S Thyagarajan: Remembering the meticulous chronicler hockey and cricket deserved

The late S Thyagarajan (inset) was critical of India’s performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Here, Charanjit Kumar (right) watches Australia’s Trevor King pursue the ball in a match that India lost 2-4 on August 4, 1984. PICS/GETTY IMAGES, BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The game of cricket has been blessed with some fine writers - wordsmiths who can paint a picture of a match to make you feel as if you are sitting beside her or him, witnessing the ebb and flow of the game and the atmosphere that comes with it.

Often, these writers get their share of deserved kudos while others who toil away as well, but for another sport are only read and don't get spoken about by the public; respect from the practitioners of the sport they cover notwithstanding.

As an example, I'm thinking about S Thyagarajan, the former Deputy Sports Editor of The Hindu, who passed away in Chennai on Monday aged 85.

Only a certain section of Mumbaikars read The Hindu newspaper, but The Sportstar magazine provided us an opportunity to read Thyagarajan's hockey reports. If there was a hockey story published, it was a given that the byline at the end would be his.

A couple of ex-India hockey players who I broke the news of his death to, were deeply saddened. "He covered most of our hockey events at home and abroad. He had good knowledge about the game. Will miss his coverage," said Merwyn Fernandis. His fellow 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medallist MM Somaya said: "He covered hockey over many decades; very knowledgeable and insightful in his coverage. His contribution to hockey will be long remembered."

Fellow journalists were no less glowing. "S Thyagarajan or ‘Mr T' was a man of precision. He was as immaculately dressed as his writing. Can I call him a mentor? Yes. He helped me navigate the intricacies of hockey writing and the inner workings of the federation [IHF]. If six matches were played in a day at a major championship, he watched all six: minute by minute, half after half. While the rest of us would be halfway through our copy, he would already be finished," wrote Sundeep Misra, who covered hockey for this paper.

Many a time, three deaths come close on the heels of each other. It held true for journalist Anand Philar. "It's been a difficult few weeks, with the passing away of a few people I knew - JK Tyre motorsport supremo Sanjay Sharma (Hardy) and his understudy Hari Singh, undoubtedly one of the finest rally drivers India has produced, and today, Subramanyam Thyagarajan, 85, of The Hindu. I covered many hockey tournaments, both in India and abroad, with Thyagu back in the day. We competed fiercely for stories, but always had a cuppa and a meal together after work while on assignments," Philar wrote on Facebook on Monday.

Thyagarajan reported on some of India's lowest moments. The 1-7 loss to Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final was surely one of them. Of one Indian player he wrote in The Sportstar: "He presented a pathetic picture as the Pakistanis pounded the citadel." And when the Indian team wasted opportunities during their gold medal defence at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he wrote: "If hockey is mere aesthetics India will certainly be a top contender. But here, the team, despite a fine start, progressively lost the edge and played incredibly poor hockey win against the West Germans when a win was essential."

The hockey officials in Los Angeles were not spared. "The Indian officials did not cover themselves with any credit by refusing to meet the media men after the match against West Germany. And these are the men who quibble that media neglects hockey in India," Thyagarajan wrote.

After Mumbai created a buzz by winning the Nationals in 1989, ahead of India's forthcoming challenge at the following year's international events, Thyagarajan put things in perspective. "It is naive to assume that there was a cornucopia of talent during the National. What should, however, be evaluated is the form of a few that would serve the Indian team. This should be balanced against the showing of some who have donned the national colours in recent months," he wrote in The Sportstar.

Thyagarajan also understood the pressures sportspersons endure and didn't go after them for their transgressions. In the same article, he made a case for Mumbai's Mark Patterson, the goalkeeper now settled in Australia. "No discussion will be complete if it does not take into account the calibre of a player like Mark Patterson of Bombay. Maybe, he had made certain intemperate remarks. But they must be judged from the background of frustration and disappointment that the youthful player was subjected to on return from Seoul [Olympics 1988]. Why should a goalkeeper of such proven ability be sidelined in a junior competition within a month?"

I had the pleasure of meeting Thyagarajan for the first time during the 1999 India vs Pakistan cricket Test at Chepauk. He walked into the Chidambaram Stadium press box without a fuss, took his seat and complimented a colleague who was also covering the Test, on his report.

Thyagarajan's forte was hockey, but he knew his cricket and edited the Indian Cricket annual from 1980 to 1989.

That death of India's answer to Wisden is a big loss and so is Thyagarajan!

mid-day's Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.