He proved how good he was, When he was just twelve then. Great reflex and a sharp focus Were gifted to him, so he won. It was that time when there wasn't A television coverage for any sport here. The tickets to the matches he played weren't Available, which may surprise any here. So good was his game And his climbing up to fame Was so obvious before Fate played, shaking his core. A minor knee surgery went so wrong That he had a permanent damage. Losing his vision, he was long Confined to the hospital cage. The table which he wished to focus For many years, disappeared then. The table he hated to be on was Holding him for ages. He felt thin. With the help of some generous hearts, He was treated abroad and recovered A fair bit, but it was way too hard To pursue his passion, he discovered. A dream shattered, he sued The hospital that did the surgery. He didn't give up but continued Braving years and tears as sundry. The verdict came in his favor, He got some money, which wasn't Given as the hospital hammered An appeal. But budge he wouldn't. A settlement was agreed years later. He was still continuing his treatment. Counting money in a bank as a cashier, He managed, withstanding comments. He regained three-fourths of his vision, But can't see beyond a few feet. The career that he once envisioned Was not to be. But he remains up beat. He started a table-tennis academy to Coach young boys and girls. He's busy Nurturing young talents, renewed. Many others would have given up easy. "There are times I stumble on the footpath, And people have thought that I was drunk. That's when It hurts. Its not my fault! Being lesser than a normal human brings The most pain, but I chose not to Be lost in self pity, neither did I forego. All this fight wouldn't have happened Had human spirit prevailed over ego!", He says and carries on as if Nothing happened to him. This Arjuna awardee will lift Others to get what deserved him. p.s. This is about Chandrasekhar Venugopal, one of the former table-tennis greats. You can read more about him by clicking Venugopal Chandrasekhar - Wikipedia, which is one of the sources to this post.
@rgsrinivasan you have indeed clean bowled who try to hit with this super long poem after due research. Hip hip hooray! Thank you.
Thanks Thyagarajan Sir, for your like and appreciation. There was a TV serial that was telecast long ago where he talked a bit about himself and others talked a lot about him. He is a distant relative to me as well, though we never met once. I have a huge respect for him. -rgs
It was a terrible mistake that happened during the surgery, yes, Lakshmi KM Bhat. Thanks for your feedback. -rgs