R Mahesh: Setting sail on eternal seas

What can be more tragic for a sportsperson than being consumed forever in the arena that brought him national and international laurels As a sailor R Mahesh constructed an impressive curriculum vitae In his sailing career there were downs too but this time in the waters of Maldives tragically there was no resurfacingThere was an enduring air of supreme confidence in Mahesh A bystander observing his body language would term it condescension or bumptiousness But those who know him well will insist it is his belief in his own skill that perhaps lent that impressionldquoMahesh portrayed himself as casual and happygolucky but as a sailor he was very focused and dedicated He never had any ego about his performancerdquo says former national coach Homi Motivala a rare sportsperson who has won both the Dronacharya coach and Arjuna athlete awardsA more recent photograph of Mahesh right with longtime friend and sailing rival Nitin MongiaMahesh has sailed the singlehander Lasers twoman Enterprise and Star class of boats as well as four and fivemanned bigger boats used for matchracing Not only has he crewed for others but Mahesh has also helmed the boats Both with distinctionHe had an infectious smile and a peculiar way of starting a conversation Mahesh would softly chortle then giggle a bit at some selfimagined joke Muscles on his husky shoulders would have relaxed The eyes would warmly flutter from behind the fancy glares The mouth would acknowledge it with a wide spread When Mahesh spoke his entire body communicatedldquoMahesh was an extremely jovial person he was my 2 am friendrdquo says Aashim Mongia his skipper in the Enterprise class boatUnlike most of the sailors who went on to make a name for themselves Mahesh an aviator with the Indian Navy did not come up from the junior ranks after sailing Cadet and OK Dinghy class of boats ldquoHe was a late bloomer had no background in sailing Mahesh picked up the sport in the naval environment and then found a liking for it The Laser class was his first boatrdquo says the muchdecorated Farokh Tarapore who was Maheshrsquos personal coach for a few years and has also raced against himMotivala first heard about Mahesh before meeting him ldquoI was secondincommand of sailing training vessel lsquoVarunarsquo and had to take along sailors in batches of 15 for the trip to Sydney and back in 198788 After the first leg everyone was pleading on Maheshrsquos behalf to include him in the crew He was an extremely popular personrdquo he recallsAs a pilot Mahesh was constantly moved around professionally He finally got posted at the Naval Sailing Club in Mumbai around the time Motivala took over its reins That helped him focus and enhance his skill setldquoMahesh was raw talent and skill it got honed with continuous sailingrdquo says TaraporeAashim compares Mahesh to Virat Kohli ldquoLike the cricketer Mahesh was talented then he put in a lot of hard work and that made him a supremely confident sailorrdquo he saysAashimrsquos younger brother Nitin had a twopronged relationship with Mahesh ldquoFor some years we were sailing the same class of boat mdash the Laser We raced against each other and had intense battles on the water We managed to beat each other a couple of times I have known him since 1990 and we have been inseparable since thenrdquo says NitinThe brotherhood brings out a different view of Mahesh who quit the Navy around 2010 to find his feet in the civil world ldquoHe was laid back and lazy but when he had to perform Mahesh was a different person and extremely competitive Not only have we sailed against each other but together too as I have crewed for himrdquo says NitinSailors rig up singlehanders like the Laser boat to be in full control and to enjoy the full glory solo Maheshrsquos move to the twohander Enterprise was an instantaneous decision something sailors are prone to do while competingldquoBoth of us had fared badly at the 1998 Asian Games He finished fifth or sixth in the Laser and I fourth in the Enterprise On the return flight we were seated next to each other and feeling miserable We were discussing our efforts and Mahesh just turned around and said he would crew for me especially as my regular crew Pushpendra Garg was set to quit sailingrdquo says AashimWhat followed were the best years of their lives A debacle brought them together and spurred Aashim and Mahesh ldquoWe went back to sailing as soon as we landed Plus we were working on our physical strengths Running gymming and sailinghellip we did it all together It was a meeting of mindsrdquo says Aashim adding that even now ldquohe was built like an oxrdquoWhat he learnt Mahesh imparted too ldquoHe practically trained Rajesh Choudhary international medallist in Laser classrdquo said Aashim ldquoHe brought a goodpositive attitude to the sport Mahesh was helpful to everyone and genuinely a wonderful personrdquo adds MotivalaWith Mahesh around everyone knew that a joke was around the corner ldquoHe helped changed the mood because of the way he wasrdquo says MotivalaMahesh is still probably doing just that in a parallel worldWhat happenedOn March 19 a speedboat carrying seven people mdash five of them Indian mdash capsized close to Felidhoo island in the Maldives The incident made headlines on the discovery that one of the passengers was Gautam Singhania managing director of the Raymond Group The speedboat was being used to ferry passengers to his yacht TT Ashena While Singhania and the other passengers were rescued Commander Mahesh Ramachandran mdash a celebrated sailor and captain of Singhaniarsquos luxury yacht mdash remains missing a month onAchievements1999 World Championship Silver medal Enterprise class boat with A Mongia helm2000 World Championship Bronze medal Enterprise class with A Mongia helm2001 Asian Regatta Gold Enterprise class with A Mongia helm2002 Busan Asian Games Bronze Enterprise class with A Mongia helm2005 Asian championships Gold Match Racing Mahesh helm with S Chauhan GL Yadav and N Mongia crew2006 Asian championship Gold Mahesh helm with N Mongia GLYadav and S Chauhan crew2006 Doha Asian Games Silver Match racing Mahesh helm with S Chauhan GL Yadav and N Mongia2010 Asian Championships Silver Match racing Mahesh helm N Mongia