Memories of Chandra

Nowadays, owing to the catastrophic Covid pandemic engulfing the country, on some mornings when I open the newspaper, I am reminded of the journalism I had done.

That was the case when I came to know former three-time national table tennis champion V Chandrasekhar passed away in Chennai on May 12, at the age of 64 because of Covid-related issues.

His life took a turn towards hell when at the age of 27, a botched knee surgery at the Apollo Hospital led to him losing his speech, mobility and partial vision. Through physiotherapy he fought back, regaining 80 percent of his mobility. But this was followed by a long and exhausting court case against the hospital which he won eventually.

I met him in 1996 at his home in Chennai and spent almost a day with him.

Since I worked for Sportsworld magazine, we had a lot of space to fill with words and photos.

Chandra was intelligent, pleasant, accommodative and spoke with a quiet intensity.

Accompanying me was the ebullient Chennai-based sports photographer George Francis, who sadly passed on April 11, 2019, to cancer. He had been the doyen of motorsports photography.

George and I got along well. He asked me the theme of the story. So, I told him it was a story of being in a sort of prison. Chandra could no longer do so many things. He had lost his freedom.

At Chandra’s home, George and I scratched our heads on how to get an apt photo. It was a typical middle-class flat, with a drawing cum dining room and bedrooms leading off from the main section.

Eventually, George pointed out at the entrance. I was sceptical, even though the door had small bars. George placed a chair just behind the door. He asked Chandra to sit on it and lean forward, his hands on the wooden base.

George stepped outside, switched on two photography lights, resting on triangular bases, which he had brought along. The result is the striking image on the first page.

It was in those days I understood the importance of the collaboration between reporter/writer and photographer. Of how the photos must match the theme of the story. Therefore, the photographer and the journalist should talk about what the story was all about. 

It was also a time when we used typewriters to tap out the stories. So, in our office in Calcutta, the most consistent sound was of keys being hit at high speed as they slammed against the white paper, placed on a roller, and formed words in black letters…. unbelievable for today’s youngsters.