The first time I met him, he was part of an entourage to discuss the Hyderabad 10 K run with a company I was working for. That was in the year 2005.
I remember that meeting vividly, not for what happened , but for the way this man behaved. He knew he was the most accomplished man in the entourage but did not let it be known. He was silent, listening, nodding, letting the others do the talking.
No one could miss his presence though.
Almost a decade later, the situation hasn't changed much.
You hear very less of him. While the country celebrates his students’ wins, he rarely makes it to the headlines of news. He is still the unassuming, shy, reticent guy who gives credit to the game and his wards.
The world hardly knows anything about him the person. He might not have made it to the cover of any newspaper or magazine, even a sports one.
But, his presence looms large over the Indian sporting landscape.
He is Guru Gopichand, possibly India’s greatest sports coach.
While the likes of Gavaskar, Anand and PT Usha have been pioneers in their respective fields and have inspired millions of kids across the country to take up sports, they could not help build institutions. They were like the oasis in the parched Indian desert of sports achievements. But, they did not build aquifers that could sustain the game after their waters dried up or they left the game.
This Guru Gopi is different. An accomplished player himself ( he is the second indian to have won the All England Championship), he could have left the game for greener pastures after his knee injury that refused to recuperate cut his career short.
But, he chose his passion. That of making India a champion nation in his sport. The famous Gopichand academy that coaches almost all the Indian talent that has succeeded abroad would not have been possible if Guru Gopi had not mortgaged his house!
Today, he is a one man institution churning out outstanding, world beating players . Much like Ma Junren who produced athletes for China and Nick Bollettieri who produced Tennis Champs.
Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap, RMV Guru Sai Dutt and the latest sensation Srikanth Kidambi have been produce of his academy.
The startling fact that there are more Indians than Chinese in the top 100 badminton player list is but one testimony to what he has achieved.
If someone is slowly chipping away at the Chinese wall in badminton, it is this shy, unassuming man from Hyderabad, Guru Gopichand.
It can be safely said that in times to come, much like the hallowed Shivaji Park grounds, the Gopichand Academy will find a place in the Indian sporting history.
It is where, the foundation stone for the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” program was laid. A place from where India took on the might of the East Asian manufacturing strength, albeit in sports.
#gurugopi #makeinindia #badminton
