Jennifer Paes: Much more than just tennis icon Leander’s mother

In Kolkata’s social circles, she may have been referred to as Leander Paes’ mother in recent years, but Jennifer Paes — who passed away at 72 on Sunday, 17 May — was much more than that. Captain of the Indian women’s basketball team in the 1970s and early ‘80s, Jennifer was reported to be suffering from cancer for a number of years and had moved away from public life.

The memorial service, performed at St Thomas Church in Kolkata, had the Paes family in attendance — including Jennifer's Olympic medallist tennis icon son Leander, now a BJP member based in the city of his birth. It has been a double blow for Leander and his sisters Jackie and Maria as they lost father and Olympian Dr Vece Paes only in August last year.

Paying a brief visit at the service was Bengal’s new chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who also put out an X post for convey his condolences. ‘’Deeply saddened by the passing away of Smt. Jennifer Paes; Mother of Indian Tennis legend Leander Paes. A former captain of the Indian Basketball team & Olympian, her immense contribution to Indian Sports and her legacy will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to Leander Paes and the entire family in this hour of grief. Praying for strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss. May her Soul rest in Eternal Peace.’’

There is, however, a factual inaccuracy that has often circulated about Jennifer being part of the Indian women’s basketball team at the 1972 Munich Olympics alongside Vece Paes, who a member of the bronze medallist men’s hockey team. Records say women’s basketball was introduced in the Olympics only in 1976, so it would not have been possible for Jennifer to be part of the 1972 contingent. Oldtimers like hockey legend Gurbux Singh, now 91, feels Jennifer could have visited the Olympics as Dr Paes’ wife.

However, Jennifer led the country in the 1980-82 Asian Basketball Championship and was a long-time stalwart of the sport, apart from being an inspiring figure at the West Bengal Basketball Association (WBBA) courts at the Kolkata maidan for years.

Born Jennifer Dutton, Jennifer was a descendant of legendary and iconoclastic Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a fact made famous by Leander later. Though Dr Paes and Jennifer separated when the children were very young, the Paes family remains a unique chapter in the country’s history of sporting families. During several interviews, Leander has often spoken about acquiring his DNA from his sporting parents.