Ball badminton legend and Arjuna Award winner J. Pichaiah, passed away in Hanamkonda on Sunday. He was 104 and is survived by two daughters.
Pichaiah, who was born in Kuchipudi of Krishna district of the then united Andhra Pradesh, moved to Warangal post-Independence to work in Azam Jahi Mills.
Arguably one of the finest ball badminton players of the country, Pichaiah, who inspired many to take up the sport, played 15 Nationals between 1955 and 1970, winning nine of them, including bagging the rare distinction of scripting a hat-trick for both Hyderabad and Andhra separately. He was also a runner-up thrice. His last Nationals was in 1970 when he was 53 and he won it in style.
Pichaiah took pride in playing a sport which was followed by many, even in rural areas. And, to the delight of his admirers, he played the sport till he was 91 and often engaged in serious discussions about promoting the sport, according to Vijay Prasad Reddy, former vice-president of Ball Badminton Federation of India and also ex-general secretary of Hyderabad Ball Badminton Association.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the sport and his achievements, Pichaiah was presented the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1970. He was also a very successful doubles player, partnering Kareem with whom he had an unbeaten record for close to a decade at national level from 1944.
“The great Pichaiah was known for his power and precision with the racket and was famed for hitting the one-rupee coin placed in any part of the badminton court. He was also Star of India Awardee and played the game mostly barefoot,” said Tandava Krishna, treasurer of Telangana Ball Badminton Association (TBBA).
Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, TBBA president Ramakrishna Rao and general secretary Ravinder Goud were among those who condoled the death of the ball badminton legend.
