In Indian tennis, there are many unsung heroes and Balram Singh should rank right at the top of that list. In fact, the amiable 75-year-old Balram, who has donned many hats in Indian tennis, heads a tennis family that is second to none in the country.
Balram’s brothers, Madhusudan, Hanuman, Anand Shankar, Arjun, and Nar Singh played the game with distinction at various levels, and were associated with the game as coaches as well.
Balram’s three children, Lalit Mohan, Shalini Thakur Chawla and Ashutosh have had fairly successful careers in tennis, and are associated with the game both at the national and international level.
Two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Ramanathan Krishnan put Balram’s contribution to Indian tennis in perspective, in a crisp video message on his 75th birthday recently.
Pleasant memories
“I have known Balram from his childhood. I have very pleasant memories. When I was playing my best tennis, he was coming up. I played some very good matches with him. Before Davis Cup matches, we used to have him as a practice member. He used to hit the ball quite hard and that helped us get used to the pace. What I liked about Balram was that he made the Indian circuit interesting. He along with Narendra Singh played all the tournaments in India and played competitive matches,” recalled Krishnan.
As a fitting tribute, Krishnan observed, “I was very surprised that Balram chose to stay back in India when many others went abroad and settled there. He would have got much better opportunities outside India. That showed his patriotic sense. He has given Indian tennis all his time. He had a good game and a good career. All his brothers followed in his footsteps.”
Another pioneer of Indian tennis, CGK Bhupathi, who is the father of multiple Grand Slam champion Mahesh, also sent a message. Others like Jaidip Mukerjea, Harsh Mankad, Enrico Piperno, Gaurav Mishra, Nandan Bal, Rohit Rajpal, Divij Sharan, Sunil Yajaman, T. Chandrasekaran, Mark Ferriera and Aqeel Khan — the Pakistan player who won the Indian national championship — spoke with warmth and admiration about Balram.
Wonderful years
“I cannot forget the wonderful years. We were 15-years-old when we first met. We travelled the whole world together. Tennis was our base. You have a nice and growing family of children and grand children,” said CGK.
Most of the children, including those of his brothers, have been associated with tennis, to underline the growing contribution of the family.
Balram had a sterling career as a player. He had made the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and US Open junior events, apart from the World juniors. He served Railways for more than 37 years, and was the coach of the gold winning team in the World Railways championship in 1987. Balram was also the coach of the national team in the Beijing Asian Games in 1990. Apart from being secretary of the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA), Balram also serves in the national selection committee.
The best among his children
The best tennis among his three children was played by Ashutosh — who was a two time National champion on grass and hard courts. He was also the National doubles champion with Vishaal Uppal.
Ashutosh had a career best doubles rank of 150, and won 17 doubles titles in the international circuit, including two Challenger titles with Harsh Mankad. He is now serving the game as a knowledgeable coach. He had a stint with the national team during the Asian Indoor Games in Turkmenistan, when India swept the medals through Sumit Nagal, Vijay Sundar Prashanth and Vishnu Vardhan. Ashutosh also had coaching stints with the team for the Youth Olympics and Asian Youth Games.
He captures the essence of life lessons learnt from his father.
“Continuity is the essence of life. Keep flowing like a stream, overcoming all challenges, small and big. Practice fair play and be content,” said Ashutosh.
Shalini’s contributions
Balram’s daughter Shalini, was No. 1 in the country in the under-14, 16 and 18 age groups andNo. 3 among the women. She represented the country at various levels, including the FedCup and was captain and coach for the recent Billie Jean King Cup. Shalini, who could easily be mistaken for a player any day, has also been part of Asian Developmental teams in Europe.
Balram’s eldest son, Lalit Mohan did not pursue tennis as a player or coach much after being captain of Hindu College. Yet, he is a regular at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon as an international umpire.
He was the review official for Hawk Eye, during the women’s final and men’s doubles final in Wimbledon last year. He has also officiated in the Beijing and London Paralympics, apart from Asian Games in Guangzhou, Incheon and Palembang.
Lalit is busy travelling the world for ATP, WTA and ITF events, including Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Lalit swears by two qualities that he has grasped from his father and imbibed into his system.
“Self belief and work ethic help me cruise through difficult situations,” said Lalit.
The woman behind the success
Behind every successful man, there is a woman. Ashutosh highlights the role of their mother Ashmina, as the ‘’Rock of Gibraltar” that has helped the family thrive.
“After guiding us three children so well, now she is busy overseeing her grandchildren’s early steps. She is also an entrepreneur with her garment business for more than 10 years,” said Ashutosh.
It is very difficult to find so many tennis players from a family, across generations, serving the game with such remarkable success. The family is like a highly efficient engine, helping champions in their path to success.
