Chennai:
India openers, Ranji Trophy veterans and most recently Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) talents — not many educational institutions in Chennai can boast of grooming a galaxy of star cricketers. But Guru Nanak College in Velachery has been doing just that for more nearly four decades.
Though sports is promoted in many educational institutions, Guru Nanak College stands out because of its facilities, a dedicated sports quota and its exposure as a playground for national-level matches. The college, set up in 1971, encourages its students to take part in various sports. Over the years, they have produced some of the finest cricketers like India batsmen Sadagoppan Ramesh and S Badrinath and former Tamil Nadu opener S Vidyut.
Most strikingly, 10 of its students are playing in TNPL and various domestic competitions. B Indrajith, S Kishan Kumar, S Abishek, Sathyanarayanan, S Lokeshwar, S Aravind, Silambarasan,
B Aparajith, S Arun, R Rajan are some of the prominent names who have been playing in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup and various other championships.
The college is run by the Guru Nanak Educational Society — a not-for-profit organisation. According to Manjit Singh Nayar, general secretary of the trust, the motto of the institution is to promote sports for the overall development of students. ”Our trust is managed by people with an army background who have been sportsmen. Our goal is to encourage students to participate in a sport of their interest. We are one of the few educational institutions to allocate huge funds for sports development,” says Nayar.
Former Tamil Nadu skipper Badrinath, who grew up in Velachery, fondly remembers his practice sessions at the ground. “There was not a single morning when I would not be at the ground. It was like my backyard. The best part was watching great players like Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath during Ranji Trophy games, which motivated young players like us. I benefitted a lot,” says Badrinath.
Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy star Aparajith, who has been pursuing marketing management in the college, feels without its support he wouldn’t have become a professional cricketer. “It’s not like other institutions that promise a lot but fails to deliver. My college is an exception and it has been extremely supportive to its students who are seriously taking up sports,” says Aparajith.
Its well-maintained cricket ground, has been hosting first-class cricket matches since 1978 and Ranji Trophy matches since 1996. The Women’s One Day International was also held there in 2002 and was one of the venues for hosting warm-up matches for the Women’s World Twenty20 last year.
While cricket is the preferred sports among Guru Nanak students, the institution, along with Loyola College, A M Jain College, Pachaiyappas College and Vivekananda College, has been at the forefront in acting as a launchpad for aspiring sportspersons in the field of athletics, squash, volleyball and other disciplines. Abhay Singh, who won the junior world title earlier this year, is one of the prominent squash players from the Velachery college.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News>City News> Chennai News / TNN / October 23rd, 2017