They share a staggering record of having played in 63 Senior Nationals since 1976. This wonderful trio of Mamidi Rajagopal Rao, Gorla Venkata Ramana and Murali Krishna also have another record to boast of — all three are Star of India Award winners, the highest honour for excellence in ball badminton.
“We played for sheer passion and there was no better joy for us than that,” recalls Rajagopal Rao, a retired officer of the State Bank of Hyderabad. But Ramana reminds us that he owed his career to ball badminton, for he got the job under the sports quota in HAL and never had any regrets about playing the sport.
“Sometimes we do feel sad that our achievements are not recognised. But, again, this is not in our hands,” says the five-times national champion even as he proudly recalls that he played his 21st Senior Nationals at HAL Grounds last week without a break, beating the previous best of 18 years by Rajagopal Rao.
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Muralikrishna too is not far behind, having featured in 24 Nationals but he represented the Railways, then Major Ports before shifting his base to Hyderabad State because of his job in HAL, which again is thanks to ball badminton. The spirit of these champion performers is perhaps a reminder that Hyderabad sporting history is not all about the achievers in the more glamorous disciplines but of stars like them also.
“We are not jealous of anyone getting any incentives. We feel we will get what we are destined for. We look for better support from the Government in terms of jobs through sports quota, by giving this sport the recognition it deserves. That way, youngsters playing at major hubs of the sport in the city like HAL, United Club (Malkajgiri) and Vanasthalipuram will sustain their interest,” they feel.
“It is a pity that the ball badminton players are not getting any help even from the State Government which ironically had deleted this sport from its priority list on grounds of it being an indigenous sport. We sincerely hope things will change for the good for the sport which also produced two Arjuna Awardees - Pitchaiah and L. A. Iqbal,” feels the trio.
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“However, we are really pleased that thanks to Rajasekhar of Hathway Group, the sport got a major fillip by hosting these Nationals in Balanagar. He even recruited 15 ball badminton players in his group and gave them decent jobs. This is what the ball badminton fraternity looks for, to sustain the interest of the young talent,” the seasoned campaigners point out.
“For the passers-by this sport may look like an easy game but unlike many indoor sports, we have to defy strong winds and the normal science; for even if the ball is wet because of early morning moisture, it is a hell of an experience out there,” points outs Rajagopal.