As a Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach deputed to Chennai in 1976, Sanjiv, with a host of dedicated officials, developed badminton from scratch.

Sanjiv Sachdeva, former India junior coach.
| Photo Credit: Ok. Keerthivasan

There was a time when Sanjiv Sachdeva was probably the most revered and in style badminton coach in Chennai.

As a Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach deputed to town in 1976, Sanjiv, with a host of dedicated officers, developed the game from scratch.

“When I completed my training in NIS Patiala, my first posting was in Chennai in 1976. The sport was not popular then. I started going to a few districts and did a few summer camps. Badminton slowly came up in Tamil Nadu. There are so many good players from Chennai now. It was because of the base we set up,” Sanjiv, who retired from SAI (Chennai) in 2009, instructed The Hindu in the course of the eighty fifth senior National championships right here on Wednesday.

The Krishna Khaitan memorial match was one of probably the most profitable junior-ranking occasion which was carried out in the City for greater than a decade. Sanjiv was instrumental in placing collectively the match.

“When Vivek Goenka’s (the then Chairman of Indian Express) mother passed away. I asked him whether we can conduct a badminton tournament in her memory. He said ‘why not’”. I turned the organising secretary of the match and carried out it from 1991 to 2009.”

He mentioned regardless of the dearth of a correct system, Chennai produced fairly a few gifted gamers.

“We had very good players in Ajit Haridas, Sandesh Chowta, Prabhakar and Vandana. There were no proper facilities and equipment and we didn’t have a proper indoor stadium. We used to practice at the University Union Indoor Stadium for a few hours. Despite constraints, we grew,” mentioned Sanjiv.

After transferring to his dwelling state Haryana in 2009-10, Sanjiv ensured that the Krishna Khaitan memorial match was carried out in Chandigarh. He once more turned the organising secretary for eight years earlier than the occasion moved to Panchkula.

“We have been holding Krishna Khaitan in Panchkula for three years now. We have 10 courts with air-conditioning facilities.”

The 75-year-old has his palms full. He is now the badminton guide in the Haryana Government’s sports activities division, and is occupied in conducting Krishna Khaitan match in his position because the competitors director.

Having settled in Chandigarh, Sanjiv nonetheless has fond reminiscences of Chennai.

“I really miss Chennai. I had some of the best time in the City. There are very good people and we did produce quite a few excellent players,” he remarked.