Volley of praise for veteran coach Dakshina

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A man used to life on the sidelines was thrust in front of the arc lights at the MRK Stadium, Egmore, on Sunday.

Ace volleyball coach S. Dakshinamoorthy was distinctly uncomfortable at being the centre of attention. He wasn’t himself when the plaudits rained on him; he would any day prefer the technical area of a volleyball court. Dakshinamoorthy belongs to the rare breed of coaches who don’t enjoy time away from their spiritual home of the playing ground.

Players trained by Dakshinamoorthy at the Centre of Excellence run by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu joined hands to pay their tribute to their volleyball guru.

The function turned out to be memorable as an air of genuine warmth and gratitude prevailed at the venue. All those who were called upon to felicitate Dakshinamoorthy spoke with conviction.

Like a first-man attack, Dakshinamoorthy preferred to keep his acceptance speech short and effective.

“My strength is my players. Without their hard work, my coaching will not be rewarding. I want my players to help volleyball in whatever way they can,” he said.

The coach was a bundle of emotions. He told Deccan Chronicle that coaching was permanent and not felicitations.

Dakshinamoorthy and the Centre of Excellence have become synonymous since 1995, the year the SDAT established its volleyball school. The coach got down to his work with missionary zeal and the passage of years hasn’t dulled his enthusiasm.

Dakshinamoorthy, who last year became the only second Indian to pass the FIVB Level III course, has produced an enviable number of international players.

R. Kamaraj who was declared the best setter of the 2003 world youth volleyball championship graduated from the Dakshina school as were the current senior Indian team’s setter M. Ukkrapandian and libero K. Kanagaraj. If Tamil Nadu are a leading volleyball state in India, major credit should go to the tireless work of Dakshinamoorthy.

This page will not be enough to print the names of players the coach has helped to find jobs in 17 years.

More than 60 players are employed in government institutions across the country after passing out of the Centre of Excellence.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Dakshinamoorthy has lit up the lives of so many youngsters.

The SDAT team double up as SRM University in inter-college tournaments. Dakshina-moorthy’s record with SRM is nothing short of incredible: the private institution has won three all-India inter-university titles in the last four years.

Chandradeskar, one of the players from the first batch in 1995, told the audience that Dakshinamoorthy’s strategies were critical to SDAT’s success.

“He was particular that the first batch laid a strong foundation for the Centre of Excellence. We wouldn’t have come up in life without his guidance,” he said.

He broke down in the middle of his speech. SRM physical director K. Mohana Krishnan said he has observed the coach from close quarters in the last five years.

“He worries more about his players than he cares about his family. I hope he keeps producing top-quality players,” he added.

SDAT senior manager R.K. Durai Singh said the Centre of Excellence under Dakshinamoorthy has produced more players than any other SAI or state government hostel in India.

“Even though the SDAT team comprise only college players, they get invitations for prominent open tournaments. It is testimony to SDAT’s success. I’m a great admirer of Dakshinamoorthy’s ability to judge a player’s suitability to a position. He doesn’t mind taking risks by changing attackers into setters,” he added.

The disciples of Dakshina-moorthy adorned their guru with a giant garland, a gold chain and a splendid memento.

What made the occasion sweeter was the launch of the SDAT Centre of Excellence Alumni Association, which was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University VC K. Vaithiyanathan.