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He sets the table right
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Spotlight on Nallambakam Munuswamy Anand, who sets the stage for the cueists
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Photo : Satish. H
In cue Munuswamy Anand
Who is Nallambakam Munuswamy Anand? Well, not many of the cue sports-lovers (or even some of the players) who lined up to watch some of the classic battles like the one between Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani in the senior billiards semi-final of the on
-going National championship at Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy Indoor Stadium (Hyderabad) may be aware of this gentleman’s credentials. But, he happens to be the unsung hero of the sport in Andhra Pradesh and South India too. He is the only one to be perfect in the art of re-assembling the five-piece dismantled billiards table and provide the eight cushions to set the stage for the cueists to revel under the lights.
The 30-year-old resident of Himayathnagar, learnt the art from his grandfather T. Krishnamurthy Achary His ancestors including his great grandfather Tangavela Acharya and uncle T.K. Mani were all pastmasters in this art. From the time he finished his X standard, Anand has been meticulously following Krishnamurthy to master the nuances involved in the whole process. “Thanks to his efforts, I can stand on my own now and even earned some reputation of sorts,” says the modest Anand, who is now handling the whole job on his own. He charges Rs.3000 for each re-assembled table and the amount varies if he were to set the entire new table if the material is provided to him.
He may not have participated in any of the nationals or world championship but he set the tables for two nationals and the 2003 World billiards championship in the City already. The latter a demanding job done in the space of a few hours to the delight of the purists.
Tribute to his efficiency
That Anand happens to be the only one adept in entire South India to do this job is also a tribute to his efficacy. That he spurns quite a few offers in this regard for want of time is also proof of how busy he keeps himself on the table.
Apparently, after Capt. P.V.K. Mohan, MD of Seaways Group, took over as the president of Billiards & Snooker Federation of India, the sport is getting a major fillip both by way of hosting number of State-level events and also having already hosted the World Championship in 2003. With the 2009 World snooker championship scheduled in the City, the cue sports is widely tipped to be the new craze for the youngsters in the city.
“Well, once the cue Sports Academy comes up, then naturally I have lot more to do and thanks to Capt Mohan’s initiatives, people like me are also very busy earning our livelihood,” says Anand even while acknowledging the support from Srinivasa Rao, secretary of APBSA..
V.V. S
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