The AP women’s cricket team, on its travels across the country, was on a visit to Marina beach in Chennai. Away from the rigours of the game, we were keen to take a dip in the sea. We however hit a wall in the form of our manager T.N. Pillay, who refused to let us go for a swim.
We were pretty peeved with the gentleman, but nothing could persuade him to allow us into the water. It was only over time that the rationale for his behaviour dawned on us. His only daughter had died in a drowning accident and therefore his staunch stance, like a mother hen fiercely guarding her brood.
If behind the success of every man, there is a woman, he turned the adage on its head and often single-handedly. His extensive coverage of the women’s game made the ‘eves’ as popular as their male counterparts. If the sport helped us build character and individuality, Pillay Sir’s journalistic efforts made us well-known.
Without his yeoman services to the cause, women’s cricket would have died in its infancy itself. With poor patronage and non-existent sponsorship those days, there were occasions when he would be at the ground as early as 6 a.m. He himself would then run the roller on the pitch, mow the grass and lay out the markings.
Sandra Braganza, the first from Andhra Pradesh to represent the country and I belonged to the first batch of women cricketers to be recruited on the sports quota in South Central Railway. Today so many women cricketers are employed in the Indian Railways as do so many get seats in professional courses.
Thanks to their achievements on the cricket field, many occupy top positions in the corporate world.
By being at the helm of the game in the state and country, besides providing a safe and secure environment in the game, he not only enabled girls to take up the game initially as a hobby or healthy recreation but in the later stages to pursue it as a career. So many young girls were empowered and in many cases the families made economically secure, thanks to Pillay Sir’s protective presence.
In Pillay Sir, we found a father figure with whom we shared a warm and affectionate relationship. We did have differences of opinion on many issues and heated arguments. These however never came in the way of our high regard for him.
We felt ashamed to show our faces to him when we let him down or lost a match. Compassionate man that he was, Pillay Sir would patiently counsel and inspire us to perform better in the next match. I am sure parents allowed their daughters to take up the game seriously in the mid 1970’s and 80’s only because of the trust reposed in him.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association’s proposal to name the media box at the Rajiv Gandhi international Stadium after him will bring a twinkle to his eye as he views the world of sports from up above.
(The writer is is one of the first woman cricketers from the state)
