By P.T. Bopanna 
C.V. Shankar, veteran sports coach of Kodagu district, popularly known as ‘Shankar Swamy’, passed away at Madikeri in Coorg, on Thursday.
Shankar, aged 85 (in picture above with cricketer Robin Uthappa), had coached many international and national sportspersons, both in hockey and cricket, in his illustrious career spanning several decades.
Hailing from the CVS family at Madikeri, involved in running an engineering firm, Shankar started his coaching stint in 1956 at the famous Mann’s Compound at Madikeri, then known as Mercara.
He was once quoted as saying that since there was no standardised way of coaching in hockey, he devised his own methods to coach the students in while he learnt cricket from books.
Recalling his coaching days, Mr. Shankar said the boys and girls who he coached were disciplined and talented to learn the nuances of hockey and cricket quickly.
Abin Thimmaiah, a resident of Bengaluru, said that Shankar Swamy was his mentor in cricket, the game the former excelled in his college.
Ulliyada Poovaiah, Editor of Brahmagiri Kodava weekly, recalled that Shankar Swamy had contributed articles to his paper for several years on Ramayana and Mahabharatha.
Shankar used to write a sports column in Coffeeland News, an English weekly, published from Coorg.
The last rites of the veteran coach, will be performed at Madikeri on Friday.
May his soul rest in peace.. people like Mr. Shankar are very rare.