Arjuna award winner and former Indian volleyball captain, K. Udayakumar, who passed away here on Friday, is certain to be remembered for his remarkable all-round skills.
He was, for sure, one of a kind, who motivated his colleagues to put their best foot forward.
His outwardly genial approach often disguised the fire in his belly to excel, both in attack and in defence.
Given his height, he was a fine spiker who used his brain instead of brawn to conquer rival defences at the net, but it was his mastery in defence that proved vital to India’s bronze medal win at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul.
Paired with Sandeep Singh, Udayakumar was the fulcrum of the Indian defence right through that tournament, blocking rival attacks with ease and setting his side on the path to the semfinals, and then later in the third-place play-off against Japan.
The duo’s performance was in fact what also helped skipper Cyril C. Valloor and Jimmy George to unleash their power at the net, and Abdul Basith from midcourt. That was India’s finest hour in international volleyball.
Hailing from Mararikulam, a rather remote village in Alappuzha district, Udayakumar had picked up his skills from St. Michael’s College, Cherthala, after joining the institution as a pre-degree student.
It did not take him much time to gain the attention of the State junior team selectors before being picked into the Indian junior team for the 1980 Asian junior championships in Seoul along with State team-mate P.S. Abdul Razak.
The following year, the duo represented the country in the World youth championships in Colorado Springs, USA, and were soon promoted to the senior ranks as India hosted the IX Asian Games at New Delhi in 1982.
In the course of his career, Udayakumar also played in three Asian senior championships: 1983 (Tokyo), 1987 (Kuwait) and 1980 (Seoul), and in an equal number of South Asian Federation Games.
In 1989, he captained the team to a silver medal at the SAF Games.
At the club level, Udayakumar had brief stints with the Kerala State Electricity Board, Titanium and Railways before joining Kerala Police in 1986. In between, he also played for a club in Qatar as a professional.
Always approachable, the ever-smiling Udayakumar was a true friend to all those who had the opportunity to get to know him closely.
But inwardly, at least of late, he was not a happy person, with the way in which the game was administered in Kerala.
When pressed on several occasions, he used to shy away from saying anything. “I will definitely speak out when the time is ripe,” he used to say.
Alas, now we will never hear from him.
