CHENNAI: When S Raman and B Bhuvaneswari left their well-paying, steady central government jobs to start their table tennis (TT) High Performance Centre on Harrington Road here a decade ago, the dream was to have a space to train and produce world-class paddlers. Raman — Commonwealth and South Asian Games gold medalist, an Olympian, and an Arjuna awardee — and his wife Bhuvaneswari, former India No 1, envisioned a dream, took a leap of faith, and made the centre to a reality in 2017.
Nine years have passed since, and in this time, the sport has evolved and developed massively. Former chief national coach Raman, and his academy, too, has brought many accolades to the country in TT. It began at the 2018 Asian Games when G Sathiyan won bronze in the men’s team event, bringing India a TT medal at the event after almost six decades. Then the Ultimate Table Tennis came along, paddlers got exposure, and the medals followed too. Through it all, Raman’s academy has served as a space for players to grow and thrive. In this time, Raman was honoured with the much-deserved Dronacharya Award in 2021.
Sitting in his academy on a hot Friday afternoon, Raman reflects with pride on what the academy has accomplished thus far. “That's why we quit our lucrative job. Today, my colleagues in Indian Oil are executive directors and chief general managers and so on and so forth. I'm happy for them, but I'm happy where I am. There were a lot of challenges in terms of building the infrastructure. We had to put in all our money from PF, pension, savings and do what it takes. We spent about Rs 75 lakhs at the time. Looking back, we are very happy that we did what we did because we saw some great results. Players going to Olympics, winning World Championship medals in juniors, and then Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medals back-to-back. Thankfully, we had a good bunch of players who committed to this journey and we are proud of that,” he reflects.
The first of its kind when Raman began, the academy is now home for 25-30 paddlers who train there regularly. Raman has ensured it has remained available for any aspiring athlete who steps onto the premises of the second-floor facility. "I realised very early that though I didn't have the facilities back then. I knew that if I had to produce some great players, I needed to have good infrastructure, sports science, all ringed together. We started in 2015-16 and by 2018, we secured a Asian Games medal, Sathiyan started winning WTT titles, and hit the world's highest ranking ever by an Indian. We got the world championship bronze medal in juniors and then a senior, and then a silver medal in juniors, a historic silver medal last year. It's been a real good ride," Raman adds.
New para-inclusive global centre of excellence
While the journey so far has been immensely successful, Raman is not satisfied. Now, he is building a new Global Centre of Excellence in the heart of the city off Harrington Road — one that will be inclusive and focussing on para-athletes. The 57-year-old aims to make the first all-encompassing para-inclusive table tennis private facility in the country. “If you compare from 2020 to 2024, our medals have gone from 19 to 24 in the Paralympics. The Indian government is putting a lot of emphasis on para sports to win Olympic medals. While we will continue to strive and work for winning a medal in the regular category in the Olympics, we also want to see how we can support para-athletes and take them to the Olympic podium,” Raman explains.
While India’s wait for an Olympic medal in TT continues, Raman is aiming to build a facility that can facilitate the para-athletes to achieve that dream. “We are going to have a gym there, with specific tables and facilities for para-athletes. We are going to have physiotherapists, masseurs for para-athletes. There is a ramp for them, toilets are accessible, their training is accommodating. We want to host a lot of para-tournaments also, so that they can get a lot of exposure and see how we can bring sports science for para table tennis. We want to identify talent in the age group of 6-10, boys and girls in Tamil Nadu and take them to the Olympic podium,” he adds.
Taking a leap of faith again amid funding challenges
As he did ten years ago, Raman has once again staked it all on his dream project which includes a programme called H2O — Hopes to Olympic Podium. However, like last time, the challenges remain. For a project that is estimated to cost around Rs 4 crore, Raman has hit a roadblock owing to lack of sponsors and funds. Having already mortgaged his property and taken a bank loan, the Dronacharya awardee is hoping that state and union governments and corporate sponsors will come into the picture and support the initiative. “Right now, the construction is going on but due to funds we are having challenges. But having said that, by the end of this year it should be ready. We are thankful to Chennai Port Trust for their sponsorship. We are also talking to other corporates, but currently I have mortgaged my own property and then taken a bank loan,” he explains.
Raman hopes to present the project to the Tamil Nadu government, and the state sports minister, Aadhav Arjuna — who is also a former basketball player — and receive their support. “The TN government has announced a record Rs 1,051 crore budget for sports. The Sports Minister himself is a sportsman, he understands the pulse of the sport and is very passionate. There is a huge focus for Olympic driven programmes to be developed and I am sure in the coming weeks I will be able to meet up with the Sports Minister, present this project report, and get their support,” Raman says with resolve.