Pawar releases MAC biography, hails him as true democrat

Chennai, July 29 (UNI)Union Agriculture Minister and BCCI President today released the biography of well-known industrialist, distinguished sports administrator and philanthropist M A Chidambaram here today.

The book is authored by Kolkata-based business writer and editor Sujoy Gupta, who said this was a very special assignment for him.

Larwe, addressing a huge gathering of cricketing and business fraternity,Mr Pawar said Chidambaram, affectionately called 'MAC' was a genius of his time, a true believer in democray who proviced a level playing field to his workers.

''He was the opinion that nobody works for him, but everybody works with him,'' Mr Pawar observed adding MAC was also one of the finest administrators of the game as he proved during his tenure as President of All India Tennis Association(AITA) and even more as the President and Treasurer of BCCI.

''It was largely due to to MAC's sustained efforts that the Board once going through financial harsship became self-reliant.He also kept the Board's Constitution autonomous, which was his greatest contribution to the game he loved so much,'' Mr Pawar said.

MAC was also an important component of Imperial Cricket Conference, now called the International Cricket Council(ICC) through his long representation of Indian cricket at the international cricket, securing for it a visible respect in the international arena.

Besides Mr Chidambaram's son and former BCCI president A C Muthiah, grandson Ashwin Muthiah, Editor-in Chief of the Hindu N Ram, Judge, Supreme Court of India A R Lakshmanan and BCCI Treasurer and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association(TNCA) President N Srinivasan participated in the function.

While Mr Srinivasan described MAC as ''the man who worked with kings, but never lost touch with the people'', Mr Ram said MAC was a ''great moderniser, one who believed in old values and an administrator par excellence''.

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