Sport, my biggest passion and greatest distraction - SchoolAlumniMeetJan2026

Sport has been the biggest passion of mine. At the same time, it has also been the strongest distraction that I continue to deal with. Everything started with the district level sports meets I used to participate in, representing our school.

I was not a round-the-year player. I used to practice and play for only the duration around the sports meet, maybe maximum for a month. Yet, we never missed bringing the trophy to our school. Out of four times, we were runners up for three times and winners during the last outing I had on behalf of our school. Badminton and Tennikoit were the sports I played along with my talented doubles partners.

I will forever remember the way the PETs (Physical Education Teachers) of other schools shook my hands in appreciation after we won the last sports meet, in Tennikoit, back in 1999. That year was the toughest draw we ever faced compared to all precious tournaments, yet we finished on a winning note. When they all shook my hand and told me that I had played exceptionally well, I felt honoured. They knew that it would be my last tournament, since I was in my tenth standard. They had been seeing me for four years.

One day after a sports meet, probably when I was in my 9th standard, I heard our PET sir telling someone that a Tennikoit coach asked to send me along with him so that I could be trained for the national level competitions. Since I was a merit student and not a dedicated sports players, our PET sir didn't pursue the offer.

Years later, our PET sir got my name written on our school wall along with the other sports players who won many tournaments or medals at state, national and international levels. Against my name, he wrote - విశిష్ట క్రీడాకారిణి (Distinct Player). That's the biggest honour as far as sports is concenred in my life.

I never realized my passion for sports in school days, though I used to play exceptionally well. Only years later, in my adulthood I realized how much my mind had love for sports. Now I know that I missed an opportunity to build my career in sports, which has been my biggest passion. Hence it also has been my biggest distraction. Despite this deep sense of missing to become a sports player, I have always been successful in drawing a lot of learning and motivation for myself from sports that I have watched and followed.

I hardly miss any opportunity to take part in sport events. Chess, Tennikoit and Badminton are the sports that I have been participating in, be it in my Intermediate college days, engineering days, in the corporate organizations that I worked or working, and now in our housing society competitions.

All credit to our PET sir back in school, Kari Ammaiah garu, for the way he introduced 'sport' to me. I met him in the Alumni Meet we conducted recently in our school and didn't miss a chance to click the photo with him amidst the busy run I was having during the event.

By far, this is my favourite post from this series and hence I chose it to be the last.