The Carrom Custodian

Carrom, for most, is all about fun and family time, but for Dr Neeraj, General Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Carrom Association, and coach of Indian national team, it is passion

“Carrom, as a game is not just for enjoyment. It helps in developing concentration, involves a lot of strategy, planning and I relate it to management principles, which I use at the national level,” says Dr Neeraj Kumar Sampathy, General Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Carrom Association and coach of Indian national team, which won gold medals in both men’s and women’s singles and doubles event at the World Championship, 2014.

Carrom, for most, is all about fun and family time, but for Dr. Neeraj, who is also Managing Director of Siva Sivani School, Marripalem, it is his passion. “As a child, I used to play Carrom with my family members like everyone else, especially with my mother who encouraged me all the time.” He was born and brought up in Hyderabad and was fascinated by the game at professional level too. He used to observe national and international players and says: watching them play in itself was a very big inspiration. He went into competitions while studying medicine and played for the state, national and international tournaments. It was a successful period as a player and he would win most of the tournaments. “Without family one cannot achieve anything. Practice too is very important. Often, I spend time playing Carrom by myself. And yoga and meditation are best exercises for anyone to reach their goal,” the coach shares his secrets of success.

It is interesting to know that it was he who introduced the game in Andhra University. He was awarded a Doctorate in Carrom by the Pakistan Carrom Federation and he has introduced many young talents as well. His school is also the centre for Visakhapatnam Carrom Association. Even though Dr Neeraj has a busy schedule; he is never short of time to train any number of students. “I’m very passionate about the game and so it is never difficult to manage time for everyone,” he says. During evenings, he spends time with a few who come for practice and he mentors students in his school; it is under his guidance that the national player Hari Priya reached the 4th rank at the national level. Under his mentorship, K Srinivas, the reigning national carrom champion and title winner of International Tourney of 'Champion of Champions,' lifted the men's singles and men's doubles titles at the 4th Carrom World Cup held in Maldives and former world cup winner and two-time world champion Rashmi Kumari bagged the women’s singles title defeating Kavita Somanchi who is also from India, in straight sets.

“Carrom is a scientific game and requires many theories on how to judge an opponent and involves tactful skills to plan things to your advantage. In 30 years of my practice and experience it’s been a fabulous journey doing what I love and keep promoting the game,” he shares.

Carrom is his passion, his hobby and he eagerly spends time researching the game with other people who play tournaments, discovering many theories and shots which many did not know about – he published the same on ‘YouTube’, which are very reliable for rookies in Carrom. He also published two DVD’s - “10 shots and 100 ideas for Dynamic Carrom” as part 1 and “The Corner” as part 2. The DVDs are given to carrom players to guide them. He also published an ebook and an ibook called ‘The Ultimate Carrom Guide’.

Here are some of his tried and tested techniques of Dr Neeraj

Fix your sight on the point of contact instead of so many other factors which are going to divert you.

You need to have a steady peace of mind.

It’s very important to have deft control.

It’s a game which requires tremendous mental strength. It might look very easy for outsiders but when you miss a particular piece you lose.