BENGALURU : When city-based veteran cueist Vidya Pillai clinched gold in the 6Red category at the International Billiards & Snooker Federation last Friday, she didn’t breathe a sigh of relief, nor did she engage in excited celebrations. “I just kind of went blank for a bit. In fact, friends and family who were at the tournament were making fun of me saying that I looked like I’d been doing this every day,” says Pillai, who turned 46 on Sunday.
Despite her historic achievement at the tournament – held in Doha, Qatar – becoming the first Indian woman to achieve an individual world snooker title, Pillai’s initial lack of jubilation was because she had to wait nearly 10 years, narrowly missing out on the title six times previously, before her triumph over fellow Indian Anupama Ramachandran last weekend.
“People might let out steam or celebrate, but for me, it felt like just another match. I wasn’t expecting gold at all. I always prepare to give my best, but previously I have always missed it narrowly. This year especially, I was placed among some of the toughest opponents in the tournament,” she says, adding, “It’s very special... getting gold after finishing runners-up in around six world finals. Someone even joked once saying that I could open up a silver shop!”
Having been inspired to take up cue sports after witnessing the late Kamala Chandra Babu, who became a two-time national champion in her sixties, Pillai has so far accrued four gold medals at International events, nearly four times as many in national level events and has been nominated for the Arjuna award 10 times.
Learning from her previous experiences, Pillai kept calm during this year’s tournament, ensuring that she didn’t put undue pressure on herself. “There were a lot of players who were struggling with the conditions. The tables were a lot faster this time. And the pockets weren’t so friendly. Fortunately for me, I had the advantage of having practised with the particular type of table called Rasson that was used in the tournament. So that gave me a leg up,” she says, adding, “Throughout the tournament, I wasn’t looking ahead or thinking about clinching the gold. I have done it so many times before, putting undue pressure on myself. I just focussed on one game at a time.”