CSK CEO Daughter Ashwini Viswanathan Dancer

With a firm NO to any cricketing association, Ashwini has pursued her Dance Passion and performed across the globe

Last week, the daughter of 'Kasi Sir' donned the coveted  role of 'Karpagambal' in the Panguni Utsavam dance feature

In the 1990s, India Cements was making a comeback into league cricket in Madras and Kallidaikuruchi S Viswanathan (Kasi Sir in cricketing circles) was assigned by the company chief N Srinivasan to anchor the cricket transformation as the Cricket Manager. He had been in the accounts division until then but he was handpicked to play the lead role in making India Cements a top notch team once again. It was also the time his younger daughter Ashwini was growing up as a teenager. India Cement’s first wins on their return coincided with Ashwini’s coming of age in dance with her arangetram presentation at the age of 14. Through the 1990s, KSV’s house in Mylapore was abuzz with India Cements' cricketers and almost all the talks centered on cricket and getting IC to win trophies. While Ashwini made a lot of cricketer friends in that phase and watched a number of matches at Chepauk with them, her passion right from childhood was dance. She was still in her teens when she watched Tendulkar score that century at Chepauk in India’s narrow loss to Pakistan. 

No Cricket, sticks to Dance Passion

By the turn of the century India Cements had made a big impact on the club scene in the city and also started to win national tournaments. They began to make big investments in cricket and this threw up opportunities for cricketers and working professionals. When IPL was launched they picked up a team and have been one of the two most successful ones with KSV as the CEO picking players at the auction. All the cricketing glamour at home was not enough to lure Ashwini away from her childhood passion that has remained with her for close to four decades.  She has had absolutely no association with cricket except as a spectator. “Appa did not force me into cricket and allowed me to pursue my childhood dream that of expressing myself through this art form. Despite his busy schedule, he always made time to attend all my dance programmes and that served as a great encouragement for me. That gave me the confidence that I had his backing.”

The only time she was asked to consider a cricketing association was when the late VBC (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/01/vb-chandrasekar.html?m=1) asked her to explore options at CSK but her mind was fully focused on dance.

The Big Break as a youngster

She was just past 20 when her Guru Jayanthi Subramaniam deemed it fit for her to make a trip to the US to present dance performances across multiple cities there. She counts that early exposure in front of large audiences in the US as a great experience that has held her in good stead. That open the doors for her in her dancing career. It was her performance at the Thyagaraja Utsavam in Cleveland that grabbed the attention of Leela Samson, who invited her to join her troupe. It was a big break for Ashwini and it has been a roller coaster ride ever since. In the decade gone by, she has performed in Malaysia, China, South Africa and Australia, among other countries in addition to presenting programmes across India. 

She is puzzled at the overwhelming interest among the overseas audience and the rather tepid response in India to dance programmes. As seen in the stories on Nirupama Vaidyanathan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/05/nirupama-vaidyanathan.html) and TT Abhishek (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/10/abhishek-r-india-table-tennis-star.html), non-cricketing success do not get the attention they deserve in this country. And Ashwini has found that in her dancing career “This is an ancient Indian art practiced for over 1000s of years. While the auditorium is packed in overseas countries, the response here is rather disappointing. It has left me puzzled as to why even traditional dance presentations don’t attract a big audience here in this country.”

Awards from leading Sabhas

Her dance performances have won her many prestigious awards from the leading Sabhas in the city including Natya Chudar, Yuva Kala Barathi and Nadanamamani. She has also graduated to Grade A artiste at Doordarshan, reserved for senior professionals. These days Ashwini practices in the mornings and takes classes for her students in the evenings at her dance school in Mylapore.

Cricketing Association

Her closest association with cricket came when she joined hands with Sunithi, her classmate at school and wife of former India cricketer S Badrinath to launch a designer Boutique that the two have been running for a few years now. In recent years, she has also been the costume designer for actress Kasthuri in Bigg Boss. 

Solo Performance in all leading TN Temples

She has performed in all the leading temples in TN including Chidambaram, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam. Another favourite dance location of hers is the Jagannath temple in Puri, where she has performed a number of times.  She was ‘Shakuni’ in Mahabaratha and ‘Lakshmana’ in Ramayana.

Karpagambal at the Paguni Utsavam

Last week, she donned the role of Karpagambal for the first time in her life as she and her team members under Guru Jayanthi Subramaniam presented the Panguni Utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/kapali-devotee-aparna-panguni-utsavam.html) “Playing the role of the Goddess of Mylapore was special. Every day of the Panguni Utsavam is different and to present that through a dance feature was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.”

Ashwini credits her amma for her success in her dance career “She did not get the opportunity in her time though she was interested in arts. For almost four decades, she has stood by me and given me all the encouragement and been a pillar of strength in my dancing endeavours.”

Many in the next gen have followed in the footsteps of the parents. It is an easier path to take and many parents have talked their children into it. With Masters degrees in Economics, Accounting and International Finance from Australia, she could taken to a finance role that her cricket renowned father (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/02/ks-viswanathan-tnca-bcci-ipl.html) had once been into or with his cricket association and the opportunities opening up on the cricketing front at the beginning of this century, she could have made a career in cricket administration /marketing. Instead she stuck steadfast in her passion not wavering for a moment in the last three decades and has found great satisfaction in the several hundreds of dance presentations inside temples and at auditoriums. Now she is all set to use her dance presentations to create a positive impact on the society and is looking forward to presenting socially relevant programmes showcasing women’s rights, perils of caste system and importance of nature conservation, among other public interest causes.  

Arunachalam R Kapali Devotee Vedic Student

The 22year old is committing to a lifetime of Kainkaryam to Kapaleeswarar

Amidst the city buzz, he has managed to keep his thoughts solely on the Divine Couple of Mylapore

Has been travelling to remote Paadal Petra Sthalams to perform cleaning services as directed by Appar

In the last two years, this section had featured stories on two die hard devotees of Kapaleeswarar. Mylaporean from childhood S Harini Yogalakshmi, came all the way from Salem with her husband to have darshan of Adikaara Nandi procession (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam.html) while S Aparna stayed through the night in March this year to have darshan of the Rishabha Vahana procession (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/kapali-devotee-aparna-panguni-utsavam.html). This story is of a 22 year Vedic Student who is keen on dedicating his entire life to Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal.

Arunachalam, son of Ramakrishnan Ganapadigal of Mylapore, is no ordinary kid. He belongs to the 9th generation of Vedic Scholars who hailed from Kadavasal, a small village near Mayiladuthurai. At the turn of the century, the time he was born, a generation of Vedic Scholors had seen financially challenging times. The phase from the 1970s had sounded death knell for Vedic Pandits and a lot from the next gen moved into the corporate world. In addition to the financial challenges, the societal challenges of having a Shikai, seen in a Veshti all the time, not wearing a shirt on most occasions led them to take to a degree in academics and moving into the corporate world. He recalls the childhood stories his appa had narrated to him "Veda Parayanam had taken a back seat in the 80s and it had been a financial struggle for appa. There were days when there was no proper food to consume but he did not let go of the Vedic Recital despite the monetary challenges. And that has always been an inspiration for me." 

But Arunachalam grew up at the feet of Kapaleeswarar and he has had no inkling for the modern way of life. “I have found contentment in being at temples all the time. I see myself as being in Kapaleeswrar’s shadow. By not ‘being outside’, I do not feel that I am missing something in life.”

He was keen to quit academics when he was around 10 but Bala Periyava and Krishnapremi Anna were insistent on him continuing the school education for a few more years and thus he continued till class X at Sivaswami Kalalaya.

To soon Graduate as a Ganapadigal 

For the last seven years, he has been learning the Krishna Yajur Veda and is currently in the final phase of completion being initiated by his appa. While those who grew up around him in Mylapore have completed their collegiate education and moved into corporate life, Arunachalam sports a prominent Shikai. He says he performs the Trikaala Sandhyavandhanam every day and rarely misses the Artha Jaama Pooja at the Kapaleeswarar temple where he performs Kainkaryam.

Watching the fast paced life around him has not lured him into the modern world of financial desires “My thoughts have centered on Kapaleeswarar and I want to perform a lifetime of service to him. Another temple of interest to me is the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanchipuram where too I want to present parayanam.”

In recent years, his association with temples has taken another positive turn. Just like Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/12/thiru-vathigai-veerateswarar.html, Arunachalam has been performing cleaning services in remote Paadal Petra Sthalams led by Pasupathi, a CA. 

Alankaram for Velleesawarar

Right from a young age, decorating the Lord has been of interest to him. This year both at the Aadi Pooram utsavam as well as the Vasantha Utsavam, he was involved in alankaram kainkaryam at the Velleeswarar temple in Mylapore. 

He also has a lofty traditional wish “In my lifetime, I want to teach and help students graduate as the best in Krishna Yajur Veda.”

Arunachalam can be reached on  97910 13356

Thiru Vellarai 7 Tier Raja Gopuram Construction

Joy for Pundarikakshan Devotees

Renovation Committee has given the approval for the Construction of the New Raja Gopuram

Construction likely to start soon , expected to take two years

The Towers at the main entry point of two prominent and ancient Divya Desams near Trichy had been left as Mottai Gopuram and remained as such till the 1980s when a decision was taken to construct a Raja Gopuram at the Southern entrance to the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, that now stands tall at 236 feet. The other one, the Pundarikakshan temple at Thiruvellarai Divya Desam (Vellarai Divya Desam), the birth place of Uyyakondan and Engal Azhvaan, dates back to a period when 3700 Vaishnavite families lived in the town. The Raja Gopuram at the Northern entrance thereto had remained unfinished. 

Last decade, the then CM of Tamil Nadu (Late J. Jayalalitha) had announced in the assembly plans to construct a Raja Gopuram at Thiruvellarai.  Some of the ground work had started at the Divya Desam but the Madras High Court order restraining renovation in temples meant the work came to a grinding halt over 5 years ago. Subsequently, with the High Court directing the appointment of a Panel to decide on the merits of renovation in temples, the Raja Gopuram work in Thiru Vellarai praised by Periyazhvaar and Thirumangai Azhvaar seemed to get a life line with the Panel issuing an order to strengthen the existing structure at the Northern Entrance based on the technical reports.

இந்திரனோடு பிரமன் ஈசன் இமையவர் எல்லாம்

மந்திர மா மலர் கொண்டு

மறைந்து உவராய் வந்து நின்றார்

சந்திரன் மாளிகை சேரும் சதுரர்கள் வெள்ளரை நின்றாய்

அந்தியம் போது இது ஆகும்

அழகனே காபிட வாராய் - Periyaazhvaar's Kaapidal

Northern Entrance shut, Eastern Entrance Opened

The Northern entrance which has for long been the preferred entrance to the temple has been long closed and the eastern side of the temple had been completely revamped and the entrance there reopened after several decades. 

After the strengthening works of the existing structure, the donors from Coimbatore applied to the renovation committee and have just got the approval to go ahead with the construction of the Raja Gopuram. The construction of the 'Lime Mortar' Raja Gopuram is expected to commence soon and the plan is to complete the 7 Tier, 125 feet plus towering structure in around two years.

It has been a long time coming at Thiru Vellarai and the approval process has seen several hurdles in the last 6-7 years. With the approval this month, it looks like finally the Raja Gopuram will be on its way. When complete, the Raja Gopuram will rank amongst the top five tallest towers in the Divya Desam list and thus in a matter of three decades Mottai Gopurams in two ancient temple towns near Trichy would have seen towering Raja Gopurams!!!

வென்றி மா மழுவேந்தி முன்மண்மிசை மன்னரை 

மூவேழுகால் கொன்ற தேவ 

நின் குரைகழல் தொழுவதோர் வகை, எனக்கருள் புரியே 

மன்றில் மாம் பொழில் நுழை தந்து, மல்லிகை மௌவலின் போதலர்த்தி 

தென்றல் மா மனம் கமழ் தரவரு, திருவெள்ளறை நின்றானே - Thiru Magai Azhvaar

Every year on the third day of the Panguni Utsavam the Lord makes a trip to Kollidam.

The temple is open from 730am-1pm and 3.30pm- 7.30pm  Contact: Achuthan Bhattar @ 95978 57231 /Vinodh Bhattar @ 98941 42111

Auto from Srirangam: 97917 56869/ 92624 05704.

Renovation Exercise in Anbil Divya Desam

About 25kms East of Thiru Vellarai, TVS' Venu Srinivasan, who had restored the Ranganathasawmy temple in Srirangam(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/venu-srinivasan-srirangam-temple.html), is undertaking a renovation exercise at Anbil Vadivazhagiya Nambi Divya Desam on the Northern banks of Kollidam.

Thiru Kannangudi Prabhu Bhattar

After a dozen years at the Thiru Mangai Azhvaar praised Divya Desam, the priest gets a daily wage of Rs. 100

Earlier he performed archaka service at Nathan Koil for a decade

It is hoped that relief to such low paid priests will come through the HC 'minimum wages' case filed by Mannar Koil's Periya Nambi Narasimha Gopalan

                            Prabhu Bhattar

This is yet another case of a Divya Desam bhattar not getting his financial due. 43 year old N Prabhakaran (Prabhu) Bhattar was roped into the Thiru Mangai praised Damodara Narayana Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Kannangudi, located about 8kms West of Nagapattinam, off the Thiruvarur Highway, a dozen years ago. There are no buses to this Divya Desam even today.

வங்கமா முந்நீர் வரிநிறப் பெரிய வாளரவின் ஆணை மேவி 

சங்கமார் அங்கை தடமலர் உந்திச், சாம மா மேனி என் தலைவன் 

அங்கமாறு அந்தவேள்வி நால்வேதம் அருங்கலை  பயின்று 

ஏரி  மூன்றும், செங்கையால் வளர்க்கும் துலக்கமில் மனதோர் 

திரு கண்ணங்குடியில் நின்றானே

Thiru Kannangudi was without an archaka at that time. Having performed service for over a decade at Nandipura Vinnagaram, at Nathan Koil, another remote Divya Desam earlier, he agreed and moved to Thiru Kannangudi at a monthly salary of Rs. 600. It had been a dilapidated temple at that time. Roads leading to the temple were muddy. It was no different from the scenario at Nathan Koil. Devotees were limited. There was not much Thattu Kaasu for the archaka. In both the temples, he was the sole archaka taking care of all the sannidhis. 

Revival of Utsavams

In the period he was at Nandipura Vinnagaram, he performed a Samprokshanam. Here too at Thiru Kannangudi, he anchored a Samprokshanam three years ago that saw a dilapidated Ramanuja Sannidhi and the Madapalli seeing a revival. The Brahmotsavam too has been revived over the last decade. The utsava deity now makes an annual trip to the sea shore on the occasion of Maasi Magam.

Forefathers in archaka service

Prabhu Bhattar’s forefathers hailed from Nandivanam, east of Nathan Koil. They performed archaka service at the perumal temples in Nandivanam, Nandipura Vinnagaram Divya Desam and also at Tippirajapuram. His grandfather Seshadri Bhattar performed service for decades at the feet of Nandinatha Perumal and Shenbagavalli Thayar at Nandivanam. Into the second half of the previous century, when his appa Neelamegham Bhattar was performing service at Govindaraja Perumal Sannidhi in Chidambaram, he was roped in by Pachu Bhattar of Nachiyar Koil Divya Desam to perform service for 10 days every month.

Appa Neela Megha Bhattar, Nachiyar Koil

Decade long serice at Nathan Koil

Prabhu Bhattar spent his childhood in Nachiyar Koil. He had been devotionally attached right from his school days and spent a lot of his time helping his appa in service at Nachiyar Koil. He learned the pooja kramam from his thatha and joined service at the Vanamamalai administered Nathan Koil Divya Desam when he was still in his teens. There too the temple had been without an archaka and  he took charge at Nandipuram Vinnagaram in the late 1990s. He enjoyed his stay there though devotees were quite limited in those days. In 2005, he anchored the Samprokshanam at the Divya Desam. Financially, his life continued to be challenging as there was neither a good salary nor thattu kaasu to keep his life stable.

Kannangudi - His 2nd remote Divya Desam service

For three years, he came over to Madras to perform service at the Anjaneya temple in Nanganallur but soon made his way back to another remote Divya Desam after being invited to perform service at Thiru Kannangudi, one of the Pancha Krishna Kshetrams where Moolavar Loganathan is seen in an East facing standing posture. There is a separate sannidhi for Loganayaki Thayar. The Lord of Thiru Kannangudi has been praised in each of the verses by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in his Periya Thirumozhi as one who is seen in a grand standing posture. 

                            Loganayaki Thayar

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar's praise

He describes Thiru Kannangudi as a place with huge mansions with walls that were so high that they seemed to touch the moon. He praises the temple as being surrounded with ripe paddy fields, water tanks that were filled with different kinds of lilies, lotuses and many varieties of flowers and lush orchards that produced fruits such as bananas, jack fruits and mangoes among others. He also describes the place as being home to peacocks that flocked in big numbers and danced around the Lord. 

Unlike in other Divya Desams where Garuda is seen with folded hands, he is seen here with his hands around his body.

                                 Garuda in special posture

Dilapidated State to Complete Restoration

In the period he has been at Thiru Kannangudi, he has captured the hearts of the villagers as a devotionally committed Bhattar. He is the lone Bhattar at the temple managing all the sannidhis and the utsavams. Broken Walls, Falling Azhvaar idols, Shattered Vimana and Rats inside the Madapalli symbolized the state of the temple soon after he had taken over at the start of the previous decade but has transformed the temple over the last decade. With support from devotee donors, the Ramanuja Sannidhi that had been in dilapidated state has been restored as has been the Madapalli that was falling off in the not too distant past. 

He has also managed to secure Abaranams for Perumal and Thayar. Currently, he is working on a special Horse Vahanam for the annual Brahmotsavam that too has been revived during the time he has been here.

However, for all his services, he still does not have a permanent job and is only handed ‘daily wages’ of just Rs. 100. But he has rarely complained “God has given me an opportunity to perform service in a Divya Desam. The villagers respect me for my service to Damodara Narayana Perumal. I have had the opportunity to perform consecration in two remote Divya Desams. While financial stability is required in life, not many get an opportunity to serve at the feet of Divya Desam Lord through a life time. I have spent over half of my life time in two Divya Desams praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. And that I consider as a blessing.”

Since the Pandemic, life has not yet come to normal at the temple, in terms of devotee crowd. As is the case with most HR & CE administered temples, the lack of income at the temple (Hundi income) has meant a low salary to the archakas. Prabhu Bhattar has felt comfortable in a remote location performing quiet and sincere service to the Divya Desam Lord.  He is hopeful that God would bless him one day, financially, and get him the permanent job from the HR & CE. 

In recent times, Periya Nambi PS Narasimha Gopalan of Mannar Koil Kulasekara Azhvaar Rajagopalaswamy temple (Transforming Mannar Koil) has filed a contempt petition in the High Court against the HR & CE for not implementing the court's direction to paying a reasonable and fair salary to the service personnel in temples at least in line with the amount prescribed in the Minimum Wages Act. This could provide a lifeline for priests such as Prabhu Bhattar. One will have to wait and watch. 

Irrespective of the job status, he is devotionally committed to perform a lifetime of service to Damadora Narayana Perumal at Thiru Kannangudi Divya Desam.

The temple is open from 8am-12noon and 4.30pm– 9pm. Contact Prabhu Bhattar  @ 99431 38591 / 99408 11701.

Kaushik M Gandhi TN Opener TNPL Captain

3 Palayampatti shields, a VAP Trophy and 3 TNPL wins has made 'Thatha' one of the most successful captains in recent times in TN cricket

Kaushik knows how to score runs and has it in him to succeed in all three formats for TN – Monty Desai, West Indian Batting Coach

“He is level headed, well-mannered and temperamentally very good. You get very few cricketers like him these days” – Bharath Reddy, Cricketing Chief, Jolly Rovers

TN Opening Batsman and TNPL’s most successful captain Kaushik M Gandhi hails from the Patriotic village of Gandhigram near Dindigul. His grandfather Padmanabhan lived a life on Gandhian principles and took great care of the villagers helping the downtrodden. It is a philosophy the 32 year old TN cricketer follows to this day helping those from his ancestral village. While the next generation (his father and his siblings) had moved to Madras, Kaushik was the first son in his generation to be born in Gandhigram and thus as was the tradition in the century gone by, his ancestral village came to be tagged on to his name. Much later, former South Zone fast bowler J Gokulakrishnan who first spotted the cricketing talent in Kaushik also gave him the ‘Thatha’ nickname that has come to stay with him over the last decade and a half. While Gokulakrishnan pulled him up with this nickname on one of Kaushik’s lazy cricketing sessions at the nets, it (Thatha) went well as it coincided with his actual name (Gandhi)!!!

Spotted by Gokul, Mentored by Madan

He was just 15 when Gokulakrishnan referred Kaushik to his brother JR Madanagopal, former South Zone batsman and now ICC umpire, to shape the teenager, who at that time was primarily an off spinner. 

             Former TN bowling coach spotted Kaushik's cricketing potential

By this time, there had been a number of developments on his personal front. Family circumstances had led him to the residential school in La Chatelaine in Valsarvakkam when he was not yet into his teens. His amma, Bhama, now the CFO at Lalitha Jewellary, was keen for him to have a good academic life and La Chatelaine was renowned for taking good care of the Boarders. The school was not known for cricket and the young boy who had in his early St. Michaels (Adyar) days developed great interest in football was now back into that game. Thankfully (for the cricketing world), one of those boys who had been his summer camp mate at St Bedes saw him at the football practice and informed the PD about his cricketing skills. For a short period, he had tried his hand at fast bowling as the school was always short on players but he now got back to off spin. 

A Big Moment in School Cricket

The biggest highlight of those cricketing days at La Chatelaine was the school winning the TNCA tournament against all odds beating PSBB, Santhome and Chettinad on the way to the trophy with Kaushik coming up with an all-round performance. This delighted the school management and they provided every support that a cricketer would look for, till the time he completed his schooling.

This section had featured a story in 2018 on the school’s founder Ambi Rajagopal (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/12/ambi-rajagopal-viveka-fine-arts.html) and his vision for the students. This engagement with Kaushik was another standout example of how they supported a promising youngster after getting to know of his cricketing interests. 

Kaushik was an integral part of the state team in junior cricket and was at the NCA and Spin Foundation camps as well. The school management dropped and picked him up in their Bolero car every time he had a big cricketing assignment. The school’s support is something Kaushik is grateful to this day.

The Formative Years at Grand Slam

Madanagopal is just back from a hectic fortnight anchoring a national camp for BCCI umpires ahead of the new first class season. He has been Kaushik’s mentor over the last 15+years and recalls his early days with Kaushik when he was an off spinner “He was playing 5th division cricket and then moved into 3rd division. While he was a promising off spinner, what stood out for me in him was his attitude. I found he was ‘Coachable’.”

Madan’s association with Kaushik coincided with him taking charge of Grand Slam CC in the first division. He had retired as a first class cricketer and had become an umpire along with his close friend former Kerala Ranji leggie KN Ananthapadmanabhan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/09/ananthapadmanabhan-kn.html). In the first season that he was handed the captaincy of Grand Slam, the team just about managed to stave off relegation. From 3rd division cricket, Madan handpicked him for Grand Slam as an off spinner and middle order bat “Kaushik was still at school and it may have been a little early, but I was confident that he had it in him to adapt to first division cricket.”

This was one of the many bold calls Madan took with Kaushik in that phase. “He got only limited chances in those first two years but in the opportunities he got he gave glimpses of his abilities. His first wicket was the prized one of S Ramesh. And then in a knock out match he got the crucial wicket of M Vijay batting in his 90s.”

From being almost relegated, Grand Slam won the Palayampatti shield in the 2nd year under Madanagopal with a team comprising of upcoming youngsters. It was an underrated team and not many took them seriously. At the start of the season, it would have inconceivable for the team to beat any of the top teams in the first division but they surprised every opposition beating the fancied ‘Big Brother’ Vijay CC twice that season and then beating Jolly Rovers in the final. 

In this phase, Mentor Madan picked Kaushik from his home on the morning of the match and the two of them went together to the ground discussing cricket on the way. “While he got crucial wickets and provided us important breakthroughs with the ball, he contributed well with the bat as well especially in partnership with Sriram Krishnamurthy in the middle order. I found that he was unfazed and showed good temperament with the bat. When the team needed him to score a few runs, he always ‘showed up’.”

It was a period when his appa, Mohan, a cricketer at Port Trust and an Umpire, passed away. But by this time he had built great mental strength and he did not allow the loss to impact him negatively.

Into the third year for Grand Slam, Kaushik played two gritty knocks in the season opener against Jolly Rovers on a green top. “We were shot out for 100 on day 1 but his body language at the crease was a standout feature for me” recalls Madanagopal of Kaushik’s determined stints at the wicket on a difficult pitch.

A Perfect Team Man

Sriram Krishnamurthy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/06/sriram-krishnamurthy-high-performance.html), who forged many a crucial partnership with Kaushik during the time at Grand Slam, is the High Performance Batting Coach at NZC and the coach of Northern Districts, a side that includes international cricketers such as Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, among others.  He has also been instrumental in shaping the batting of Kiwi batting sensation Devon Conway. He was here last month coaching the Madurai Panthers to the knock out stage before he had to leave ahead of the crucial match to take over his cricketing duties in New Zealand. 

Talking to this writer from Christchurch in New Zealand where he is coaching the NZ U19s, Sriram recalls his memories of Kaushik Gandhi from the time the two played together for Grand Slam “Kaushik is a very confident and assured person. When we played together for Grand Slam in the 2007-08 first division season, in what was his 1st season in first division, 2 things stood out for me - that he was a confident person, not with his cricketing skills per se, but in life, and about how good a team player he was. He was always helping his fellow team players at practice even if he wasn't playing."

"While he may have only been 16 years then, he didn't shy away or refrain from having a laugh and chat with the older players. His personality won over many of us in the team that season and it is no surprise to see him being successful as a captain in the TNPL. He has a way around people and given his attitude towards his team being successful rather than his own individual performances, he has the ingredients to be a strong leader.”

Offie becomes an Opener 

In the fourth season, the transfer of a majority of the team members to India Cements’ top team Vijay CC opened up unexpected opportunities for Kaushik Gandhi. “I contemplated for a number of days on the composition of the team for the new season and finally decided to get Kaushik into the opener’s role. Throughout that summer, I got him to face the new ball at the nets and made him leave as many balls as possible. Also, we discussed ways and means to tackle specific new ball bowlers in the opposition one of which was the handling of Jesuraj’s bouncers.”

Photo taken by this writer over a decade ago of Madan coaching Kaushik at Viveka - the year the youngster turned from an offie to an opener

“While it was fine for me to talk about the facets of top order batting, he simply grasped every single input and practiced long hours at the nets that then translated into performance on the field” says Madan of Kaushik’s ability to grasp the finer points of batting.

From batting No. 7/8 until that point in his career, he made the big transformation into an opener against the best in first division cricket. 

Career Changing Knock

Just over a decade ago, Grand Slam turned up for the new season with a side that was unrecognizable for the year gone by. The other clubs once again did not make much of them is the same way that they had 2 years earlier. And when Jolly Rovers scored 400 plus in the season opener, the writing seemed to be on the wall for this young team “He instantly repaid the faith I had in him with a big 100 that helped us take the lead with just two wickets down. It had rarely been done in the past against Jolly Rovers. Kaushik came of age as an opener with that knock.” 

Madan says that a lot of his qualities came out in the open during that knock – levels of concentration, ability to build a long innings, discipline in batting, work ethic and hard work. 

Later that season in the semifinal, mentor and mentee came together at the batting crease and put together a big partnership with Kaushik scoring a double century and Madan a hundred against MRF. 

Amma - A Pillar of Strength

His amma has been a pillar of strength all through his teenage years and was keen for him to focus on academics. It had been her inspiration that had led him to a strong performance in Class X and XII exams at La Chatelaine “I completed my MBA and also tried my hand at ACS but by then I had made up my mind that I would be full time into cricket.”

Kaushik lauds his amma for her independent outlook to life "I am financially well off now that she can lead a happy retired life at home but she insists on continuing to work and playing a key role as a CFO. And like a loving grand mother, she always surprises us with gifts for my kids."

The Ranji Call

It was a big moment for him when he received the Ranji call. In his second Ranji game, he scored 80 against MP but did not play a single game in the next couple of years. This section had long ago questioned the non selection under the chairmanship of B. Kalyanasundaram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/01/kalli-b-kalyanasundaram-selector-match.html). 

Best Phase in Cricket

2016-17 was a big year for him in cricket scoring close to 800runs including a double hundred against Jaspit Bumrah and 150+ knocks against MP and Punjab. Interestingly, he played in all the one day games that season for TN, scored a century and was second only to Dinesh Karthik in the aggregate anf followed that up with another good one day performance the next year. The Ranji performances that season earned him a Duleep Trophy debut at the start of the next season in September 2017 where in the only match that he played he scored 39 in a rain affected game. He has not played another Zonal game since!!

"After the success that season, I had the belief that I could go on to play 60-70 Ranji games for TN and end up with a batting average in the mid 40s."

TNPL Success under Gokul and Madan

This phase was also transformational for Kaushik in another way. Till then, most had seen him as a long format player who had the ability to grind his way in a multi-day format. Just ahead of the TNPL, he bagged the Player of the Tourney award in the T20 tournament organized by the TNCA where he scored two 90s. This section featured a story in September 2016 as to how Kaushik Gandhi was Madan's first pick in the TNPL (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/09/tnpl-gokulakrishnan-madanagopal.html). He counts as his blessing Madan being the coach in that first year in TNPL for he could easily relate to the T20 with his mentor around “Madan gave me the blueprint of how I should play in T20 cricket.”

Monty Desai’s TNPL mentoring

Monty Desai now the batting coach of West Indies was closely involved with Kaushik Gandhi in the first two years of the TNPL as the Mentor of Tuti Patriots. He was kind enough to take time off hours after West Indies’ defeat against the Kiwis in the first T20 to talk to this writer sporting the colourful maroon West Indian shirt from Kingston, Jamaica about his experience with Kaushik Gandhi in those two years “He was a touch player who timed the ball well. His biggest plus was that he absorbed info well in the right way, processed it carefully and applied it in the match."

It was Monty Desai who along with Gokulakrishnan and Madanagopal who identified a role and created boundary options for Kaushik in T20 cricket “He was clear in his mind, his skill execution was excellent and was always ‘situationally’ aware. He was ‘Perfection Personified’ for us in those two years.”

When Monty pushed him into a crucial role at the top of the order after a discussion with the leadership team that included Dinesh Karthik, Kaushik answered with a T20 century.  “He has got options for strokes and a good defensive technique. More importantly, he knows how to score runs. He brought into play at the batting crease all the pre match discussions we had with him. I think he has it in him to score big in all three formats of the game for TN.”

“He is also a captaincy material for he keeps his emotions well under control and looks at achieving the goals by being task oriented” says Monty. 

By this time, he joined Income Tax where unlike many other cricketers, Kaushik works whenever he is away from cricket and has already picked up a promotion after writing an exam "The effort that I had put for ACS inter helped me clear this exam easily as I had already read some of the subjects during my ACS preparation."

Watching The Reds and Cricket Captaincy

He has been a Man U fan from his childhood days and their performance in recent years has left him a bit sad. While like most of the diehard followers, he remains committed to the Manchester Club and hopes that the good old glory days will be back soon, he takes a lot of learning from each of these matches especially on the tactical front and on how players should be managed. He says that watching Man Utd’s matches has been a big learning for him on the captaincy front. He also spends time playing indoor football whenever he is free with his old mates from St. Michaels.

Level Headed and Well Mannered

After 9 years at Grand Slam, Kaushik moved to Jolly Rovers six years ago and has led them to three first division titles and a VAP tourney victory. Bharath Reddy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html) of his team captain “He is level headed, well-mannered and temperamentally very good. You get very few cricketers like that these days. He is in the same mould as Madanagopal. He always puts the team interest first and takes great care of his teammates.”

Gokulakrishnan, who spotted Kaushik when he was in his early teens, echoes Bharath Reddy’s sentiments “He is a smart, hardworking and honest cricketer. Most importantly, he is a very good human being.”

”Though he is 30+, if he manages to score 1000 runs in the upcoming Ranji season in a tough group for TN, he could still make it to the top in Indian cricket. He is a good long version player and will be an asset to the TN team” says Bharath Reddy of the immediate prospects for Kaushik.

What's in store in cricket?

From starting off as an off-spinner who chipped in with crucial runs down the order, Kaushik Gandhi has come a long way and established himself as a solid opener. It has not been easy at the state level where he has not always got a consistent run in, especially in the initial years. Out of his 30 odd games for TN spread over a decade, almost a third have come in a single season (16-17).But like his mentor Madanagopal(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/madanagopal-j.html?m=1) who too did not get the rub of the green in the 1990s despite a strong performance for the state, Kaushik is all too clear of his role in cricket. As a batsman, his focus is on scoring as many runs as possible to give himself the best chance for state selection. As a captain, he has always looked to get the best out of every single team mate of his and found joy in helping others succeed. He has the best captaincy record in the TNPL with three trophies under his belt. Like Madan, he too is liked by one and all in the cricketing circle for he genuinely cares for his fellow cricketers.

He has not yet made his debut for TN in the T20 format. His captaincy success in the TNPL should make him a contender for the captaincy role not just in T20 but in other formats as well for TN. With talks in TN cricketing circles on winning trophies, Kaushik has a proven track record to match the best in the business here in terms of victories as a captain. He still cherishes the dream of playing over a half a century of Ranji matches for the state. He has the appetite for scoring big runs in multi day games and has developed the strokes to succeed in white ball cricket. One will have to wait and watch as to how the new season unfolds for him. 

At a later point in life, it is likely that he will take to Umpiring like his appa, Mohan, and mentor Madan.

Nandambakkam Kothandarama Temple

The young priest is paid a daily wage of Rs. 100!!!

Three major renovations in 30years but the financial plight of the priest family has not improved

It is hoped that the HR & CE will provide an appointment order and a fair salary to this city priest

37 year old Ananthakrishnan Bhattar has spent all his life at the several centuries old Kothandarama temple in Nandambakkam opposite the Chennai Trade Center⁸. His forefathers had been performing Thiru Aradhanam at the temple through the previous century. The financial situation in the family had been so bad in the 1980s and 90s that his appa, Veera Raghava Bhattachar, could only send him to a Government school. 

His appa himself had undergone agama education in the patshala in Tirumala and joined service here at a salary of a couple of hundred rupees that four decades later had risen to Rs. 1200 at the time of his death just over a decade ago.

Completes Agama Education

Despite the financial challenges at home, Ananthakrishnan’s interest right from his childhood was to serve at the feet of Kothandaramar. He would assist his appa in daily Thiru Aradhanam and during utsavams. After his Class X exams, he announced to his appa his interest to perform kainkaryam at the temple and discontinued academics. He joined the Patshala organised at the Parthasarathy temple in Thiruvallikeni and passed the certification examination. He also learned Vaikanasa Agama from Pattinam Koil Santhanam Bhattar (Mint-North Madras), Kallakuruchi Seshadri Bhattar and Muthukrishnan Bhattar, Chrompet as well as from his appa.

Into his 20s, he officially joined the temple after the early passing away of his appa. During the decade that he has been officially at the temple, he has had to survive on daily wages of Rs. 100 from the HR & CE and has not yet had an official appointment as the Chief Priest. He is hopeful that sometime in the near future, the current EO will help him get the appointment order for he is solely reliant on the temple to take care of his family including his ailing amma and his two school going sons.

Major Renovations and a Modern Look

The temple itself which was managed by private trustees was taken over by the HR & CE just over half a century ago.  In recent decades, there has a dramatic turnaround in the physical infrastructure of the temple. There is a new modern look with construction of new Sannidhis and a new 5 Tier Rajagopuram but as with many temples in TN, the archakas have not been taken care of financially. 

A private trust  set up decades ago has been managing the utsavams including the Thai Brahmotsavam over the last three decades but even they have not allocated a sum for the archaka as Sambhavanai and he is left to manage with the daily wage. New Sannidhis have been  added in the last few decades. For a centuries old temple, this has not attracted the attention of the devotees in the city. There are only a few devotees on weekdays with Saturday being the only day in the week when the locals visit the temple.

Grand Rama Navami Utsavam 

Historically Rama Navami utsavam in Panguni has been the grandest in the year with one community (Pillai, Reddy, Nair, Brahmin…..) taking care of the Ubayam on each of the days of the utsavam. On the Rama Navami day, Hanuman carries Rama on a street procession while the 10th day of the utsavam sees the Rama Pattabhisekam celebrations.  Moolavar Rama is seen in a South facing Pattabhisekam Posture. 

Service to Rama- His only way of life

For Ananthakrishnan Bhattar, service to Kothandaramar has been his only way of life. Unmindful of the daily wages, he continues to serve the Lord with devotion and hopes that Pattabhiseka Ramar will one day turn the financial fortunes for him. He is also keen for one of his sons to take up the temple kainkaryam to continue the hereditary service. His grandfather Parthasarathy Bhattar who had served during a financially challenging period pre and post World War II, went out to perform Purohitam service and with that income bought pooja items for Ramar and performed service. Such has been the devotional service of this family. 

Mannar Koil Acharya's Court case for a fair Salary

It is for priests like Ananthakrishnan Bhattar that Periya Nambi Narasimha Gopalan of Mannar Koil had filed a case, a few years ago, in the High Court for fair and reasonable wages to priests and service personnel in temples in Tamil Nadu at least as per the minimum wages act (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/04/mannar-koil-bhattar-priest-salary-case.html).  At Rs. 100 a day, it would be challenging for anyone to manage a household in a city given the rising costs.

It has been a three decades association for Ananthakrishnan Bhattar with Lord Kothandaramar having been with his appa right from his childhood. His unflinching faith is that the financial tide will turnaround sometime in life!!!

Festivals

Rama Navami in Panguni, Brahmotsavam in Thai and Garuda Sevai on Vaikasi Visakam. In addition, Aadi Pooram, Udayavar Utavam in Chitrai and Aani Thirumanjanam are celebrated in a grand manner.

The temple is open from 7am to 11.30am (Sat 12noon) and 5pm to 8pm (Sat 8.30pm). Contact: Ananthakrishnan Bhattar @ 93804 22205

Pey Azhvaar Avathara Sthalam Dilapidated

Avathara Sthalam on Arundel Street belonging to Madhava Perumal temple in ruins

Will the HR &CE restore the Avathara Sthalam as part of the current Thiruppani works exercise that will start in Avani and revive the annual Pey Azhvaar Utsavam procession that has come to a halt

Aippasi Sathayam is one of the most important days in the year at the Madhava Perumal Temple in Thyagarajapuram, Mylapore. It is the birthday of one of the first three Azhvaar, Pey Azhvaar, who was born in Mylapore.

திரு கண்டேன் பொன்மேனி கண்டேன் 

திகழும் அருக்கன் அணிநிறமும் கண்டேன் 

செருக்கிளரும் பொன்னாழி கண்டேன் 

புரிசங்கம் கை கண்டேன் 

என்னாழி வண்ணன்பால் இன்று 

On this morning, Pey Azhvaar goes on a procession from the Madhava Perumal temple to the Avathara Sthalam on Arundel Street (historically known as 'Arundhathi Street'). There, the day long events would start with a Thirumanjanam. The Prabhandham members too gathered there on the occasion to recite Thirumozhi verses of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar.

After alankaram in the second half, Pey Azhvaar went on a Mangalagiri procession in the evening around the four big streets with the Prabhandham members presenting Ramanuja Nootranthaathi verses. The day ended with the recital of the last canto from Namazhvaar's Tiruvoimozhi.

Pey Azhvaar's Grand Birthday Celebrations halted

Unfortunately, the grand celebrations of Pey Azhvaar's birthday at his avathara sthalam has become a thing of the past with the sacred location shut down for a few years now after the mandapam had fallen off. Given the dilapidated state, this annual procession from Madhava Perumal temple to the Pey Azhvaar Avathara Sthalam has not taken place in the last few years. There has been no action from the HR & CE to restore the historical mandapam. 

The Pey Azhvaar Avathara Sthalam belonging to Kesava Perumal temple (that Trustee NC Sridhar has been managing) is just adjacent to the one belonging to the Madhava Perumal temple. On Aippasi Sarhayam, it has been a tradition for Pey Azhvaar from Kesava Perumal temple as well to make the annual trip to the Avathara Sthalam. Thus, through the previous century, Pey Azhvaar from both these temples have made the annual trip to the Avathara Sthalam on Arundel Street to celebrate the birthday on Aippasi Sathayam.

TVS's Venu to undertake repair works at Madhava Perumal temple

As seen in the story in this section last month, TVS’ Venu Srinivasan who has undertaken restoration exercises in over 200 temples across TN, Karnataka, AP and Kerala is undertaking the Thiruppani works at the Madhava Perumal temple with Balalayam expected to take place later this month (in Avani) following the three day Pavitrotsavam that will be performed next week. The Painting of the Vimanam and Raja Gopuram and other repair works inside the temple complex is likely to be completed within 6months (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/07/madhava-perumal-mylapore-temple.html).

The huge well is currently located at the Avathara Sthalam belonging to Kesava Perumal temple.

Avathara Sthalam not part of the Thiruppani works

Unfortunately, HR & CE’s application  and the approval from the renovation committee for the Thiruppani works did not include restoration of the Avathara Sthalam. One wonders why? This writer managed to take a few photographs this week of the dilapidated state of the avathara sthalam from between the fully covered aluminum sheets. One now finds dust bins in front of this sacred location, the birth place of Pey Azhvaar.

Dust Bins at the entrance of Pey Azhvaar's Avathara Sthalam

While the Pey Azhwar Avathara Sthalam belonging to Kesava Perumal temple on the same street has been well maintained with personnel having been posted to take care of the Nandavanam, the Avathara Sthalam belonging to Madhava Perumal Temple has been shut out with tall aluminum sheets. Sadly one now finds dust bins at the western entrance of this sacred Avathara Sthalam.

சார்வு நமக்கென்றும் சக்கரத்தான் 

தண்துழாய் தார்வாழ் வரைமார்பன் தான் முயங்கும் 

காரார்ந்த வானமரு மின்னிமைக்கும்  

வண்தாமரை நெடுங்கண், தேனமரும் பூமேல் திரு

Will HR & CE restore the Avathara Sthalam?

With the renovation exercise at the Madhava Perumal temple taking place after 15years, this is ideal time for the dilapidated Pey Azhwar Avathara Sthalam to be restored to its historical glory and for the Aippasi Sathayam Utsavam of Pey Azhvaar and the procession to the Avathara Sthalam to be revived.

It is hoped that the HR & CE will take immediate steps and include the restoration of the Avathara Sthalam as part of the current renovation exercise of the Madhava Perumal temple. 

CS Suresh Kumar India Schools TN Opener NCA Coach

He had a meteoric rise in the late 1970s rising from beach cricket to India Schools and to five Ranji Centuries in his first 9 matches in the early 80s but the India call remained elusive

The  first batting coach of DK and M Vijay, Suresh Kumar is passing on his batting knowledge to the Next Gen of players as a Level III coach

Into his mid-teens the boy from Thiruvallikeni was more interested in cover ball cricket on the Marina Beach than TNCA schools cricket. Unlike most others from that historical location that is home to the Parthasarathy Perumal Divya Desam(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/07/thiruvallikeni-sripatham-thangis.html?m=0) he joined Adarsh School. The PD’s visit to his house transformed his cricket and he had a meteoric rise playing against the likes of Derek Pringle and Rameez Raja. He was soon on the verge of an India call. But his fall was just as sudden as the rise and he went out of favour quickly. In his second innings in cricket, he is trying to make his mark as a Level III Coach. Here is the story.

CS Suresh Kumar spent all his schooling days in Thiruvallikeni. It would have been normal for a boy from that location to have joined the Hindu school but his appa, a state TT player, was keen on convent education for his son and got him admitted to Adarsh School in Royapettah!!!While the school laid a strong foundation for his extrovert nature, the English language and communication skills that were to come in handy in his second innings in cricket, it did not possess a strong team in cricket.

From Beach Cricket to India Schools

And thus, into his teens, a lot of his cricketing time was spent at the Marina beach playing tennis ball tournaments with his friends.  He was ignored at the city schools selection for two years and he was not keen even to play cricket for the school. He recalls the transformational event at his home in the 2nd half of the 1970s that led to his meteoric rise in cricket “I skipped the school match but much to my surprise a hat trick from one of our bowlers (Naveen) led to a shock upset and we were into the next round. I still was not keen to go as I had been ignored in the TNCA selections but on the morning of the match, the PD (Mohana Krishnan) came home and asked me to come for the match as he was confident that I could make a match winning contribution. When I expressed my disinterest, he convinced my appa to send me for the match.”

‘When I reluctantly agreed and promised to be at the ground, he would not leave. He wanted to take me along and held me by hand to the ground.’ 

Suresh Kumar scored a big hundred against RKM North, a knock that shot him into limelight. It was one of the several big hundreds he was to score in the coming years. He continued to amass runs for Adarsh in 77-78. The century got him a place in the city schools and in no time he was playing for TN schools. In November 77, he scored a century against Karnataka in the Ghulam Ahmed Trophy in Trivandrum.

When the schools team from England visited India in 1977-78, he was in prime form having scored plenty of runs for TN and South Zone Schools. In the four test series, he scored quality runs in three displaying great patience that was to become a hallmark of his batting in the coming seasons when he graduated to the senior level. In each of the Junior Tests, he helped Indian Schools recover from a tricky situation. In the first test at the Wankhade Stadium in December 77, his half century helped India from 38/3. In the second test in Delhi, he scored 62 watched by Robin Marlar. 

In three tests, Suresh Kumar scored 178. The renowned cricket writer who was covering England’s Test Series in Pakistan made a quick trip to India to check out the English prospects (Future England players Derek Pringle, Paul Terry and Kim Barnett were part of that team). He wrote in January 1978 that India had found a solid top order batsman for the future referring to Suresh Kumar particularly pointing to his correct technique and temperament to play long innings and said that he had everything a coach could ask for from an opener.

Playing for SZ schools, he scored a half century against England in Hyderabad in January 1978.

Against Pakistan U19 in 78-79

Later that year, in December 1978, captaining TN, he scored a double century against Andhra in the South Zone inter-state schools tournament. His consistent run of scores in 1978 followed by an unbeaten half century against North Zone in the Cooch Behar Trophy was to earn him a place in the Indian U19 team in January 1979 but not before he had a bit of jitters at the selection.

At the trials to select the team to play Pakistan U19, Suresh Kumar was not given a chance to bat. A shocked Suresh gathered courage and went up to the selector Chandu Borde to make a polite enquiry “We have seen enough of you” Suresh Kumar recalls Borde telling him that day.  

He was in the team alongside future Ranji team mates R Madhavan and captain K Srikkanth. The team also included Chandrakant Pandit, Kiran More and Saad Bin Jung. In the second test at Chepauk, he scored 30. Continuing his good form, playing for South Zone against Pakistan U19, he contributed in both innings including another half century.

By this time, Suresh, who had made his league debut for Ranji CC, in the lower division league received offers from all the first division teams including from Sriraman. He joined YMA to play under the captaincy of legendary S Venkataraghavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/venkataraghavan75.html?m=1) for the first time. 

He recounts the change in his cricketing mindset between 1976 and 79 “While I did not have big cricketing hopes till I was 15, playing for Indian Schools and India U19 against visiting overseas teams led me to dream big and to play for India. My appa too who was not encouraging of cricket in the earlier phase began to acknowledge that I could make it big in cricket.”

However just when his cricketing fortunes were looking up in his late teens, financial challenges in the family led him to accept the job offer from SBI before he had graduated and thus missed out on College and University cricket. He moved from day to evening college (6pm to 9pm) at Viveka. In the three years at SBI, he shone enough to figure in the all India SBI team alongside GR Viswanath, Goel and Roger Binny, among other greats.

In that phase, he opened alongside the more stylish S Kedarnath (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/06/kedarnath-s-opener-from-1970s.html) who remembers him from the early 1980s "Suresh was a rock solid opener. He had a good temperament and penchant for long innings. He played several big knocks for SBI. At a time when he was doing well for the state in Ranji cricket and playing alongside legends such as GRV for the bank, he took the call to quit. We all tried to convince him but he would not listen."

U22 - Century 

In October 1981, by when he had already joined SBI, he scored a century for TN U22 against Hyderabad after coming in to replace K Srikkanth who had gone to play a Duleep Trophy match. He had already played for SZ the previous year but was dropped by TN. "After being dropped by TN having played for SZ, I was determined and showed grit to score the century."

By 1982, he had played for India Schools and India U19 and also starred in U22 cricket. He had been in line for a Ranji debut but that proved elusive for quite a while. 

It was his knock in November 1982 in the city vs districts match that finally got Venkat to have a final word on his entry into Ranji cricket. After big knocks from R Madhavan and S Balaji (century) for the districts had helped them post close to 400, city was bundled out for less than 150 and forced to follow on. Suresh Kumar shone through carrying the bat scoring 59NO. In the second innings, once again he scored a half century. 

Venkataraghavan's contribution

He remembers the strong words from Venkataraghavan.  “Venky saw me bat, was impressed and picked me for Ranji. It was he who believed in my potential (and R Madhavan’s) and encouraged us big time in the early 1980s. However, harsh he sounded, he always had the wellbeing of his teammates in his mind. He always told me that I had it in me to play for India.  “Cricket at the top is extremely challenging and one cannot take anything for granted. He inculcated the toughness in me that has helped right till this day.”

He told me that he had experienced the worst in his times and that he wanted every teammate of his to be at their strongest mentally. “He brought me out of any complacency I may have had at that time after a few good innings for TN.”

Suresh Kumar had a sensational couple of years in Ranji cricket. After debuting with a duck he was dropped for the next match. He recalls those few years with TN “I knew even a 50 would not be enough to survive in that TN team. I had to make big runs to keep my place.”

A glorious Ranji run

Suresh Kumar had a sensational couple of years in Ranji cricket. Both his under 19 team mate from the late 70s R Madhavan and he debuted in the same match in Ranji against Hyderabad in rather contrasting styles. While Madhavan scored 96 (the story goes that TNCA’s Santhanam prayed continuously for Madhavan to not score a century on debut for those that did previously did not do well in cricket), Suresh Kumar scored a duck. Madhavan looks back at that season “He was dropped for the next match against Andhra after failing on his debut. When he was brought back for the game against a strong Karnataka bowling attack, he was all grit and determination.”

Madhavan and Suresh put together a 75run partnership that took TN close to Karnataka’s first innings score of 180+.  Against Raghuram Bhat and Vijayakrishna, Suresh Kumar show great patience to score 146. Both Madhavan and Suresh Kumar had one of the fastest to 1000 runs in Ranji cricket for TN. Southpaw  Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/10/r-madhavan-tn-cricketer-1980s.html?m=1) who played alongside Suresh in the India U19 series against Pakistan in the late 70s and who was on the verge of an India call against David Gower’s England in 84-85 recalls Suresh from those years  “There was no looking back for Suresh after that great century against Karnataka. He scored back to back centuries and had one of the best runs for a TN bat. His five centuries in 9matches was sensational performance” says Madhavan.

Suresh followed his maiden century with another big one (162) against Kerala in the next match once again posting a big opening partnership with V Shivaramakrishnan. Though he failed in the first knock out game against UP, famously known for centuries by two SVPB Udumalpet players, S Srinivasan and NP Madhavan(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/np-madhavan.html?m=1), Suresh Kumar ended his debut season with a century against Delhi that helped TN avert an outright loss. He easily topped the batting aggregate for TN that year having scored close to 500runs.

The remarkable debut season led him to being awarded the State cricketer of the year and the journalists' cricketer of the year.

Though he began the next season with a duck in that famous match against Karnataka when TN’s top three were back in the pavilion in the first few minutes on an almost unplayable swinging first morning in Bangalore before R Madhavan shaped a great recovery along with S Srinivasan and Abdul Jabbar, Suresh Kumar came back with a bang in the 2nd match with yet another century. He ended the league phase with another century against Kerala and once again involved in a century stand with R Madhavan.

“I knew even a 50 would not be enough to survive in that TN team. I had to make big runs to keep my place and hence I focused on scoring centuries” says Suresh Kumar looking back on his first two seasons.

Symbol of Great Patience

PC Prakash (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/04/pc-prakash-tn-ranji-1980s.html) was in the same mould as Suresh Kumar in batting with both displaying strong defence and a great temperament to play the long innings. They were teammates and good friends right from the U22 days "His basics were strong. He had a sound technique and was a solid opener in those days. He was a very quiet and serious cricketer (became outspoken much later). While I did not play the match against Bombay, his century away from home was an outstanding effort. He was a symbol of great patience and it was an extraordinary innings that everyone took notice of."

                                      

Against the rampaging West Indians

These runs were not enough to get him a place in the Duleep Trophy team. His selection for South Zone and the Board President’s XI teams to play a rampant West Indies a few months after their World Cup loss leads Suresh Kumar to reflect on destiny that shapes one’s life.

“When I had no interest in serious cricket after joining Adarsh, the PD’s proactive visit to my home led to a cricketing transformation. Here when I was scoring runs aplenty in Ranji cricket, I was thrown in against the fastest bowlers in the world. They were relentless ball after ball, bowler after bowler.”

Selector Hanumant Singh had told Suresh that he was in contention for the tests if he made runs in the lead up games, especially in light of the fact that Gavaskar had chosen to go down the order “TA Sekar was the fastest I had faced until then but here was a battery of them relentless in their pursuit. Roberts and Marshall were almost unplayable. You could see the anger in their eyes after the World Cup loss. They were on a mission. I did not even have a helmet with me.’ 

PC says that a couple of big knocks against the West Indies could have been a turning point for him “In those days performing against the visiting teams was crucial. It was the stepping stone to playing for India. Unfortunately Suresh failed in those two matches. A strong performance against the Windies may have elevated him to the next level but sadly he missed out on those opportunities.”

Sidhu made a half century for BP XI and was in the test squad later in the series.

After a not too impressive league phase, he scored a century in the knock out game against Bombay in yet another big century stand with V Shiv in 1984-85. It was back to back century stand between the two after they have helped TN chase out the victory target of close to 200 against Bihar in the previous match. But really that was the end of his glorious run in Ranji cricket. He failed the entire season in 1985-86 and the selectors move to focus on the next gen of players saw the end of Suresh Kumar sooner than he may have expected given the rich vein of form he had been between 1982 and 84 “It felt like I was on top of the tower with a crown and then had a sudden fall.”

Also, in this phase, he fell in love with a young journalist who he later found resided in the same street. His wife,Latha, went on to become a high profile journalist in the fashion space(bureau chief magna) mingling with the who's who (Elite) in the city. Interestingly, she has turned spiritual now making frequent trips to Brindavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/01/andal-brindavan-nachiyar-thirumozhi.html?m=0) and the pressure is on him to follow in her spiritual endeavours.

Protege of Rajan Bala

Cricketer turned Enterpreneur Promodh Sharma(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/05/promodh-sharma-cricketer-turned.html) remembers opening alongside Suresh Kumar in the summer practice matches in the mid 1980s organised by Rajan Bala in T Nagar. "The friendship was so close that Suresh would come and play with us (young boys). It was of course a great experience for all of us to be batting alongside someone who had big hundreds in Ranji Cricket.”

A TN team mate from the 1980s says that this may have backfired on Suresh “When a story on the lines of Suresh being TN’s Gavaskar, the legend during one of his visits to Madras sarcastically asked me ‘if he is TN’s Gavaskar, am I Bombay’s Suresh Kumar!!!’ "

A long time resident of Thiruvallikeni too felt that he had become too close to Rajan Bala for cricketing comfort "He was RB's protege and spent a lot of time with the cricket writer."

Of course, Suresh Kumar himself was proud to state that he had based his game on the legendary opener. “When I asked Gavaskar ahead of the tour match against West Indies on how I should handle the fast bowlers, he quipped ‘don’t give them time to think. Be ready when they are at the top of the bowling mark.’ That showed his greatness. He was always thinking as to how to tackle the best bowlers in the world.”

After his three good seasons in Ranji Cricket, even Venkataraghavan tipped him to go with the Indian team to Sri Lanka in 1985-86. But alas it was not to be. That was the final nail in the coffin for Suresh and he did not stage a comeback after that. 

Into Coaching

By mid 1984, Suresh Kumar had quit SBI and joined India Pistons. He was there for almost 25years. At the turn of the century he was one of the earliest to accredit himself with Level 3 coaching in India. For a long time he had a coveted role with the NCA. He launched his own academy 'CS Suresh Kumar Cricket Academy' at the Vivekananda College. He was also the one who was the first coach for both Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay when they were not yet into their teens. He has also been the coach for Kerala and Pondicherry Ranji Trophy teams.

PC Prakash, who himself is the coach at the TNCA academy and has been the TN state coach in the past, rates him as a good batting coach "Suresh is very good batting coach. He speaks his mind and does not hold back. He has good command both over the language as well as the game, especially batting.'

From nowhere in the mid 70s studying in an unfancied school for cricket, he made it to the Indian Schools playing against England and Pakistan in Junior cricket, and had a sensational couple of years for TN in Ranji cricket in the early 1980s. In the form of his life, most thought that he was just a step away from making it to the Indian team. S Venkataraghavan repeatedly said in that phase that he was one of the most solid openers in domestic cricket and that a place in the Indian squad was not far away. But that remained elusive. Now two decades into his second innings in cricket, Suresh Kumar is looking to pass on his cricketing knowledge to the next generation of cricketers.