Pune’s top political ‘khiladi’

Mumbai/Pune: Fighter pilot-turned-politician Suresh S. Kalmadi and enfant-terrible of Pune politics – who once chucked a shoe (1977) at the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai – passed away early today following a prolonged illness, party leaders said.

He was 82 and breathed his last at a hospital around 3.30 am. He is survived by his wife Meera, a son, a daughter and other relatives. His body was kept for people to pay their last respects at Kalmadi House and later cremated with full state honours in the presence of a large number of people, politicians cutting across party lines and his admirers.

Born on May 1, 1944 in Madras (now Chennai), Kalmadi shot to limelight in the Congress after the shoe-hurling incident, catching the eyes of another pilot, Sanjay Gandhi – son of Feroze and Indira Gandhi.

Displaying rare dynamism, vision and a knack for ‘organising’ mega-events and big shows, Kalmadi quickly moved up the political ladder. He became one of the youngest Presidents of the Pune, Maharashtra Indian Youth Congress and later flirted briefly with Sharad Pawar’s breakaway Congress (Socialist) as Indian Youth Congress (S) President, before doing a ‘ghar-wapasi’.

Over the years, as 6-time MP of both houses of Parliament, Minister of State for Railways and President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Kalmadi he became synonymous with Pune’s evolution from a staid and lazy academic-cum-cultural capital to a bubbly, cosmopolitan, sporting and urban hub, and rapid development of the railways in Pune and surroundings.

Heading national and international sports bodies, he oversaw the construction of the sprawling Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, introduced Pune Marathon which now ranks on the global athletic calendar, organized the National Games (Pune 1994), Commonwealth Youth Games (Pune 2008) and the Commonwealth Games (New Delhi 2010), with ambitions to host the Olympics in future.

“A seasoned parliamentarian, an institution builder, and among the most influential personalities in Indian sports administration, Kalmadi shaped the way India engaged with international sports for decades. His demise is a great loss to Indian sports,” said Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh President Umesh Zirpe, who interacted with him in 2011 to organise an expedition to Mt. Everest.

Pune leaders and citizens acknowledge that Kalmadi’s long-lasting efforts and contributions are in the realm of Indian sports. During a period when sports administration in India lacked a professional structure and global aspirations, he stormed the scene like a messiah and catapulted it to the world stage with a respectable voice.

He is credited with significantly upgrading India’s sporting infrastructures, bringing in modern event-management standards, and showcased India’s capacity to host global mega-competitions. In turn, the sports facilities and international exposure proved a boon for thousands of aspiring young athletes, with the fruits coming in the form of many medals and honours to India since.

For the past more than 10 years, Kalmadi battled several health issues including Alzheimers and dementia to gradually fade away from active political and sports perches he once proudly occupied and spent his final days in Pune.

Jailed and exonerated, but died unsung

The downslide of the high-flying player came soon after the Commonwealth Games (2010), when Kalmadi was charged with corruption, misuse of office and violating norms by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Central Vigilance Commission, and later the Enforcement Directorate.

He was arrested and imprisoned at the Tihar Central Jail for 10 months, the Congress suspended him, he was sacked from the post of IOA President, lost the election for President of Asian Athletics Association which he held for 13 years.

In 2016, the Congress withdrew the suspension and in April 2025, the fighter Kalmadi's patience was rewarded: he was cleared of all the alleged money-laundering charges by the ED, and other matters never reached the trial stage.

While I was Pune (Rural) SP, President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma came to inaugurate the National Games (1994) and the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, and I was there to receive him. When he entered, MP Suresh Kalmadi introduced me to the President as: “Bokey, one of the finest IPS officers in India…”. Surprising all, including Kalmadi, the President stepped forward and hugged me as the distinguished gathering watched in pin-drop silence. Later, to some curious VIPs whose jaws had dropped at my encounter, my simple reply was: “I had the privilege of knowing President Sharma since he was the Governor of Maharashtra and I served as his ADC at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai”.

-Vikram Bokey, IPS (retired)

When Suresh Kalmadi, a Brahmin was Pune MP for several terms, he ensured equal representation in the civic body to all sections of people for various responsibilities – something unprecedented – shattering the ‘upper-caste’ image. With his manifold contributions particularly in sports arena and urban infrastructure, he is regarded as the ‘builder of modern Pune’, catapulting its stature to world level.

Dr. Raghunath Kuchik, Trade unionist