The 170-page book, titled D.G. Hathiramani Legacy– The Rise of Ghana Table Tennis, tells the story of an Indian merchant, philanthropist, table tennis player and coach who played an instrumental role in establishing table tennis in Ghana.

It delves into how D.G Hathiramani masterminded the formation of the Gold Coast Table Tennis Association in 1951 and how he trained, groomed and mentored ping pong greats including Ethel Jacks, two time African Champion; the Quaye Brothers–Samuel and Emmanuel Quaye, and Emmanuel Kofi Asare, an African Junior Champion.

The author of the book, German based Ghanaian Mr Emmanuel Kofi Asare, a former protege, told the Daily Graphic that as someone who stayed with Mr Hathiramani for close to two decades and learnt the sport through him, it was time to enlighten the public about who the man really was, how he came to Ghana and what he actually did for the sport.

“Mr Hathiramani played the game himself and captained the Gold Coast team to win the Azikiwe Cup in Nigeria in 1954. He established a table tennis school in Accra, nurtured and groomed many young talents who competed for Ghana at the international stage and won many laurels for the state,” he told the Daily Graphic.

He noted that the book highlighted what happened in the Hathiramani camp, his contributions to the development of table tennis and how he made the sport a national pastime.

“I entreat all past and current table tennis players to come to the D.G. Hathiramani Hall this Saturday and witness the launch to help popularise the sport in the country once again,” he stated.

Mr Kofi Asare revealed that a special table tennis tournament would be held in conjunction with the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) in the early morning of Saturday as a curtain raiser for the launch of the book.