V.R. Lakshmi Ratan, whose birth centenary falls on Saturday, is regarded as one of the pioneers in promoting corporate involvement in cricket in Madras (as Chennai was called then).

His initiative provided employment for many talented players such as Test cricketer, V.V. Kumar and State cricketers — P.R. Sundaram, A.K. Sarangapani, and Rajasekhar Shetty.

Lakshmi Ratan, then Secretary of the Madras Cricket Association (1938-40/1951-52), also was the architect behind the launch of The Sport and Pastime Trophy (now, The Hindu Trophy) – a popular, 30-overs-a-side tournament sponsored by The Hindu Group in 1950-51.

Born in 1912, Naina (as Lakshmi Ratan was affectionately called) became fond of the ‘gentleman’s game’ at an early age. In due course, he started two city clubs – Minerva and Eccentrics.

Recruiting players

Lakshmi Ratan joined Philips India as Regional Manager after his family business was shut down in the early 50s. He led the team there and began recruiting cricketers for the company.

“When my father ran Minerva and Eccentrics, he observed that some of the players from poorer financial backgrounds would use the opportunity to overeat during lunch at matches. He felt it was a sad situation, and realised the importance of job-security for these players. After joining Philips, he took the lead in hiring cricketers,” said Ramesh, son of Lakshmi Ratan.

Lakshmi Ratan also took his teams on tours to Bombay, Calcutta, and Ceylon among other places, providing greater exposure to the players. “I have seen my father taking teams on tours at his own expense. He was proud of his team and when V.V. Kumar was selected to play for India, he was very excited,” said Ramesh.

Kumar, on his part, remembers Naina as a humble and caring person. “Along with the likes of J.A. Allerton of Parrys, Naina was one of the pioneers in recruiting sportsmen. The idea of taking players on tours started during Naina’s time. He would never miss a match and remembered every player’s performance. Although he was strict, he wouldn’t throw his weight around. The whole team was one family and Naina would throw parties whenever we won games. His wife, Swarnam, was a great hostess too,” said Kumar.

Walked with legends

Lakshmi Ratan’s relationship with legends such as Vijay Merchant and Vinoo Mankad is well-documented. In those days, cricketers didn’t stay in hotels and would be lodged in houses of welcoming hosts. Merchant and Mankad used to stay with Lakshmi Ratan whenever they visited Madras.

“I was quite young then but I remember Merchant and Mankad staying at our place in Santhome. My father was close to the entire Merchant family. He also shared a good rapport with many Sri Lankan cricketers such as M. Sathasivam,” said Ramesh.

Lakshmi Ratan had stopped watching cricket towards the latter period of his life as he felt indiscipline had permeated into the game. “My father always had a reputation for being a great administrator and gentleman.

“That his conduct is talked about in glowing terms even today is testimony to his personality,” said Ramesh.

Lakshmi Ratan passed away on February 25, 2005.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / by Arun Venugopal / July 14th, 2012