BANGALORE : Former chief minister S Bangarappa who breathed his last on Monday, was an ardent sports lover and initiated many schemes for the benefit of sportspersons in the state. He was very much interested in yoga and badminton and never a day passed when he did not do his exercises or be at a badminton court, the KGS Club or the Karnataka Badminton Association hall. Bangarappa either partnered the legendary Prakash Padukone when he played a doubles game or else slugged it out from the opposite court with Prakash on one side.“Yes, it is a great loss for sports in the state and the country. Bangarappa was very keen on yoga and an ardent follower of badminton, a game he loved very much. He always kept in touch with happenings in the game and would discuss issues concerning its betterment in the state,” Prakash told Express.“He was the first chief minister to institute the Ekalavya Award for Sporting Excellence. He always felt that achievements of sportspersons must be recognised and rewarded,” Prakash said.“It was he who forced me to become the chairman of the Karnataka State Sports Council in 1992-93 and said that it is always good for sports if eminent sportspersons can get into sports administration. What is being talked about today was practised by Bangarappa long back,” Prakash added.“When I was the Chairman, the budget for the council was a mere `14 to 16 lakh. I spoke to him about it and said it was impossible to do anything with that kind of budget. He immediately asked for a report and enhanced the budget to `1 crore in the state budget,” Prakash revealed.“He said that every one of the 175 taluks must have a coach to support children and initiated many schemes and even sanctioned the appointment of many coaches,” Prakash elucidated.“Often he would say that he was most peaceful when he was on the badminton courts. People came to the KBA to watch him and if he scored a point, the former CM would turn around and see if that was being applauded,” he said.
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