Farokh Engineer still waiting for 1973 Padma Shri after 53 years

Farokh Engineer, 88 and now settled in England, still hasn't received the Padma Shri announced for him in 1973. He read about it in the newspapers while playing county cricket. Since then he's written to Arun Jaitley and, more recently, to Jay Shah, who promised to help. The official awards site lists him among the recipients, but no letter ever came.

He'd like the certificate framed and to attend the Rashtrapati Bhavan ceremony with his wife. A BCCI source says the board intends to raise the matter with the government in the coming weeks. Engineer played 46 Tests between 1961 and 1975, and was the first-choice keeper for the Rest of the World side in the early 1970s.