Remembering Nandu Natekar, India’s first badminton icon
Pune, August 4 2021
Indian badminton’s Grand Old Man, Nandu Natekar, passed away following
age-related complications in Pune on July 28. He was 88.
Natekar, a 17-time national badminton champion, was a man of many firsts.
He was the first Indian shuttler to clinch an international title (Malaysia, 1956)
and feature among the top-five ranked players in the world (ranked as high as
No 3 during his heyday). He was also among the first recipients of the Arjuna
Award in 1961.
Natekar or Nandu sir, as he was fondly called, enthralled sportslovers from the
50s and 60s with his deceptive style and stroke perfection at the court. His
backhand, in particular, came in for high praise from fans and critics alike.
He though nearly ended up making his career in tennis instead of badminton in
his youth.
The legendary shuttler, who grew up in Sangli before his family moved to
Mumbai, played both badminton and tennis with consummate ease during his
college days.
However, after he lost the final of a junior national championship to future
tennis great, Ramanathan Krishanan, he chose to focus entirely on badminton.
Within a short span of time, he carved a niche for himself at the national circuit
with his graceful style of play.
He was the first Indian to make a mark at the prestigious All England
Badminton Championship. In the 1954 edition, he advanced to the quarterfinals
before bowing out. His success inspired Prakash Padukone, who finally became
the first Indian to win the tournament 28 years later in 1980.
Among his other notable achievements included leading India at the Thomas
Cup thrice, bagging men’s singles and mixed doubles (with Meena Shaw) titles
at Bangkok Kings Cup and representing the country at the 1965 Commonwealth
Games in Jamaica.
In 1958, he registered what many claimed his greatest moment of career -- a
victory over World No 1 Erland Kops en route to the CCI Open crown. He
didn’t lose his skills even at the age of 47 when he clinched a veteran’s doubles
title at the All-England Championship.
Natekar’s interest in badminton didn’t wane after calling time on his
professional career. He kept in touch with the young crop of shuttlers including
Saina Nehwal and continued to provide them with useful tips on how to take
their game to a new level.
A lifelong lover of sports, he would be often seen playing golf in Pune, the city
where he lived in his later years. He would be sorely missed.
Word Count: 413 words
Edited by: AKS
Name: Deepanshu Srivastava
Home Town: Pune
Current Address: B/301 ,Suyog Leher Society,Kondhwa BK, Pune 411048
Phone No. 8530388457
Class: MAJMC (final)
Specialisation: Journalism
E mail: arunsri5523@rediffmail.com
From running barefoot to competing at Tokyo Olympics: Know Revathi Veeramani’s incredible success story
Pune, 03 August 2021
Revathi Veeramani lost both her parents when she was only five. She spent her
childhood in extreme poverty and ran barefoot in school meets.
Despite all these trials and tribulations, Revathi didn’t stop chasing her dream of
making it big in the sporting arena.
The 23-year-old recently represented India in the 4x400m relay at the ongoing
Tokyo Olympics. Her childhood dream has materialised.
EARLY DAYS
Born in Sakkimangalam village of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Revathi was brought
up by her grandmother after her parents’ untimely death.
Poverty-stricken as the old lady – a daily wage earner—was, she chose to send
Revathi to a nearby school for studies.
In the school, she met coach K Kannan whospotted her hidden talent in running
and groomed her to be a top athlete.
To date, Revathi believes that without the guidance of her childhood coach, she
would not have been able to become an international athlete. “All my sporting
achievements are due to Kannan sir,” she said in a recent interview.
GRADUAL RISE
After participating in several college and district level events, she shot to the
limelight when she clinched gold medals in both 100m and 200m at the Junior
Nationals in 2016. Later, she went on to bag a silver medal at the Senior
Nationals.
Subsequently, she got selected for a national camp in Patiala which was training
athletes for the Olympics.
Revathi’s reputation grew immensely after she decided to run 400m instead of
100m and 200m following the advice ofa national camp coach, Galina
Bukharina.
She has been making rapid strides since then. After performing admirably at the
2019 Asian Championship in Doha, the 23-year-old was able to qualify for the
Tokyo Olympics without much difficulty.
At the Olympics, she could not progress beyond the heats but gained experience
of competing with the best athletes of the world. With age on her side, the
Tamil Nadu girl is expected to get better and bring laurels to the country in
future.
Deepanshu Srivastava
SYMA-Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
Word Count: 350words
Edited by: Prof. Ankit KS
Vishwakarma University, Pune.