Sheikh Jamshed Ali, Indian golf’s first Arjuna Awardee, who has been battling throat cancer for the past two years, made an impassioned appeal to the masses for financial help to fight the dreadful disease.The golfer, in fact, could not even speak and one of his family friends Chanakya Chatterjee informed that Ali has been going through severe financial crisis.In 1992, the Union Sports Ministry had sanctioned a lifetime monthly pension of Rs 2000 for the golfer who was presented sport’s premier award in 1975 by the then president V V Giri. But according to Ali, the pension stopped after 16 months. Then, after a gap of 11 years, Ali received Rs 24,000 from the ministry as arrears for one year. Chatterjee claimed that since then, Ali has not received his pension.He further said that the golfer’s family will approach organisations to gather funds for Ali’s treatment. He said, “Doctors of a cancer hospital have informed that Ali requires Rs 4 lakh to complete the 15-course chemotherapy.”
