Nandu Natekar

In 1954 Free Press Bulletin, a prominent newspaper in Mumbai, conducted a poll to elect the most popular Indian sportsman. The poll generated great enthusiasm around the country. At this time Indian hockey was at its zenith with Olympic gold medalists like KD Singh Babu, Balbir Singh and Leslie Claudius in prominence; Vinoo Mankad and Vijay Hazare were considered among the premier cricketers of the world and Tenzing Norgay had just conquered Mt. Everest.

Badminton star Nandu Natekar surprised one and all with the maximum number of votes. To have won the poll in the presence of such super-stars was indeed an indication of the popularity that he commanded. It is actually amazing to note that this popular appeal of his was even before he had defeated the world number one Erland Kops of Denmark at Cricket Club of India (CCI). For the record, Nandu Natekar won the national championship six times in the 1950s and was the runner-up in four.

At present Indian shuttlers have become household names in the world of badminton. This is certainly a matter of great pride for all Indians that both our men and women are holding the centre-stage around the world. The man who laid the foundation of this glorious era was none other than the Bombay-man Nandu Natekar in the 1950s.

The first people to play badminton in India were the British army officers posted here. That was in the 1870s. The native Indians however began to play seriously much later, only in the 1940s. However within a short span India unearthed some talented players, who displayed excellent technique and temperament.

According to sports administrator-writer Anthony D’Mello, in 1947 Devinder Mohan and Prakash Nath went to UK to participate in the All-England championship, then the premier badminton tournament in the world. Both played beyond all expectations and reached the quarter-final round. Being in the same half, they were billed to play against each other. They decided not to compete between themselves. Prakash Nath gave a walk-over to Devinder Mohan, who was the reigning national champion. Devinder won his semi-final match and ultimately became the losing finalist. As a pair they became also the doubles runner-up.

This was a brilliant beginning, without any semblance of doubt. International badminton critics were surprised as much as the Indians themselves. But in time our performance at the international level was not very consistent. Perhaps it was too early to expect us to produce any player of world-class.

 Our status in world badminton was average. We would take part in the Thomas Cup but we just could not break into the big league, which was dominated by south-east Asian countries, especially Malayasia and Indonesia, as well as by Denmark.

In that scenario a stylish man from Bombay, Nandu Natekar – neat of composure and conduct – won the coveted title of Selangor Cup in Malayasia and repeated the feat in the King’s Cup championship in Thailand in the 1950s.

To win two international championships against world-class opponents raised quite a few eyebrows. Still the Indian populace could not come to terms with Natekar’s magnificent victories. Ignorant as we were, we were in doubt of the importance of these championships; the significance of these victories. We were uncertain of our own ability.

To prove that these victories were no fluke, Nandu Natekar demolished the current world champion Erland Kops of Denmark at CCI in 1958. It was a super-human effort without an iota of doubt. This magnificent duel with the world champion gave Nandu Natekar a permanent place in the honours list of great Indian sportsman. Almost overnight, Indian badminton began to earn world-wide respect.

Natekar was quiet and confident. A master in the art of strategy and planning. He concentrated not on flashy strokes and exhibitionist tendencies. On the contrary Natekar was technicality personified.  In the words of Kishin Wadhwaney, the sports-scholar journalist, “He was the Vijay Merchant of Indian badminton...” Every step of his was in conformity with conventional methods.

On the court Natekar relied not on smashes but on placements and on minimizing errors. He had the stamina of a horse. He relied on rallies and wore the opponent down with deft placements and continuous returns. Although strong-silent, he was goaded to mention, “To me badminton is a touch-sport…Waste no energy. Stick to basics. Play the ‘waiting’ game and try to minimize errors. Let the opponent lose his stamina by playing aggressively.” This was impeccable advice considering the Indian physique and psyche. He himself did as he believed. Extremely bright, he knew what he was saying.

He was a cerebral sportsman. Loved classical music and devoted hours to literature. It is said that Natekar never spoke beyond what was absolutely necessary but would read whatever he found near at hand. Voracious reader he was and possessed a wide orbit of liberal views. Had little time for unnecessary radicalism but was far more progressive than most in his life-style.

Once when my friend Pranay Mondkar shook his hand and introduced himself, instantly the 80 plus gentleman asked, “Are you the son of Yashwant Mondkar? What an exemplary person he was. A very close friend of mine.” Just goes to show that age could not diminish the humility and the exceptional mental alertness of the magnificent champion.

Loved to dress well. Impeccably attired, he was always neat and confident.  He gave the impression of a stylish man on the move. Always willing to help, but he would never go forward to guide unless asked for. This approach may not have gone down well with some youngsters. But ultimately this approach seemed to be the best possible option as far as Natekar’s temperament was concerned. He would never get involved with others into irrelevant debates and discussions. His philosophy was: live and let live.

 Born at Sangli in Maharashtra, young Nandu was extremely competent at tennis and cricket too. While at school, apart from being a diligent student he was an all-round sportsman with a natural flair for sport. Later after shifting to Bombay in the 1940s, he developed his liking for badminton and in very quick time made his presence felt at every competitive level.

In recognition of his service to Indian sport, the Government of India conferred on him the Arjuna Award in 1961. He happened to be the first recipient of the Arjuna Award for badminton in the inaugural year of the award ceremony. He was attached to the Maharashtra State Sports Council and left behind his mark with his matured observations and decision-making.

In time the surname Natekar stayed on as Nandu’s tennis-playing son Gaurav went on represent India in Davis Cup. Father and son duo in two different disciplines as international performers is a rarity in the world of sport. The Natekars are a rare commodity with their impeccable skills and manners. They are a credit to their schools, colleges, universities and to all other institutions they were part of.

Nandu Natekar was a self-made player. He observed his seniors and learnt from their words and actions. The intelligent young man was greatly influenced by the two of the best exponents of badminton in the world, Wong Peng Soon (Malayasia) and Tan Joe Hock (Indonesia), whom he saw at the invitation tournaments organized by Bombay Gymkhana and Cricket Club of India (CCI) at Bombay in the 1950s. Sports administrator Anthony D’Mello observed, “…Natekar modeled his back-hand play on Wang Peng Soon’s style.”

An analytical mind and the power of observation were his forte. He realized that to reach world standards he had to follow the best in the profession. Accordingly he set about his task, taught himself the art and the craft of the top players and in time showed his class to the badminton world. This approach of Nandu Natekar revealed his undoubted intelligence and adaptability.

Today when we find our modern generation of Indians doing exceptionally well at badminton at the international level, our heart goes out to the pioneers who helped to pave the way. The outstanding performance of our badminton players is a clear indication that the pioneering work of the former badminton stalwarts did not go waste.

Natekar commands an unique place in Indian sport. He is both the product as well as the seed of Indian badminton. He was the summation of the early talents in the forms of George Lewis, Jabbar Ali, Tara Banerjee, Prakash Nath, Devinder Mohan, Tarak Nath Seth, Manoj Guha and Gajanan Hemmady, among others.

At the same time he was the fount from where the magnificent products like Prakash Padkone and Pulella Gopichand, among others, flowered. The superlative lady-stars of today – Saina Nehawal, Pusarla Venkata Sidhu and Jwala Gutta, among others, – only manifest the pioneering zeal of Natekar’s Badminton India. The legend of Nandu Natekar thrives on and on…

Nandu Natekar’s place in the pantheon of Indian sport will remain forever.