Krishnamachari Srikkanth was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement
With Chennai’s fight-back when besieged by floods forming the motif for tales of inspiration in sports and life by various speakers, Krishnamachari Srikkanth was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement award by the Rotary Club of Madras, T. Nagar, on Monday.
Former India golfer Brandon D’Souza was given the Vocational Excellence award. Tennis great Vijay Amritraj was the chief guest on the occasion.
Rtn.Ravi Venkataraman President ROTARY CLUB OF MADRAS T.NAGAR, Winner of The Golf, Rtn. DG. C.R.Raju, RTN. PHF. S. Mahaveer Bothra Vijay Amirtharaj, Kris Srikkanth, & Brandon D’Souza
A former Test captain and a prominent member of the triumphant Indian cricket team in the 1983 Prudential World Cup, Srikkanth lauded Rotary Club of Madras, T. Nagar, for its stellar work in reaching out to the poor, and added that his life would not be complete unless he gave something back to the society.
Talking about the deluge, Srikkanth said: “Every individual in Chennai was outstanding in responding to the crisis. The way we got together to do something for the people without expecting anything was a lesson for everyone.”
He thanked Dr. Mohan Rajan, who read the citation, for calling him “entertaining, innovative and explosive”, and said: “In the old days, the way cricket was played, perhaps I was a game-changer.”
Srikkanth said the biggest achievement for him in cricket was being a part of the World Cup-winning side in 1983, and then heading the selection panel when Dhoni’s Dashers repeated the feat in 2011.
In a captivating speech, Amritraj recalled how his mother transformed a frail child with health complications into the champion athlete that he eventually became. It was a story of belief and conviction.
“Sports teaches you more about yourself than you would otherwise ever get to know,” said Amritraj. “When you delve into those moments when you are asking for the impossible, you learn more about yourself.”
The former India Davis Cup captain announced a donation of Rs. 5 lakh from the Vijay Amritraj Foundation to Rajan Eye Care that works in cohesion with the Rotary Club of Madras, T. Nagar.
D’Souza dwelt on the difficulties of taking up golf in the early 80s in India when the game was in the backwaters of the nation’s sporting consciousness.
“For me, my work [playing golf] was my passion. I chased my passion and my dreams,” he said.
The winners of the Rotary T. Nagar-LNT golf tournament, that raised money for the flood victims in Chennai, received their trophies.
Ravi Venkatraman, president, Rotary Club of Madras, T. Nagar, highlighted the club’s various initiatives for those in need.