The State Bank of India (Commercial branch) took a break for the first time to felicitate four State-level stars as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility at the VOC Park Corporation Sports Complex courts here on Friday.
Moment to cherish
For the four juniors it was an occasion to remember as they were greeted and presented with sports kits under the Community Service Banking by the gurus of the game in the district.
The rains threatened to take some shine out for a brief moment but the show went on.
The chief guest of the evening, K.S. Mohan, Deputy General Manager of the bank, was a happy man.
“It gives me great pleasure to be back on the basketball courts though not as a player,” said Mr. Mohan, who found a place in the Indian probable list for the Moscow Olympic Games.
“We played the game with great interest but at the same time we never gave up our studies. If I am currently holding a top post it is because of basketball. Playing the game will help the boys in planning and executing things faster than the ordinary students. I am able to do just that,” he said, and urged the parents to encourage and support their wards in every possible manner.
SBI's Commercial Branch has played its part in many ways.
Scheme
It has adopted two girl students from the PSGR Krishnammal HSS under the ‘Adoption of Girl Child' scheme and had further donated books and clothes to the Deaf and Dumb School in Tirupur and cubical lockers to the Coimbatore Seva Nilayam, an organisation for the destitute kids.
“If today we are out encouraging basketball players it is because we have sportsmen turned bureaucrats in our bank,” said D. Soundararajan, Special Assistant of the bank and the Assistant General Secretary of the SBI Staff Union.
Response
“The response from the children is satisfying. Despite the rain, if they are here with their parents in large numbers it is because of their interest for the game,” he added.
R. Hemanalini, on behalf of the parents, thanked the bank for the support to the game and for being a shining example to the other banks in the district.
The boys who were rewarded for their efforts were Naveen (Mani HSS), Shyam Sunder (Stanes AIHSS), Bharath Prasanth (Vidya Niketan) and E.S. Arvind (G.D. MHSS).
