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DEAR REDIFF

Prakash smashes a winner

K Bhaskaran

Fifty years ago, an unusual arrangement denied India the men's crown in the All England Badminton Championships, then recognised as the unofficial world championships.

At that time, the two Indian players (both from the Punjab, coincidentally) who were entered for the singles event won through to meet each other in the semifinal. In the belief that it would be better to conserve energy, Prakash Nath and Davinder Mohan decided to toss for it, and decide which of the two would meet Conny Jepsen of Sweden in the title round. Prakash Nath called correctly and played - and lost - the final. Mohan, however, was the Indian champion at the time... and expert opinion then held that if he had played the final, he would have won and become the first Indian to be undisputed number one in the badminton world.

33 years later, Prakash Padukone became the first - and so far, only - Indian to capture the All England Championship and to be acknowledged world number one. Since then, no other Indian has come even close to emulating Prakash. Indeed, as the nine-time national champion's powers waned, there was no one around who could pick up the baton and run with it. It must, of course, be mentioned here that Aparna Popat's feat in becoming runner up in the girls' singles of the World Junior Championships, and that of Gopichand iin the Indian Grand Prix at New Delhi and the All-England this year inspire hope.

Incidentally, both Popat and Gopichand have stated that the coaching they received at the BPL-Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore had contributed in large measure to their success. It must be noted here that Aparna is from Maharashtra and Gopichand from Andhra Pradesh - ample evidence that Prakash and his Man Friday, Vimal Kumar (a former national champion from Kerala) do not limit their scouting for talent to their own home turf.

Prakash has in fact always had the interests of Indian badminton at heart. And it is this deep and sincere feeling for Indian badminton that has prompted his present revolt against the Badminton Association of India and its president, Fazil Ahmed of Uttar Pradesh. In a country where it is common practise for the formation of splinter groups and their bombastic proclamations of intention to usher in reform, Prakash has maintained an admirable equilibrium in his statements about the Indian Badminton Confederation he has helped to form.

Prakash has made no tall claims that he will make India a power in world badminton in a few years. The first hand experience he has gained in his prime, while training in Indonesia and Denmark, has made him aware of the vast strides Indian badminton has to make. He knows that in those two countries, as also in China, South Korea, Sweden and Britain, the infrastructure and facilities are far superior to what obtains in India. As he said, it might take us 50 years to match the aforementioned countries in the number of badminton courts, in terms of facilities for developing strength, stamina and speed besides skill. And after all this, badminton will never, in India, attain the status it enjoys in Indonesia, or become as high profile a sport as it is in China, South Korea and Denmark.

It is this realistic appreciation of the tasks ahead that makes badminton followers look on Prakash as the messiah who could lead the sport out of the mire of mediocrity it has fallen into. It is worth mentioning here that though India lost very badly to Canada in the first round of the inaugural Thomas Cup in Toronto in 1947, our shuttlers had made an indelible impression in the next two, three editions of the tournament. In 1951 and 1954, India lost narrowly in the semifinals to Denmark and the United States respectively. But with the ageing of the late Trilok Nath Seth and Nandu Natekar (rated by former all-England champion Sir George Thomas, the man after whom the cup has been named, as the most elegant player he had ever seen), India's fortunes have been on the decline.

As usual, the BAI trotted out a long list of excuses for our defeats - bad courts, poor quality shuttlecocks, participation in events abroad. Had Prakash been daunted by such barriers, he too would have gone the way of the late Suresh Goel, a delectable strokeplayer in the Natekar mould. But Prakash realised that obstacles are there to be overcome, worked at his game, trained in Indonesia and Denmark, and rose to the top of the world.

Few champions have put back into the sport they once adorned as much as Prakash has. And he has been able to do so thanks to his devotion to the cause of the sport, as also the reputation he has established as a conscientious, disciplined player, coach and administrator who would rather let his actions talk. It is his personality that has won support for his projects, with that of BPL for his academy being a case in point. Even as world champion, Prakash had kept a low profile which, perhaps, suited the BAI, which has frequently appointed him as a consultant without having to appoint him as selector. It is this same trait that influenced the Karnataka State Badminton Association to seek his services in the construction of the three-storeyed, ten-court badminton hall in Bangalore.

Characteristically, Prakash has not been drawn into spelling out the IBC's programme for the uplift of the game. He has counselled patience for the next three, four months. Somehow, something tells me the wait could be worthwhile.