Packing the right punches

Sundara Ganesh, an engineer-cum-boxing instructor aims to make a telling difference in the fitness and discipline of the citizens of Chennai

By Anish Pathiyil

Chennai

Sundara Ganesh provides free training to youngsters at the Chennai Lighthouse every morning

Free flowing conversations between the elders living around the Royapuram area of Chennai often segue into one of the most indispensable parts of their history - their boxing. Profound discussions take place about the boxing stars of yesteryear and the parambarais they represented - mainly the Sarpatta parambarai, Idiyappa Naicker parambarai and the Ellappa Chettiar parambarai. One of the discussed encounters from the time is the bout between ‘Tiger’ Nat Terry, an Anglo-Indian boxer from Periamet and Sundar Raj, a fisherman, who was the flagbearer of the Sarpatta clan.

Sundar Raj ruled the boxing rings of Madras from the 1950s to the 1970s. But Nat Terry was a different animal. Though Terry was at the twilight of his career, he was a heavyweight boxer unlike his opponent who was lightweight. Terry struck fear in the hearts of the locals ever since his fight with Arunachalam, one of the legends of the Sarpatta clan, ended with the latter’s death. Sundar Raj braved all odds and defeated Terry in front of thousands of fans that had thronged ringside. The victory etched Sundar Raj’s name into the folklore of Madras boxing.

Boxer Bakthavatchalam from the Idiyappa Parambarai, while speaking to a local youtube channel said, “I once fought him (Sundar Raj) for the championship belt and defeated him. After the bout, I fell at his feet and sought his blessings. He is the greatest boxer we have ever seen.”

Sundar Raj’s name and legacy are being carried on by his son Tamil Selvan and grandson Sundara Ganesh. The Sundar Raj Boxing Club (SRBC) was established in the 90s by Tamil Selvan. Ganesh has been supporting his father in this pursuit since 2014 and the two-together provide boxing lessons to the people of the region, with Tamil Selvan now concentrating on training kids and young adults.

Despite boxing running in his veins, it wasn’t a straightforward career option for Sundara Ganesh. “As a child I used to think that boxing was a very hard and violent sport so even though my dad was a boxer, I wasn’t very keen on it,” he said. His mom, Suguna, was also of the similar view, as she had seen the exploits of his dad’s boxing career from the closest vantage point. Tamil Selvan, hence, did not force his son into the boxing profession. Ganesh participated in many boxing competitions in the state during his schooling and even bagged a few medals, but chose not to take up boxing as a career option.

He took the engineering route after his schooling, enrolling in the Computer Science Engineering course in Bharathiar University, Tambaram. After completion of the course he enrolled in a Sound Engineering programme. He had a deep interest in music right from the beginning. He has even completed multiple courses in keyboard from Trinity College, London. Legendary Tamil music director Illayaraja was his role-model in following the path of music. But the field wasn’t kind to him. “You need a lot of links to be a successful sound engineer,” he said. “People spend almost 20 to 40 lakhs on setting up studios, which people like me cannot afford,” he explained. He now works in a HR consultancy called DiamondPick in MRC Nagar, along with the day-to-day running of the boxing club.

Tamil Selvan too, had quite a successful boxing career like his legendary father. He trained under Sundar Raj’s coach, Selvaraj, and went on to fight for the Railways. “My dad got a job with the Railways even before he turned eighteen. He beat three people on a single day to get the job,” Ganesh proudly said. Tamil Selvan established the boxing club with the aim of inculcating some boxing interest in the fishermen community. Over the last two-and-a-half decades, he has managed to train and mentor many boxers who have won multiple competitions, some even performing well in the nationals. The boxing training ensured that many fishermen would get alternate careers, many getting jobs with the railways and the customs, on the back of their boxing performances.

Sundara Ganesh said, “The stories I heard about my grandfather from my dad, and my dad’s vision and dream to promote boxing led me to join my father in running the club.” He also credits his maternal uncle Sampath Kumar for motivating him and opening his eyes towards the sport after a break due to the toils of the engineering course. “We are very proud that he (Sundara Ganesh) is training the next generation in boxing and hope he takes fitness and sports to higher levels in the future,” said Tamil Selvan. Ganesh also credits his wife Gayathri for the support she provides, adjusting to the extremely low amount of family time he gets after all his endeavours.

Ganesh trains more than 25 people every morning around the clam and breezy setting of the beach. “The early morning beach ambience provides the perfect setting to workout,” he said. The club also trains those interested in boxing as a weight-loss mechanism and not necessarily as a sport. “Most people come here to stay fit, some come here to make a career out of boxing, but there are also a few who train to mend nervous issues,” he added. Boxing helps a lot in personality development, building confidence and even in boosting one’s sexual desires due to the increase in testosterone,” explained Naveen, a member of the club.

“Nowadays many people are setting up classes to do business. My intention has always been to take classes for free. I will only accept money from those who can pay,” he said. Ganesh says that they have petitioned the government multiple times to provide them with a piece of land to enhance their service in providing boxing training. Ganesh hopes that more people understand the importance of fitness and training and jump into the fitness bandwagon before it's too late and they are forced to throw in the towel.