R. E. Grant Govan - Revision history

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Career: removed erroneous space, replaced: ". <ref → ".<ref

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{{EngvarB|date=May 2018}}
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{{Infobox person
| name = R. E. Grant Govan
| birth_date = December 1891
| death_date = 26 January 1940
| death_place = [[Haridwar]]
| known_for = First President of the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India|BCCI]]
}}

'''Raymond Eustace Grant Govan''', [[CBE]]<ref>{{cite book|last=United Service and Royal Aero Club (Great Britain), Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom, United Service and Royal Aero Club|title=Flight International, Volume 37|year=1940|publisher=IPC Transport Press Ltd.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wVjmAAAAMAAJ&q=}}Page 30</ref> (known more often as '''R.E. Grant Govan''' and also as '''REG Govan'''; December 1891 in [[Croydon]] district<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=3HClYC09LDhb5P9cus1GVQ&scan=1|title=Index entry|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> – 26 January 1940 in [[Haridwar|Hardwar]], [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]])<ref> National Probate Calendar, accessed through ancestry.com </ref>was a [[Delhi]]-based [[British people|British]] industrialist<ref>{{cite book|last=Ramaswami|first=N. S.|title=From Porbandar to Wadekar|year=1975|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=81-7017-015-X|page=224|url=https://books.google.com/?id=qEr95J4R5swC}}Page 31</ref> and the first President of the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]].

== Career ==
He was the Managing Director of Govan Bros. Ltd., a leading business house of the time.<ref name=rd>{{cite book|last=Vasant Raiji|first=Anandji Dossa|title=CCI & the Brabourne Stadium, 1937-1987|year=1987|publisher=Cricket Club of India|page=114|url=https://books.google.com/?id=hoVLAAAAYAAJ&dq=}}Page 22</ref> The company was managing agents for a number of industrial enterprises. Grant Govan was a keen pilot<ref name=cranfield>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=E. A.|title=To organise the air: the evolution of civil aviation and the role of Sir Frederick Tymms, the flying civil servant|year=1995|publisher=Cranfield University Press|isbn=1-871315-46-8|page=271|url=https://books.google.com/?id=tUDbAAAAMAAJ&dq=}}Page 61</ref> and the founder of [[Indian National Airways Ltd]], an aviation company formed in 1933 under Govan Bros Ltd. <ref name=asian>{{cite book|last=(London, England)|first=East India Association|title=Asian review|year=1957|publisher=East & West Ltd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=36kbAAAAMAAJ&q=}}Page 105</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Aeroplane directory of British aviation|publisher=Published by the English Universities for Temple Press|location=1964|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7MgpAQAAIAAJ&q=|year=1953}}Page 458</ref> Apart from the airline, Govan Bros operated ''Delhi Flour Mills'', set up ''Sugar Mills-Raza Buland'' at [[Rampur, Uttar Pradesh]], and had a travel department, Govan Agencies (the Govan Bros Ltd businesses were sold in 1947 to the Ramkrishna Dalmia led [[Dalmia Group]]).<ref>{{cite book|last=Agarwala|first=Prakash Narain|title=The role and impact of multinationals|year=1991|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=81-7023-288-0|page=440|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThftAAAAMAAJ&q=}}Page 175</ref> Apart from the airline, Govan had other interests in aviation, like the ''Delhi Flying Club'' which he founded in 1928.<ref name=cranfield/>

Govan was an avid sports enthusiast.<ref name=institute>{{cite book|last=Albuquerque|first=Teresa|title=To love is to serve: Catholics of Bombay|year=1986|publisher=Heras Institute of Indian History and Culture|page=124|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g746AAAAMAAJ&q=}}Page 92</ref> He founded the ''Roshanara Cricket Club'' in Delhi, named after the [[Roshanara Bagh|nearby tomb]] of [[Roshanara Begum]], with a group of friends in 1922. The club was officially inaugurated by [[Marquess of Reading]] in December 1922.<ref name=bennet>{{cite book|last=Reed|first=Sir Stanley|title=The Times of India directory and year book including who's who|year=1958|publisher=Bennett, Coleman.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXEiAQAAIAAJ&q=}}Page 821</ref> Govan had the distinction of being both the founding President of the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]] (BCCI) in 1928, a position he held till 1933 and the [[Cricket Club of India]] (CCI) in 1933. <ref name=rd/><ref name=maharaja>{{cite book|last=Dass|first=Jarmani|title=Maharaja; lives and loves and intrigues of Indian princes: Volume 56 of Orient paperbacks|year=1969|publisher=Allied Publishers|page=342|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zhVuAAAAMAAJ&q=}}Page 44</ref> He, along with then BCCI secretary [[Anthony de Mello (cricket administrator)|Anthony De Mello]], was instrumental in getting the BCCI affiliated to the ''Imperial Cricket Conference'' (now [[International Cricket Council]]) in 1928.<ref>{{cite book|last=Advani|first=A.H.|title=Business India, Issues 576-582|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6VIAAAAYAAJ&q=}}Page 103</ref>

In 1931 BCCI with Govan at its helm invited the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] to tour India for the first time, with the support of [[Lord Irwin]], the then [[Viceroy of India]].<ref name=boria>{{cite book|last=Majumdar|first=Boria|title=Lost histories of Indian cricket: battles off the pitch|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-35886-8|page=145|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuwJ8lNg8RQC&dq=}}Page 4</ref> When he died in 1940, [[P. Subbarayan|Dr. P. Subbaroyan]], then President of the (BCCI), issued a statement which read "In the death of Mr. Grant Govan, Indian Cricket has lost a friend ...".<ref name=natesan>{{cite book|last=Natesan|first=G.A.|title=The Indian review, Volume 41|year=1940|publisher=G.A. Natesan & Co.|url=https://books.google.com/?id=80J5faGiznkC&dq=}}Page 196 </ref> After his death, a few of his friends set up the ''Grant Govan Memorial Homes'' in Delhi. These are meant to be retirement homes for [[Anglo-Indian]]s with limited means and were inaugurated by [[Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow|Marchioness of Linlithgow]], wife of the then ''Viceroy of India'' in October 1940.<ref name=ggmh>{{cite web|title=Grant Govan Memorial Homes|url=http://www.ibgindia.com/oldage_homes.html|accessdate=30 March 2011}}</ref><ref name=outlook>{{cite web|title=Midnight's Orphan|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261313|publisher=Outlookindia.com|accessdate=30 March 2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Presidents of BCCI}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Govan, R. E. Grant}}
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:1940 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian cricket administrators]]
[[Category:Aviation history of India]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Delhi]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Board of Control for Cricket in India]]