[Article] The Silent Backers : Srinath Family

[Deepak Shenoy]

The Silent Backers (Javagal Srinath's Family) :

Most parents nowadays liek to wallow in the lime light
of their ward's exploits. J.K. Chandrashekar, Srinath's father
is an exception. He shows no outward excitement to Srinath's
blossomming as a fast bowler of merit against the WI in Bombay.
"I was delighted as a parent ought to be". he says, humbly.
"Like all the other cricket fans I was also proud of Srinath".

Chandrasekhar, 61, who has represented Mysore in the
national volleyball championship in the fifties, was ofcourse
glued to the TV when Srinath, 25, produced that match-winning
effort. "Srinath spoke to me two days later, as he does twice
a week whenever he is not in Mysore, and he never showed any
trace of excitement. For, he knows that a lot of reponsibility
rests on his shoulders to bring more laurels to India Cricket.

That quality seems to have been ingrained in Srinath
at a young age. "He has been a promising cricket, right from
his childhood and he played no other game except Cricket",
says Chandrashekar. "He used to play for the Mysore Gymkhana
and they encouraged him a lot. Later, the Karnataka Cricket
Association recognised his potential and helped him along.

Hailing from a middle class family, Chandrashekar
and his wife Bhagyalakshmi, are contented couple. They live
in a small rented house in Rama Vilas Road, Mysore. "It is
not all the riches in the world that makes on happy", says
Chandrashekar. "It is the attitude of the mind. We are happy
that our sons and daughters are deeply attached to us".

He points out that Javagal Srinivas, Srinath's elder
brother, was also a good cricketer. But he concentrated
more on his studies and found employment as a software
engineer in the USA. One of Srinath's sisters, a post-grad
in nutrition, has also settled in USA with her engineer
husband. The other sister, a graduate, is married to an
engineer and lives in Bangalore.

Chandrashekar is proud that all his children are
products of Marimallappa High School in Mysore and graduates
of the Mysore University. Srinath has completed his engg.
course from the Sri Jayachamarajendra College. But he has
yet to sit for three exams because of his hectic cricketing
schedule.

Excerpts from the magazine "The Week"

Regards
P Deepak Shenoy
Vice-President Javagal Srinath Fan Club
[To register in the Javagal Srinath Fan Club, please send
requests to sfan...@m-net.arbornet.org ]