Ranjit Bhatia

Ranjit Bhatia (27 May 1936 – 9 February 2014) was an Indian athlete and journalist who ran in the marathon and 5000 meters events at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.[1][2]

Biography

Ranjit Bhatia was born on 27 May 1936.[3] He studied at the Lawrence School, Sanawar.[4] He then attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar, matriculating from Jesus College in 1957.[5]

Bhatia was an active athlete, both at Oxford (awarded a Blue) as well as a member of the Belgrave Harriers. He participated in the 1960 Rome Olympics, coming 60th in the marathon and participating in heats of the 5000 metres race.[6]

Following a long battle with Parkinson's disease,[7] Bhatia died on 9 February 2014 in Delhi.[8]

Career

Following his graduation from Oxford, Ranjit Bhatia returned to India. In 1960, he joined St. Stephen's College, Delhi to teach Mathematics.[9] He remained there until his retirement as Reader.[10]

He was a sports writer and presenter. He wrote for Athletics Weekly and covered several Olympic Games for Indian newspapers, including The Statesman.[10][11]

Bhatia was an active member of the Association of Track and Field Statisticians.[3] He was also a national-level selector for Indian athletics between 1976 and 1984.[3]

Among his written works are the Handbook of Indian Athletics,[3] and the Book of Asian Games.[12]

Ranjit Bhatia was an administrator for the Indian chapter of the Rhodes Scholarships from 1962 till his retirement in 1997.[13]

Awards

For his services to the Rhodes Trust and athletics, Bhatia was awarded the OBE.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Sports Reference: Ranjit Bhatia". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  2. ↑ St Stephen's Alumni Hall of Fame.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ranjit Bhatia (1999). Reebok Handbook of Indian Athletics. Full Circle. ISBN 978-81-7621-051-5.
  4. ↑ Prabhsharan Singh Kang, Leadership through Initiative and Innovation A Case Study on Sanawar at sirtaj.net, accessed 7 March 2012
  5. ↑ De'Ath, John (1998). "Old Members' News". The Jesus College Record. Jesus College, Oxford: 58.
  6. ↑ "Belgrave Olympians" (PDF). Belgrave Harriers. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Grapevine" (PDF). Belgravia Harrier Newsletter. 1 (7). 17 October 2004.
  8. 1 2 K. Datta (12 February 2014). "Ranjit Bhatia: A scholar, a sportsman". The Times of India.
  9. ↑ B. G. Verghese (1 January 2006). Tomorrow's India, Another Tryst with Destiny. Penguin Books India. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-670-05863-1.
  10. 1 2 "Distance runner Olympian Ranjit Bhatia passes away". The Times of India. 9 February 2014.
  11. ↑ "Editorial: Gentleman athlete". The Statesman. 12 February 2014.
  12. ↑ Ranjit Bhatia (1982). Sangam Book of Asian Games. Sangam Books. ISBN 978-0-86131-372-3.
  13. ↑ Anthony Kenny (2001). "The Rhodes Trust and its Administration" (PDF). In Anthony Kenny. The History of the Rhodes Trust. Oxford University Press. p. 95.


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