Frenaz Chipia Gujarat’s Garv, Parsi Pride

PT Special Correspondent and Parsee Gymkhana teammate Hoshang K. Katrak Profiles TT champ.

It’s not everyday that you beat an Olympian—and that too at a National level tournament. Not every player gets to consistently bag top-spot in the state in all three age categories — juniors, youth and women! A good half-century after the likes of Farokh Khodaiji and his wife Katy brought laurels to the community and the nation with their exploits in Table-Tennis, 21-year-old Frenaz Chipia has been regularly achieving recognition in the sport.

As her opponents would testify, her girth belies her agility at the table. At the prestigious All-India Public Sector TT tournament held last week at the Khar Gymkhana from 3-6 March, 2017, Frenaz, captaining her team AAI (Airport Authority of India), walked away with three bronze medals — in the individuals, teams and doubles. In the individual event, she beat Charvi Kawle, Shweta Parte and topped it up with a victory over 2012 Olympian Ankita Das! Her recent exploits include triumphs over national champion Manika Batra (current National Women’s No.2) and Divya Deshpande, also ranked in the top eight.

Frenaz, coached and mentored by her father, Mehernosh, started playing at the age of seven. Her main source of mental strength, Mehernosh makes her daughter follow a strict regimen and accompanies her to all tournaments. Elder sister and college professor Zena, has also been a national player.

Felicitated numerous times by successive Chief Ministers of Gujarat, including Narendra Modi and Anandiben, Frenaz represents Mumbai’s Parsee Gymkhana (Marine Lines) at the Inter-club and All-Parsee tournaments. Kudos Frenaz! The community is indeed proud of your achievements!