Ramesh Padukone: An era in Karnataka badminton

Even while he was on his death bed, it is doubtful if Ramesh Annaji Padukone thought of anything but badminton. A few hours before he died, on 22 December 2003, he asked for the memorandum of Canara Union, the club he was closely associated with all his life, and which played such an important role in Karnataka's badminton history.

Administrator, organiser, coach, umpire, mentor, visionary -- Ramesh was all this, and more. Back in the days when badminton was just making its presence felt in Karnataka, Ramesh was doing his best to popularise it. That enthusiasm carried on to his children -- Pradeep, Prakash, Mahesh, Harish and Padmini, who took up the game with varying degrees of success.

Prakash and Pradeep had their early coaching lessons under Ramesh at Canara Union. Prakash credits his father with his technical soundness. "He taught all of us -- Pradeep, myself, Kiran Kaushik, Changappa -- the fundamentals of grip, footwork, contact, preparation and other things. Fundamentals of the game are so important in any player's career -- if they are right, the player can improve from there. Once I picked up the fundamentals, I picked up things on my own. He had a great say in my early career, he was certainly a great motivating factor."

Ramesh was a strict disciplinarian who strove after perfection. Says Narayan Swamy, senior coach and former National player: "The coaching was very strict. Ramesh would observe players of other states and work on our deficiencies. He would conduct the drills -- and he had a cane in his hand. Any mistake would mean a rap on the leg." Swamy himself was spotted by Ramesh the first time he played badminton, and taught the basics.

All this devotion to badminton didn't distract him from his domestic duties. Padmini Sirur, Prakash's younger sister, is amazed at how calmly he steered the joint family of 11. "There was never a complaint," she says. "It's only now that we, as parents, realise how difficult it must have been."

Ramesh was Secretary of MSBA from 1957 to 1971. His house served as the office, since MSBA didn't have a building of its own. Records and tournament results were meticulously kept. He was known for his prodigious memory, and for his knowledge of the rules. As Karnataka's senior-most Grade I umpire, he took it upon himself to encourage more umpires.

Suresh Kumar, Karnataka's only referee in BAI's Referees Panel, credits his knowledge of the game to the great man. "He was instrumental in getting me to attend the umpires' exam," Suresh says. "He instructed several of us in the intricacies of the game." Ramesh was in charge of conducting the exam, and although his proteges were close to him, he was strict in conducting it. No favours would be asked or given. "All umpires in the panel would be instructed by him," Suresh recalls. "He was thorough with all the rules."

Of course, as an administrator he had few equals. The 1962 Nationals that the MSBA organised (he was its Organising Secretary) remains the only Senior Nationals the State has hosted. The Nationals was held in the Circarama theatre, with temporary structures to hold the massive gathering. It was a huge success.

Once he quit as Secretary of KBA in 1971, he devoted himself to Canara Union, and the setting up of the Canara Union Charitable Trust in 1983, which housed the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in its early years.

Ramesh's genius as an organiser and administrator didn't come from a lofty perch -- he was familiar with each aspect of the game, including laying of the planks for the courts. Wg Cdr GR Mulky, his close friend and associate at Canara Union, recalls the endless hours Ramesh spent supervising the laying of the courts. "It was almost a religion with him," Mulky says. "The third court at Canara Union was purely his effort -- right from buying the wood and laying the planks." (For that matter, even the first wooden court in Karnataka -- at ITI Sports Club -- was his project.)

His life encompassed an era -- and yet, he was the picture of humility. Prakash himself seems bemused as he recounts how touched his father was when Canara Union honoured him -- he treasured the memento. Suresh Kumar recalls how reluctant Ramesh was when called upon stage during the closing ceremony of any tournament.

Ramesh -- along with other dedicated people like MSBA President Nettakallappa -- was the backbone of the State badminton movement.

As Vimal Kumar, former international and now National coach, says: "Ramesh Uncle was like a rock, his entire life revolved around badminton. The whole show was run by him."

Will there be another like him?