‘Major’ coaching journey ends in Indian squash

In Malaysia, Major changed the status of squash by coaching them to a powerful presence in world rankings; he was at the helm of Malaysian coaching system when world class players such as Ong Beng Hee and Nicol David shot into prominence by the turn of the century. That was when Indian squash federation boss, N Ramachandran decided to hire him to give shape to his project, the Indian Squash Academy at the Nehru Park at Chetpet. 

Endowed with an in-born confidence to face challenges that army life had taught him, Maniam virtually triggered a revolution in the sport in the country with several highs to cherish and several memorable moments to recount as Squash Racket Federation of India’s (SRFI) Consultant Coach for 14 years, the longest serving foreign coach for any sport in India. He will take over as Director of the Squash Rackets Association of Malaysia. 

Major has had a memorable journey in India so far. “Coaching Indian children was something special. Perhaps it had to do with the Indian culture of guru-sishya tradition, the young boys and girls gave me lot of respect. They were hungry for knowledge. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge and experience with the coaches also. I established a rapport that enabled me to impart efficiently and effectively,” says Maniam. And Major was also the coaches’ coach in India. 

“It was my desire to have good quality and competent coaches throughout India. When I came here just a handful of coaches were there but I am happy the country now has a panel of coaches who have gone through various coaching courses and are oriented towards structured coaching programmes,” he said. The national coach now at ISA, Cyrus Poncha, has the best compliments for his ‘guru’. “I owe a lot to Major for what I am today. He was the one who shaped my coaching career.I had attended a course by Major in Kuala Lumpur in 1999 and that launched my coaching career,” recalled Poncha. 

“He is an exceptional coach and individual. I will miss him for sure,” “It is my desire to visit the Academy every year to see for myself how big the ‘tree’ has grown. I have told Rami (Ramachandran) himself about this,” he said with a smile.