Hockey official Baptist De Souza passes away

MUMBAI: Baptist D’Souza, president of the Bombay Hockey Association during its golden era, passed away on Tuesday.

D’Souza, 81, a deputy managing director with Mahindra & Mahindra, got the auto firm to donate Rs 40 lakh towards laying Mumbai’s first and only astroturf pitch.

In came up in 1990 during Baptist’s term as president from 1980-98.

The feather in Baptist’s cap was staging the World Cup in Bombay in 1982 and this he did even though he was not well suffering from jaundice. A qualified automobile engineer Baptist was instrumental in Mahindras tie-up with Peugeot, the Italian auto firm.

Baptist established Mahindras as a super power in hockey and football. He and stalwarts like golfer Rajkumar Pitamber, Balu Sule and Arun Nanda encouraged sports, generating jobs for the likes of triple Olympian MM Somaya, Joaquim Carvalho, Marcellus Gomes, Mark Patterson, Dhanraj Pillay, Darryl D’Souza, Gavin Ferreira, World Cuppers Francis D’Mello, Edgar Mascarenhas and Asian Games star John Fernandes.