A smash from his racket ends all hopes of his opponents. “Jagannath you did
it again,” says his partner as he rushes to shake his hand at their local
sporting joint, while the winner tries to brush it off smilingly.
Meet N Jagannath, CEO of Chennai-based Fourth Dimension Technologies and an
ardent player of badminton. Be it a holiday or a weekend, chances are high that
you will find him on the badminton court of the Alumni Club of Anna University.
Jagannath has been playing the game for 12 years now. There was a time when
he would get so engrossed in the game that he would often reach his office
during lunchtime. This called for management on his end, and thus he has now set
aside weekends and holidays to indulge in the game unabashedly.
And the effect that this sport has had on him is evident by the look of his
fit and healthy body. “I am 46 years old but am as fit as I was at a young age,”
he proudly claimed.
He enjoys the game as a sport and not a competition. “We do have some
internal tournaments between clubs. But that is just for fun.” He believes that
once you have a proper tournament, the game gets serious and competitive. This
is something he likes to avoid since he plays the game with the aim to refresh
himself from the stress of running a business.
So when did he get engrossed in this game? “It was when I stopped playing
other games,” laughed Jagannath. “I used to play hockey and basketball while I
was in college. I must mention here that I was the captain of my college hockey
team at IIM Kolkata. But don't ask me the number of trophies we won,” he said,
all the while laughing non-stop.
Jagannath then swapped playing hockey with shuttle. “Once I felt that I was
aging, I switched to shuttle, as it required less running around. You know, my
daughter too is a basketball player like me, but the difference is that she
wins,” joked Jagannath.
This sportsman's passion doesn't stop with playing games. “I watch different
sports whenever I get the time, and read a variety of books. But my dream is to
play with my favorite player-Prakash Padukone. I am sure I will win the match
because he has grown old and I am growing younger,” he smirked.
Ask him if he plays to keep away from his business, and suddenly, the
businessman inside jumps out and gets serious. “When I am here with my racket, I
keep away from business, and vice versa.”
NR Sethuraman
sethuramannr@cybermedia.co.in