Legendary Ball Badminton player Jammalamadaka Pichaiah passes away in Warangal

Jammalamadaka Pichaiah, the first Arjuna Award winner in the sport of Ball Badminton who celebrated his 104th birthday on the 21st of this month passed away this afternoon. Pichaiah, a native of Desaipet in Warangal district, gradually excelled in ball badminton and rose to the national level, bringi the name to the country with his game. He received the first Arjuna Award in this sport and stood as an inspiration to the next generations.

He was born on December 21, 1918 in the village of Kuchipudi in Krishna district to Punnayya and Nagamma, the third of seven children born to a couple. His father settled in Machilipatnam and completed SSLC at the port. However, after failing 10th class, he could not stay at home and used to play ball badminton at the Minerva Club and Mohan Club in the port town and excelled in the district and state-level competitions. He has mastered the game by practicing as a soloist without training. Managers of some private clubs who saw his style of play encouraged him to play for those clubs. In 1935-36 he won the state-level competition at Narsaraopet. He left the game for a few years to get a job after getting married.

Although he was selected for the national competitions in the 1950s, he was unable to participate due to financial difficulties. He participated in the national competitions in Hyderabad in 1954-55 and played a key role in the team's success. He later led the team to national competitions in 1956 and 1957 in Pondicherry, Madras, and was also elected captain of the team at the time. Pichaiah captained the team to 15 national competitions in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and other states and won 9 championships.

In 1945, he got a lucrative job at the Azam Jahi workers union in Warangal with a salary of Rs.50 per month. In 1970, the Government of India announced the Arjuna Award for Pichaiah for his achievements in ball badminton. However, he did not receive the award that year due to the war with Pakistan in 1971. However, he received the award in 1972 in Delhi from the then President of India VV Giri.

Pichaiah is survived by daughters Sushila and Janakidevi while wife Satyavathi died in 2007. He spends time in spiritual contemplation. Pichaiah who is still excited to do his work himself has recently fallen and died at his nephew's house this afternoon.