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His deeds speak more
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Keen to give sailing activity at the Hussain Sagar a fillip, Lt. Gen. Venugopal hopes to make it the nation's leading hub in the sport
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Lt. Gen. K.S. Venugopal
Lt. Gen. K.S. Venugopal is the latest in the illustrious lineage of leaders that the Laser Class Association of India (LCAI) has been lucky to have.
The first thing he did on assuming office as Commodore of the EME Sailing Association (EMESA) was to conduct a sailing camp for children during holidays at the Hussain Sagar. That the new president is passionate about the sport became evident from his support for the sport's spread to the hinterland, away from the cities and big towns, to Nagarjunasagar and Khammam.
One look at his physique would suffice to gauge his athleticism and his association with sports since school and college days. A sprinter while pursuing his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) programme at the Regional Engineering College, Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu, he excelled in volleyball and football too. His interest in cricket grew while studying for his MBA at Delhi University and shortly after, he played for the Corps of EME.
Despite his accomplished academic career, the love for sports has been ever-present. Keen to give sailing activity at the Hussain Sagar a fillip, he hopes to make it the nation's leading hub in the sport. Equally eager is he to compete in the next edition of the annual Laser Nationals at the said lake in the grand master category.
Col. A. Shirodkar, Secretary of the LCAI, is optimistic about growth of the sport under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Venugopal. "Despite his busy schedule, I am hopeful Gen. Venugopal will take this sport ahead," Shirodkar said.
"A man of few words, he lets his deeds do the talking," was how Lt. Col. (Retd.) M.P. Jaggi described Lt. Gen. Venugopal. Himself a distinguished sailor and official, Jaggi should know.
Lt. Gen. Venugopal faces some challenges in making Hussain Sagar a leading venue for sailing. For one, the pollution of the lake needs to be checked and if possible, stopped. The frequency of competition could also be increased to showcase it as a world class sporting destination, having hosted an Asia Pacific championship in the past.
The infrastructure is very much in place. So is the manpower to efficiently conduct the championships at his disposal, as proved time and again over nearly three decades. And though this lake is landlocked, the wind speeds not being anywhere near those in coastal competitions, it has produced sailors of international repute.
If Gen.Venugopal needs inspiration, he has only to look up to the likes of Arjuna Awardee C.S. Pradipak, the late Kelly S. Rao and Rajesh Chaudhury, all of whom won their spurs on these very waters.
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
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