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Tamil Nadu

Life of dedication Personality Of The Week

Rajendra Prasad describes his efforts to promote cricket in Coimbatore

— PHOTO:S. SIVA SARAVANAN

G. Rajendra Prasad

Promotion of cricket at present, which has become a multi-million dollar sport, is no big deal. But getting involved in it when there was hardly any money and patronage, that too in rural areas and for decades, requires commitment and dedication of the top order.

It is all the more interesting when such a commitment comes from the son of an internationally known Gita exponent.

Even as Giridhari Prasad, whose intellectual quest has not rubbed off on his son, wafted in the intellectual winds in his spiritual quest, his son Rajendra Prasad spent more time on the cricket grounds of Coimbatore, not only as a player but also as one interested in its promotion.

Remaining as an official of the Coimbatore District Cricket Association (CDCA) since its birth in 1958 till date, and that too as its Secretary for more than 45 consecutive years, is no mean feat. His contribution to the development of the game in rural districts is commendable.

Seventy-three year-old, opening bat and wicketkeeper, Rajendra Prasad tells G. Satyamurty how cricket developed in Coimbatore and also in the districts.

He speaks not much of his family and his legendary father except saying “I was fortunate to be begotten by such an intellectual giant”. At the same time, he rues that his father bothered only about the society never about his own hearth and home. Thus the responsibility of taking care of all his siblings, shifted to the frail shoulders of Rajendra Prasad.

When CDCA came into being at the initiative of the doyen of educationists, G.R.Damodaran, with doyen of industrialists, G.K.Sundaram, as its president, Rajendra Prasad became the treasurer.

After becoming the joint secretary in the second year, he was entrusted with the responsibility of the Secretary post next year.

Since then, he continues to hold the post with his administrative acumen.

Even in the first year of the birth of the CDCA, which came into being along with associations for Salem and Tiruchirappalli districts as affiliated members of the Tamil Nadu Cricket association (TNCA), Coimbatore hosted the Ranji Trophy match between Madras Cricket Association and Mysore Cricket Association, proudly points out Mr. Prasad. In 1959, it hosted the Ranji Trophy match between Madras and Kerala states.

It was in 1984, Mr.Prasad formed the District Secretaries Forum to represent to the TNCA the needs and requirements of the districts and get a better deal for rural cricket. Since then he has been the Convenor of the Forum which now consists of all the district associations except Chennai.

Significant

He considers significant the meeting of the District Secretaries at Salem in 1995 when it requested N.Srinivasan (now Treasurer of the BCCI) to represent the districts as one of the vice presidents of the TNCA.

“It is because of Mr.Srinivasan’s enormous interest and yeoman service that cricket has developed so well in the district centres", Mr.Prasad observes.

He lauds Kasi Viswanathan, the Secretary of the TNCA, also for the growth of the game. “Both took a lot of interest in the mofussil centres.”

Besides, while a stadium of international standards is to come up in Coimbatore at a cost of Rs 12 crores, cricket academies are planned in Salem, Erode, Tiruchi and Theni.

This stadium, likely to sport an Australian look, will help Coimbatore host an international match at least once in two years

“Pillars"

Mr.Prasad describes D.Lakshminarayanaswamy, the current president of the CDCA, who has been magnanimous enough to lease out 18 acres for the proposed stadium, and P.R.Ramakrishnan, one of the vice presidents, as “pillars" of the association.

Among those produced by CDCA, he mentions M.Senthilnathan, captain of under-19 team against West Indies, P.R.Ramakrishnan and K.S.Vaidyanathan as outstanding.

Similarly, P.Madhavan and Peter Fernandes, though outsiders, brought glory to CDCA by their great performances.

“Initially we had only five teams. Now 36 teams are taking part in league matches alone and thus we are holding 146 league matches. Besides, there is school tournament and Ramakrishna Mills tournament and 60 matches for the schools. In the Golden Jubilee year, the CDCA has emerged the winner in u-13, u-17, u-19 tournament and runners up in u-15. In u- 22 the top slot was missed due to the spin of the coin.”

Thanks to the Districts’ Forum, since 1989, an assistant secretary, four EC members and two vice presidents of the TNCA are from districts.

Infrastructure

Mr.Prasad wants the infrastructure in rural areas, especially in districts like Ramanathapuram and Thiruvarur, improved further. At the same time, unless parents take interest in their children playing cricket it is very difficult for the youngsters to come up.

However, the T20 phenomenon has such an impact on the youngsters “now it is cricket everywhere,” Mr Prasad observes.

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