By Shruti Menon Seeboo
A moment 29 years in the making was finally realised in Mauritius. On 1 September, the triumphant return of Indian tennis legend Leander Paes was celebrated not just as a sporting event, but as a homecoming steeped in cherished memories. The Indian Business Council (IBC) and the Mauritius Tennis Federation (MTF) had gathered to honour an enduring icon, but what unfolded was a deeply moving reunion with a place that had, in his own words, set the stage for one of his greatest triumphs and, ultimately, a path to Olympic glory. This was more than an occasion; it was a connection between a country and a champion that was destined to be rekindled.
The evening at Petit Camp was attended by a host of distinguished dignitaries, underscoring the high-level importance of the occasion. Present at the event were:
- Dr. The Hon. Arvin Boolell, Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries
- Dr. The Honourable KS Sukon, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research
- Hon. Mahendra Goondeea, Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage
- Honourable Mrs Eileen Karen Lee Chin Foo Kune-Bacha, Junior Minister of Youth and Sports
- His Excellency Vimarsh Aryan, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Mauritius
- Mr. Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory, former Vice-President of Mauritius
- Mr. Raouf Bundhun, Former Vice President of Mauritius
- Mr. Jean-Michel Giraud, President of the Mauritius Tennis Federation
- H.E. Mr. Sanjiv Ranjan, Secretary-General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat
The event was supported by CareEdge Ratings Africa, Heritage Resorts, Satguru Travels, SBI (Mauritius) Ltd, Indian Oil (Mauritius) Ltd, and Life Insurance Corporation of India, Mauritius. The event, which celebrated Paes’s iconic career and set the stage for future collaborations, began with a welcoming address from the President of the IBC.
A Vision Beyond Business: IBC’s Welcome
Taking to the podium, IBC President Jayasankar Seshadri, in his opening remarks, spoke with immense pride as he welcomed the tennis icon. “At the risk of offending the sizeable number of people here who are from Kolkata, let me say how proud I am to welcome a fellow Chennaite,” Seshadri began, noting Paes’s formative years in Chennai. He described it as “an absolute honour and privilege to introduce a name that is not just synonymous with Indian tennis, but with resilience, excellence, humility and sporting legacy.”
Seshadri paid a moving tribute to Paes’s family, highlighting his father, the late Dr. Vece Paes, who was a member of the Indian Olympic hockey team, and his mother, Jennifer, a well-known basketball player. The President then delved into Paes’s astonishing professional career, which spanned three decades. He praised Paes as one of the most decorated and enduring doubles players in tennis history, pointing to his “astonishing record of 18 Grand Slam titles”—eight in men’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles—and his remarkable achievement of a career Grand Slam in both disciplines. Seshadri also reminded the audience of Paes’s special connection to Mauritius, where he won a Challenger Tour title in 1996.
Beyond the trophies, Seshadri focused on the spirit that defines the champion, describing his “lightning-fast reflexes” and “never-say-die attitude” that have made him a role model. The IBC President spoke passionately about Paes’s patriotism, symbolised by his record-breaking seven consecutive Olympic appearances and the bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which revitalised Indian tennis on the global stage.
Seshadri concluded his address by outlining a strategic vision for the future. He explained that Paes’s visit was intended to leverage his expertise to: establish a world-class tennis academy in Mauritius, encourage Indian golfers to visit the island, attract top-ranked tennis players to compete here, and ultimately, put Mauritius on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit. This ambitious plan, he said, was in line with India’s broader objective of exporting its sporting and educational expertise to Africa.
A Diplomatic Connection: The Deputy High Commissioner’s Address
Following the IBC President, His Excellency Vimarsh Aryan, the Deputy High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, delivered his address, adding a diplomatic dimension to the event. He began by expressing his honour at being part of an occasion where a living legend was present. “His presence among us is not only an inspiration to the young generation of Mauritian athletes, but also a reminder of the powerful ways in which sport can unite people, societies and nations,” he stated.
The Deputy High Commissioner praised the IBC and the MTF for their joint initiative, calling it a reflection of how the “business community and sporting fraternity are joining hands to strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Mauritius.” He highlighted the shared passion for sports and the historical bond between the two countries, noting that India has long partnered with Mauritius in providing training, coaching expertise, and infrastructure development. He cited the recent Indian-government-funded community development projects that have helped build sporting facilities at the grassroots level in Mauritius.
Vimarsh Aryan expressed confidence that Paes’s visit would open up new opportunities for collaboration in areas such as sports management, youth training programmes, and institutional exchange. He spoke personally of Paes’s humility and passion for nurturing young talent, which he had witnessed firsthand. The Deputy High Commissioner concluded by welcoming Paes with “warmth and admiration,” expressing hope that his visit would “add more pace to the ever-growing bilateral cooperation, especially in the sports sector.”
An Inspiration for the Youth: The Junior Minister’s Message
The Honourable Mrs. Karen Lee Chin Foo Kune-Bacha, the Junior Minister of Youth and Sports, took to the stage to provide the government’s perspective. She expressed immense joy at welcoming “a true icon of world sport, a legend of Indian tennis whose presence here in Mauritius is both an honour and an inspiration and also a source of motivation, especially for our youth.”
The Junior Minister commended the Indian Business Council for its vision, noting that its role had transcended business and trade to foster the “cultural and human connection that unite our two peoples.” Echoing the sentiment of the Deputy High Commissioner, she emphasised the unique and deeply rooted ties between Mauritius and India. “Sport, as we all know, has a unique power. It brings people together and transcends barriers, and sport also teaches us the values of discipline, of perseverance, of respect,” she said, noting that Paes, as one of the greatest doubles players of all time, “embodies all of these values.”
On behalf of the people of Mauritius, she extended the warmest welcome to Paes, concluding that his presence was a reminder that “friendship like sport has the power to unite and inspire.”
An Unforgettable Return: The Legend Speaks
Taking to the stage with the familiar, boundless energy that defined his career, Leander Paes began by expressing his heartfelt gratitude. “I’d like to thank each and every one of you for this gracious welcome back to Mauritius,” he said, his voice ringing with genuine emotion. The visit, he revealed, was a powerful trip down memory lane. “I was here exactly 29 years ago in February of 1996… and I won the singles here.” That victory, he explained, was more than just a title; it was the beginning of an incredible journey. “That was the start of the run that I had where, four months later, I won the Olympic medal in Atlanta, Georgia. Mauritius always brings great memories.”
Paes also led a tennis club with children of all age groups from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on September 1, at Petit Camp, an initiative that embodied his life’s work. As a doubles specialist, he is far from an unknown, having won 18 Grand Slam titles: eight in men’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. His illustrious career includes three French Open titles (1999, 2001, 2009), Wimbledon (1999), three US Open titles (2006, 2009, 2013), and the Australian Open (2012), the last of which allowed him to complete a career Grand Slam. Throughout his career, he was partnered with his compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi (together, they won 23 tournaments) and later with Czech players Lukáš Dlouhý and Radek Štěpánek, with whom he found particular success. In 2016, he became the fifth player in history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in both men’s and mixed doubles, and in 2018, he secured his 43rd career doubles victory in the Davis Cup, making him the record-holder for the most wins in the tournament’s history. To date, he is also the only tennis player to have competed in seven Olympic Games, a fact that highlights his enduring commitment to his country.
In a deeply personal and engaging style, Paes then painted a vivid picture of his family legacy, the very foundation of his drive. He spoke of his mother, a “five-foot-nothing” captain of the Indian basketball team, who, despite her stature, had “lightning speed.” He praised her intuition and leadership, sharing how she remembered every birthday and anniversary of her teammates’ children. He then turned to his father, the imposing “six-foot-three” center-half of the 1972 Munich Olympics field hockey team. Paes then shared an extraordinary, and humorous, anecdote from that period. During the Games, after Israeli athletes were taken hostage, the athletes’ village was locked down. “The games were shut down for four days…and while the games were shut down for four days, I guess my parents had nothing else better to do. I was conceived in those four days.”
Born on 17 June 1973, Paes spoke of his childhood, where his obsession was not toys but his parents’ trophies and medals. He would use a tin of brasso to polish them, and it was his father’s Olympic medal that held a special fascination. He recounted asking his father about the five rings, learning they stood for the five continents, and about the beautiful goddess of Athena on the medal itself. This led to a pivotal question for his future. “How do I get one of my own?” he asked. His father’s answer was simple, yet profound: “with a lot of hard work.” But he added a grander purpose, telling his young son that if he ever played in the Olympics, he could “inspire the nation through sport.”
This childhood lesson, Paes explained, is the driving force behind his mission today. Having just played with nearly 100 children in a tennis clinic, he spoke passionately about the power of sport as a vehicle to “unite community, regardless of religion, culture, dialect, language, regardless of colour.” He issued a call to action for all those in positions of power to “unite to give our youth sports education, skills learning and empower them.” While only three spots exist on any podium—gold, silver, and bronze—Paes argued that sport’s value extends far beyond the top 1%. He detailed a wide spectrum of career opportunities, from “sports medicine doctors, sports physiotherapists, sports science,” to umpires, event managers, and stadium architects. Sport, he asserted, can give young people a better quality of life and “put food on the table and a roof over your head.”
Paes then spoke with an urgent, business-minded clarity about the need to keep young talent from leaving their home countries. He noted that in India and across Asia, parents spend fortunes on sending their children to Ivy League schools abroad. He praised Mauritius for its government-backed education system, suggesting a powerful alternative. He proposed bringing “international education that is recognised by Ivy Leagues in America and recognised by Cambridge…to Mauritius,” coupling it with professional sports across 16 or 17 Olympic disciplines. This model, he argued, would not only attract students from India, Africa, and Europe, but it would also “keep our children at home…safe,” allowing parents to watch their progress firsthand in a turbulent geopolitical climate. “I humbly bow my head and extend my team at Flying Man Ventures, my company, to work with all these beautiful people in the ministry, in the corporate world…to empower our youth right here in Mauritius.”
Paes then introduced his CEO, Apurva Sircar, and detailed the immense scale of his “give back to sport and to India”: the Flying Man Ventures in Odisha. The 250-acre facility, conceptualised from his late father’s vision, looks after 80,000 children, including 40,000 tribal children. He described a state-of-the-art facility with 16 gyms, 16 sports science units, 16 rehab centres, and 16 swimming pools, designed to provide every resource a professional athlete needs. He contrasted the business of looking at the “top of the pyramid” for a quick return on investment with looking at the “bottom of the pyramid” to find a far greater, if unconventional, return by empowering the grassroots.
In a poignant moment of reflection, Paes spoke about his childhood dream of playing football. From the age of ten and a half, he was at the FC Barcelona football academy, but his dream was cut short when he was asked to give up his Indian passport. “I bleed the Tiranga inside me. I bleed India,” he declared. He gave up his dream for a sport “no Indian had ever played in the Olympics, no Indian had ever won a Grand Slam.” He humbly added, “I think I did all right.”
Paes ended his powerful address with a heartfelt call for collaboration. “I’d like to ask for your support to enable me to partner with you to empower our youth all across Mauritius and India and Africa and South Africa and Europe… to bring them to Mauritius and to show them the beauty of what we have here in God’s own back here.” He concluded with a hopeful look to the future, thanking everyone for the welcome and expressing his desire “to build a beautiful young community that are art champions in the years to come. Jai Hind, God bless you.”
A Toast to a Legend: The Closing Remarks
In a final address that encapsulated the evening’s sense of profound gratitude and optimism, Sarad Kumar Baranwal, the Managing Director of Indian Oil (Mauritius) Ltd, delivered the vote of thanks. “I limit myself to expressing only vote of thanks for all the people who made this event wonderful,” he began, honouring the chief guest, ministers, and representatives from the Indian High Commission.
Baranwal spoke with great admiration for Paes, whom he referred to as a “legend.” He echoed Paes’s sentiment of “nation first, everything second,” an ethos that had evidently resonated deeply with the audience. He also drew a parallel between Paes’s 1996 victory in Mauritius and his new venture, declaring, “I think this venue of Mauritius will again play lucky town to you for your future endeavours.” Baranwal reflected on Paes’s “special journey” from a young boy from Kolkata with a dream to an 18-time Grand Slam winner and an Olympic medallist, noting the recent inclusion in the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a pinnacle achievement. He also recalled reading about a life-threatening illness Paes had overcome before an Olympic appearance, calling it a lesson in “resilience and power” that the youth could learn from.
On behalf of the IBC, he extended “sincere thanks and gratitude” to Paes for accepting the invitation and for “enlightening us with your very inspirational journey.” Baranwal praised Paes’s humility, stating, “We never saw anybody with such a great personality.”
In a final tribute, he lauded the IBC management team for their tireless work and personal sacrifice, led by President Seshadri. Baranwal concluded by expressing his gratitude to all the guests, members of the IBC, and the MTF for making the event a great success. The evening was a perfect tribute to a legend and a promising beginning for a new era of sporting and diplomatic collaboration.
