A Man of Substance - By Mohit Lalvani
Posted on - 21 Feb 2012
A Man of Substance
Mohit Lalvani
When bank holiday Monday embraced us, little did we know that by 10 A.M. the tragic news regarding Dady Adenwalla's accident at his home in Bombay would spread through the community like a chilling viral. By the time the news had sunk in and the feelings of disbelief and shock were replaced with sadness, a reflection on the life of a man of substance led to only one conclusion.
Dady Adenwalla was born on the 15th of April at the start of an eighty year journey and by the time he grew up, his entry into the world of horse racing had been determined. He was a man whose desire to succeed was matched with a passion for the sport and over his career, Dady Adenwalla not only won it all but was widely acknowledged by the industry as one of the best in India.
Those were the days when the sport was truly a sport and even as modernization took over and brought us to where we are today, Dady Adenwalla remained true to the value systems that gave racing a warm glow as against a cold shine. Acknowledging once that while racing had to keep pace with changing social needs, he would not and for that he was admired.
When Dady Adenwalla retired as a trainer, he was offered the role of Senior Stipendary Steward and in the bargain, without intentionally doing so, provided the greatest gesture of charity that the sport had ever seen. This wasn't about money or such but was bigger. It was about a man who would unselfishly return to the sport that had given him so much, a most valuable commodity - his time.
During his tenure as an senior official of the club, he governed with a firm hand and a soft heart. He was unrelenting when he found that someone had hurt the sport and was forgiving when he found the circumstances needed him to be so. While some feared him, all respected him and when he retired at the end of glorious career, he was easily elected to the board of appeal at the R.W.I.T.C. Ltd. As an honorary post, Dady Adenwalla continued to give to horse racing and this time took nothing in return. His temper in the board room was often laced with a sense of humour and clearly when we tally the books, it will stand in Dady Adenwalla's balance sheet that he gave more to racing than he took. It will show that he while he gave his life to the sport, he took only joy from it. In an age where the need for heroes is great, here was the likeliest. Dady Adenwalla lived life on his terms and the man we have all loved and respected will be dearly missed.
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