Why Mumbai chatterati is talking about Gavaskar’s gym locker

There are many versions as to how much money was found in the locker, but first the incident: In October last year, the club management had asked members operating lockers in the men’s room to empty them as it wanted to renovate, make an inventory and reallocate. Most of the lockers were emptied out but a few remained locked beyond the deadline. One of the lockers belonged to Gavaskar, a regular at the gym for indulging in his passion: badminton. The management, not knowing who were operating these lockers, had them broken open and found wads of notes and some documents. It was from these documents that the management came to know the locker belonged to Gavaskar. The locker was opened in the presence of three witnesses and when they found the money, a panchanama was made and the matter reported to the president of the club. Gavaskar was out of India, but one of the members of the managing committee was aware that he was expected the following day.

When Gavaskar returned, he flew into a rage but cooled down when somebody suggested that gym lockers were supposed to be used for storing small personal effects such as change of clothes, racquets etc and not for valuables and currency.

And what was that astonishing amount? Some say it was Rs 4 lakh, others say it was many times more but the Gavaskars, Sunil and wife Marshneil, say it was “only Rs 80,000 or at the most Rs 1.2 lakh”. But sources say that the sum was around Rs 2 lakh in Indian rupees and almost its equivalent amount in foreign currency. Even though all the 19 members of the managing committee and at least some members of the balloting committee were aware of the discovery, it is only now in this season of cricket’s scandals, after remaining a secret for seven months, the story is doing the rounds in Bombay Gym and the cocktail circuit. And an anonymous letter is circulating among managing committee members about locker misuse and the committee’s attempt to sweep it under the carpet.

Explaining the rather unlikely choice for keeping valuables, Gavaskar’s wife Marshneil, who spoke to The Indian Express first, said: “We were between tours with a two-day touchdown in Mumbai and our apartment in Worli was under repairs with furniture and cupboards being repainted. Since we didn’t want to leave cash in the house when we were not around and work was going on, we needed some place to keep the cash and since Sunny virtually lives out of the gym he must have kept it there.”

Asked how much money he had kept there, she said it was “more like Rs 80,000 or so. At the most it would be about Rs 1.2 lakh…I don’t remember the facts too clearly but the incident must be at least six months old”.

Why not a bank locker? Well, “he wouldn’t know how to go about it”. Later Gavaskar too corroborated Marshneil’s version.

Gautam Thakkar, president of the club and a friend of Gavaskar’s, refused to entertain any enquiries. Meanwhile, even today, the discovery of the unlikely treasure trove makes for inspired cocktail conversation at the gym. After all, it involves another legend and this is the season for legend-bashing.