Gulam Abbas Moontasir

Gulam Abbas Moontasir (born 7 January 1942) is a former professional basketball player from India.

Gulam Abbas Moontasir
Personal information
Born (1942-01-07) 7 January 1942
Mumbai, India
NationalityIndian
Career information
CollegeBombay University
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Born in Mumbai, he was introduced to basketball by an American missionary at the age of nine at the courts at Nagpada in central Mumbai.[1] He studied at Mumbai's Antonio D'Souza School and D.G. Ruparel College.

Career

Moontasir played for his school, college, Bombay University and the Maharashtra State, in turn. He made his international debut in an exhibition match against Australia[2] in Mumbai in 1960. He represented India in the quadrangular in Colombo in 1964 and captained the Indian side in the Asian Basketball Championship held in Bangkok in 1969 and 1975.[2] Moontasir was also member of the Indian team that participated in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok and took part in the 10th Anniversary confederation Tournament in Manila. He was chosen for the Asian All-Star team in 1970.[3]

By the age of 22, Moontasir had become the top player in the country's history. On international tours, he learned of different styles of play and recognized that the game needed to play in order for India to compete internationally. He identified three main problems: a stilted, outdated method of play, "ridiculous" refereeing, in which the referees officiated from their seats on the sidelines, and constant bickering by the governing authorities of the BFI. His attempts to bring the game forward were not well received by the authorities, who suspended him for three years[4][5]

In 1970, he became the first Indian basketball player[6] to received the Arjuna Award in 1970 for his achievement in national sport.[2][7] He played his last national level match at the age of 44 when he represented the Railways in the Federation Cup in 1986.[2]

Mootasir also authored the book Principles of Basketball.

Films

Moontasir also played a role in several movies, including the 1981 film Khoon Ki Takkar and in the 1986 film Aashiana.

References
  1. Bhattacharyya, Wriddhaayan (19 March 2015). "Basketball in the time of gang wars, Dawood Ibrahim". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  2. Abhijeet Kulkarni; Shashank Rajaram; Crystelle Rita Nunes (17 December 2017). "Video: Meet Abbas Moontasir, the Asian All-Star who rose from Mumbai's basketball courts". Scroll.is. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. Marar, Nandakumar (4 July 2015). "We need many more Satnams playing in the NBA: Abbas Moontasir". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  4. Ranjna, Aathur (16 July 1989). "UGHTMNG". The Illustrated Weekly of India. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  5. "Former basketball referee Subramanian passes away". India Today. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. "'May Satnam have 'Sanjeevani' effect on Indian basketball'". India Times. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. Maskeri, Anju (3 December 2017). "Mumbai Is Now Fighting For Visibility In Basketball Amid Competition". mid-day.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.

Gulam Abbas Moontasir at IMDb


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