D.Surendranath is a alumnus of Don Bosco in Chennai and has made waves in the world of table tennis. This bachelor has dedicated his life to the game and has done his B.A.History from the iconic Loyola College. He was born to Dharam Lal and Gowri Bai in Chennai.
D.Surendranath is a alumnus of Don Bosco in Chennai and has made waves in the world of table tennis. This bachelor has dedicated his life to the game and has done his B.A.History from the iconic Loyola College. He was born to Dharam Lal and Gowri Bai in Chennai. Dharam Lal was a war veteran who has seen action in the 1971 war. The champion was at Coimbatore recently and a chat with him is sure to motivate one to excel in table tennis.
"I was basically a football player and one fine day my ball went into the table tennis room. On seeing the table tennis ball I wondered how someone could play with an egg. I went to my mother and told her that I want to play with an egg. My mother was supportive but the football coach did not want me to play table tennis. Finally my mother requested the member in charge of sports and thanks to his support, I was inducted into a table tennis camp.
V.S.Murugesh was my first coach and it was he who taught me table tennis. Initially it was just forehand and backhand. I was about 10 years old when I began and even now I play for 6 hours a day. It was at the YMCA that I used to play with Ellyas Lehry and he became my best partner. I became the Number 1 at the sub junior level in Tamilnadu and also the Number 1 at the junior level. I got the oppourtunity to lead both the sub junior and junior teams for a period of 6 years in all. It was possible for me to get a chance to Captain the Tamilnadu team for 3 years at the senior level, " spoke the champion while enjoying his dosa at Hotel Annapporna on Arts College Road.
Surendranath has represented India at both the sub junior and junior levels. He was selected for intensive training under Korean coaches Pak-u-kil and Kim-il-mu. The champion has won titles for several years in South Zone and at the All India level. He has represented his office as a vetaran for 3 years at the All India level and won quite a few titles. Therefore he represented the veteran nationals for CAG as the Captain. He successfully undertook a tour of Europe as a player cum coach and played matches in Luxembourg, France, Germany, Holland and Belgium.It was fascinating to learn that he had won 19 out of the 21 matches played.
"As a coach, I have trained many players who have represented Tamilnadu and India. K.Srivatsa Chakravarty, Sudeshna Biswas, Madhurika Patkar and Pathik Mehta underwent training under me. I was a coach for the Tamilnadu junior table tennis team for junior nationals that were held at Chandigarh. The team won a bronze medal after a span of 6 years. On the request of the Table Tennis Association of Chattisgarh, I coached the players of the budding State at Raipur for 15 days.
Recently I was delighted to coach table tennis players of Little Flower Convent School ( Chennai ) and I took them to participate in the national games for the people whose hearing was impaired. They won several bronze and silver medals. I have also completed Level 1 training which was certified by the International Table Tennis Federation and Table Tennis Federation of India. Once while attending a camp under the Koreans, I defeated all the players in the camp. I was chosen to go to Japan but could not do so due to personal reasons. Really glad to be at Coimbatore and play with Coimbatoreans. Happy to notice the sports interest in the city, " smiled the coach whose mentoring makes a world of difference.
A number of players and parents were eager to give their testimonials. "D.Surendranath is a magician with his racquet. My son is in the eight standard and I wanted him to play one game well. Therefore I requested Surendranath to engage him for 15 days. The 25 sessions over 15 days have seen the spark in my son and now he has been transformed into a potential player. A number of players joined us and took time off their schedule for participating in the camp. The idea was to instill change in a number of players and hence a rigorous camp in Coimbatore.
From the differentially to the regulars, Surendranath makes a world of difference by mentoring them. We should have more of such programmes in the city and take Table Tennis forward in a big manner, " opined Vasudevan Uppili. Coimbatore had hosted a table tennis tournament on behalf of the Coimbatore Cosmopolitan Club at Raja Theatres over 75 years ago and 2 international players had visited the city on the special occassion. P.S.Viswanatha Iyer I.C.S was the fount of energy behind the tournament. The first ever Table Tennis Table was in fact made at the St.Joseph's Industrial Training Institute on Big Bazaar Street. Coimbatore is home to a number of veterans and budding players. Champion coaches like D.Surendranath are sure to add value to game of aspiring Coimbatoreans.