“Great passions can elevate the soul to great things,” said Zhang Jike, one of only a handful of table tennis players to have won the Grand Slam – the World Championship (in 2011), the World Cup (2011) and Olympic gold (2012).
Zhang is a product of the formidable Chinese system, which has perfected the craft of churning out champions; matters elsewhere in the table tennis world are significantly different. But his sentiment is universal.
It was one such great passion that compelled four-time National champion and Olympian S. Raman to start a centre aimed exclusively at producing international medallists. He took the plunge last May after a lot of thought.
The Raman High Performance Centre, a large, air-conditioned hall at Harrington Road (Chetpet) in Chennai, is now home to about 15 paddlers, including some of the best in the country. It also hosted several of Ultimate Table Tennis’ biggest stars, who availed of the facilities.
There wasn’t a need for Raman and his wife B. Bhuvaneswari – both former India No.1 players, secure in public sector jobs – to resign. They could have stayed employed and continued coaching in their downtime, which many former players do.
But Raman, even in his playing days, had a reputation of going all out to reach a goal. It’s something of a trademark.
Several people advised him not to commit hara kiri by putting in his papers. “Well-wishers told me that it is better I quit and my wife worked,” says Raman, “That way, we’d maintain financial stability. We discussed it and decided that if we were going to do it, both [had to] leave our jobs. That’s the best way to run a centre which aims to produce international medallists.”
When they hit the ground, it was anything but rosy. They had to sell the car, cut down on expenses. “I make myself free only on Sundays. I hardly attend family functions. Bhuvan does the socialising,” says Raman.
Investing about ?80 lakh is no joke. It requires strong conviction, which the couple, fortunately, have in plenty. “We’ve invested close to one crore in developing the facility. We didn’t wait for sponsors. We waited for nothing, basically. I took loans from banks, we are paying EMI, with our property as security,” says Raman, explaining what the start-up demanded.
It has been a tightrope walk. “We are, sort of, struggling. But then we know we have to make it sustainable. Having said that, we have our heart and passion in the right place. The centre is run purely by our own funding,” he says.
Raman quit as senior manager at Indian Oil Corporation in 2014 to pursue his coaching plans. He trained a few youngsters at a couple of venues in Chennai, but it was his association with A. Amalraj in 2009 that he felt gave him the cutting-edge to attempt top-level coaching.
“I was already dabbling with the idea. I started my first stint with Amalraj on a one-on-one basis when I was working at Indian Oil. He approached me, he was passionate. I tried to elevate his level, and it gave me satisfaction,” says Raman, who coached Amalraj to his maiden National championship crown in 2011.
He then took on G. Sathiyan – who had been spotted and groomed by three-time National champion and coach V. Chandrasekar – and helped him navigate the international circuit, and soon the Chennai lad won the Belgium Open and reached the world’s top-100 (August ‘17).
At a time when academies seldom adhere to a favourable player-table ratio, Raman has proven different. To maintain quality, he says, one has to work with a small group.
“We have 15 players across all categories (and five tables),” he says. “We want to provide uninterrupted play where they are able to improve their stamina.”
Youngsters keen to join are asked to share videos of their play. Entry-level players are charged Rs. 6,500 a month, considerably more than at other academies across the country, but Raman makes the distinction that its ambitions are bigger. “We take people who we think are cut out for a higher level. We have rejected many. Even Sathiyan said that he appreciates the fact that I am not taking more,” he says.
A taskmaster who rarely dangles the carrot, he tells off those who he thinks are not putting in the hard yards. “Anybody not motivated is shown the door,” he says.
Raman also wants to foster a culture of friendship and competitiveness, a pre-requisite he says for producing top-quality paddlers. “I also want an environment where anyone can play with anybody round the day. We’ve got very good results [so far]. [We are keen] to take this forward,” he says.
The Olympian – he made the cut at Sydney 2000 – says results are directly proportional to the number of hours one trains on and off the table. There is no way, he says, he will dilute his vision by increasing admission numbers.
Bhuvaneswari, a top player herself, has been the ideal partner. She trains junior girls and advises them on playing against funny rubbers (largely long-pimples). She also supervises a separate junior programme for kids aged between five and 12.
Another reason Raman quit his job when he did was because he wanted to be in shape to demonstrate technique and form. “What is the point if I can’t demonstrate a shot? I play even now, which is why I wanted to quit when the going was great. There is no point in coaching when you can’t put bat to ball,” he says.
Raman’s routine is simple. He wakes up at 5.30 a.m. and the players arrive by six. After warm-ups, the training lasts four hours. The players also practise in the evening under Raman’s supervision and follow tailored fitness programmes.
Raman also knows the value of early international exposure. He didn’t have the opportunity himself and had to wait till he was 29 to play in the Swedish league. “It helped me only to a limited level,” he confesses.
This has been his biggest regret. To address it, Raman has agreed to fully sponsor Sarthak Gandhi, who bagged silver in the ITTF Challenge Series-Nigeria Open recently, to the Polish Open. “I don’t want them to suffer from a lack of chances. Even though we are struggling, we want our players to do well,” says Raman.
“I keep telling my students, ‘I am pushing you like a parent, this is positive pressure. On the table your opponents will push you, and that will be pressure too. If you can’t handle good pressure, then you can’t handle bad pressure,’” says Raman.
It has been just a year, too early to estimate how successful the venture will be, but his ambition and relentless drive should serve him well. Great passions do lead to great things, and in Raman’s case, he hopes, great players.