmail.com 

Varsha Chulani Majmudar former National Table Tennis and National Snooker champion has created a new record. At 50+ she has turned Professional Pickleball player at the international level. Varsha who alongwith her husband Nishit Majmudar ( also a former TT player) migrated to Singapore many years ago with their job assignments. Today, Nishit plays Snooker, while Varsha is serious about her second innings in sports with Pickleball.

Varsha in action with her new sport Pickleball

Varsha has shown good progress with Pickleball. In the 50+ Masters’ Women’s doubles at the World and Asian championship, she has won Gold medal. She also won the New York Open and Texas Open last year. Won another tournament is USA in 2022 and played finals of US National Championship. Varsha and her partner Pini are the best in 50+ Women’s doubles, in Asia.

Right now, her husband Nishit is here in Mumbai to participate in Western India Snooker Championshipat at Khar Gymkhana. Varsha could not make it this time, as she was busy playing Pickleball tournament. But, we hope to see her soon, when Khar Gymkhana will be felicitating all the legends who made their Gymkhana proud with their performance at the national & international level.

At present, there is only one name in discussion among TT lovers in India and that is Prasunna Parekh. She raised India’s flag high at the biggest Table Tennis event which concluded in Rome, Italy recently. With the  participation of 6100 players in the age group of 40 to 99 years from 110 countries in the world, this was perhaps the biggest table tennis event organised by International Table Tennis Federation ( ITTF).

Prasunna Parekh

India’s Prasunna Parekh who played in the 45+ age group main draw, went on to bag three medals in this tournament. Prasunna won her Gold medal in Women’s doubles, partnering Minu Basak, a bronze partnering K. Srvatsa in Mixed doubles and another Bronze in Women’s singles.

Prasunna sharing the happy moment with her husband

Magzmumbai spoke to Prasunna, after her return to India, to congratulate on her grand success. Speaking about her success, she said, “ Yes, winning three medals was a big achievement, as there was tough competition from players of other countries. But, my hard work paid the dividends.”

Prasunna ( 2nd from Left) with Siddhi Patel, khwaish Lotia  4) Fiza pawar, Bhavina Patel (Olympic medalist Tokyo silver medal) , Pratha Pawar (international medalist) , Mahi Patel and Lalan Doshi ( coach and brother of Prasunna).

Prasunna, a  former State player of Gujarat started playing Table Tennis at a young age. She had taken a break after after marriage; but after becoming eligible for Masters’ event, she made her comeback in 2016 with the support received from her husband and family members and went on to become a National Champion in 2018. Prasunna also won 2 Silver medals at the last World Masters’ TT Championship at Oman.

An employee of Postal Department in Gujarat, Prasunna who is a fearless and consistent attacking player, received good support from her department for her long practice sessions, which comprised of almost 4 hours a day for the past few months. After winning 3 Gold medals at Commonwealth Masters’ TT Championship in Hyderabad last year, she was determined to win medals at this World Masters’ TT Championship. And she achieved what she could, giving her best. Let’s hope that her achievement receives attention of Sports Ministry and Indin Masters get due recognition from Government of India for their efforts.    

Actor Kabbir has joined forces with leading director Anees Bazmee in a thrilling collaboration for the upcoming Bollywood film, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’. The much-anticipated third installment of the hit horror franchise, is poised to captivate audiences with its riveting storyline and stellar cast.

Kabbir, known for his versatility and captivating performances, brings his unique flair to the film, promising an unforgettable experience. He has done lots of theater performance to boost his acting skills and had learnt acting from an NSD teacher.  Collaborating with director Anees Bazmee, celebrated for his cinematic brilliance, the duo has created this film that promises to redefine the horror genre.

In ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ , actor Kartik Aaryan takes the lead role, supported by the talented Triptii Dimri, whose previous work has garnered widespread acclaim. Alongside them, the film features the powerhouse performances of esteemed actresses Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit, adding depth and richness to the ensemble cast.


Speaking about this film, Actor Kabbir, says, “Working on Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has been an exhilarating journey. We have put our heart and soul into creating a film that will not only entertain but also leave a lasting impact on the audience. It’s a wonderful experience working with Kartik and Anees sir in Kolkata.”


Produced by T-Series and Cine1 Studios, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ is slated for release later this year.