A Prolific Writer and Founder – Director of ‘Sportsnasha’ website passed away on Friday 27th December 2024 after prolonged illness. He was 63. He is surived by wife Vasudha and son Pratik. Shirish was also popularly known as ‘Aju’ among his friends, took early retirement from NABARD and focussed his attention on writing.
In the year 2017, Shirish along with Prof. Rajesh Deo, started a website ‘Sportsnasha’, besides hosting sports events for young upcoming sportspersons and helping them. Through ‘Sportsnasha’ he conducted various workshops and seminars on fitness and promotion of sports at different places. He also instituded awards for young talented sportspersons and also felicitated veteran sports personalitities with ‘Khel Seva’ awards. He also organised Women’s Cricket tournaments, Football tournaments in Vile Parle, besides other sports and cultural events .
Shrish Deshpande( R) with Sunil Gavaskar
Being a cricketer himself, Shirish kept the wickets for NABARD Cricket team. Sports personalities like Chandu Borde, Dhanraj Pillay, G.R. Vishwanath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Yajuvendra Singh and others including present women’s test cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues.
Shirish ( R) with actor Pushkar Shrotri
As a writer Shirish had written many books, some of them with the help of his son Pratik. ‘Ajooba’, ‘ Uncle Bole To’., ‘E Mhan’, ‘200 Slogans on Sachin Tendulkar’, ‘Being MSD’, ‘Hope and Bull’s Eye Leadership’,’ Half Cut Half Drive’ are some of his popular publications. . He also contributed his stories to newspapers and Diwali magazines. With his untimely death, sports fraternity has not only lost a good human being but also a great promoter of sports.