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Sharing a passion
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Ace basketballer Vijayaragavan was in Chennai recently to see his son Ashwin performing in the AITA tournament. Read on to know how a veteran encourages his ward to pursue a different sport.
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Tennis player Ashwin Vijayaragavan with father and former basketballer Vijayaragavan. -- Pic. N. BALAJI
WHO BEAT top seed Mesheer Vasvani of Karnataka in the Nutrine Naturo AITA under 14 tennis tournament in Chennai?
Ashwin Vijayaragavan, a 14-year-old ninth standard student from Hyderabad. Ashwin Vijayaragavan? Is he in any way connected to the player who was once Asia's No. 1 rebounder and Asian Allstar player in basketball; honoured with the Arjuna award for his extraordinary skills that made him a hero in the 1960s and 1970s in this city? Yes, he is the son of the same Vijayaragavan who was once besieged by the T. Nagar fans for autograph. "We were like Sachin in those days and the fans would not allow us to go after the matches unless we sign their books," said Vijayaragavan.
Accompanying his son to the city, the former Tamil Nadu and TISCO player was at the Nungambakkam tennis complex to see how Ashwin was performing in the AITA tournament. Not many at the venue would have known that they were sitting with a splendid basketballer who was Asia's best once.Coming from a sports family in Thanjavur, Vijayaragavan rose to dizzy heights in the 1970s when he showed his class to the Asian continent, once as the captain of Indian senior team. His father Thiruvengadam was also a sportsman. His elder brother Ramanujam, a retired Air Vice Marshal, and younger brother Sridhar, who played for an Indian junior side, were basketball stalwarts. `Viji' started his playing career at Blake High School in Thanjavur and the coach who shaped him in his early years was Paramasivam. Then he completed his B.Com at Sarfoji College. He was in focus when he wanted to complete CA in ` Madras' and for four years he was the darling of the crowd in domestic matches as a Madras Nationals Club player. It was the only top club in those days and there were not much of job opportunities for talented players. Along with Pandian, Amalraj, Chellah and Chandrapal he made the club a formidable one in Tamil Nadu. "Our club used to put up a tough fight with IOB and ICF in all the local tournaments," said the Arjuna awardee. "In those days, most of the players had individual skills and the crowd relished every moment of the game. Now the accent is more on power. These days I find many tall boys going for full court press and relish a power game," he said. Viji got his first break when he visited Colombo in 1969 and was selected in 1970 for the Asian Youth Championship in Seoul in which India finished sixth. A year later he was in the Indian senior squad for the 1971 Asian Championship in Tokyo when he was hardly 17. India again finished sixth in that tournament. In the 1973 Asian Championship in Manila he received the continent's Best Rebounder Award and was nominated for the Asian Allstar team. Even the trip to Bankgok in 1975 saw only a moderate success for the Indian team. However, the squad which he captained in 1977 at the Kuala Lumpur Asian Championship put up a brilliant show by finishing fourth for the first time. Abbas Moontassir, Manmohan Singh, Hari Dutt, Hanuman Singh, Omprakash, S.K. Khatria and Viji did India proud. And in 1978, he received the Arjuna award. After that his knee injury took him away from the game.
From 1976 to 1980 he was with the TISCO as senior accounts officer and played for the institution.
Why did he allow his son to take to tennis?
"It is embarrassing for me to talk about the subject. It happened by accident. When I was in Doha as financial consultant to an oil company, there were no facilities for playing basketball. There were only tennis courts and football stadiums. So I allowed my son to go to a tennis academy. When Leander Paes came there he stayed with us. He saw my son's game and appreciated his skills. He told me to send my son to his academy in Kolkata so that he could help him improve his game. This suggestion prompted me to allow my son to continue with the game," he said.
In fact, Viji is planning to start a combined basketball and tennis academy in Hyderabad to coach youngsters in basketball and allow players like his son to learn more at the tennis centre. "I am also thinking of sending Ashwin abroad to play in the circuit so that he can gain confidence. At present I am busy with my SVS Educational Society, which is running a medical college and hospital in Hyderabad. Once I am free, I will concentrate more on basketball and my son's game," he said.
Viji felt that India could definitely become Asia's No. 2 in basketball if the Basketball Federation of India worked hard and exposed the players to international competitions before the Asian Championship. He thought China belonged to a different league and it was not possible to beat it. But India could certainly get the better of the other teams.
M. C. RAMAN
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