By P.T. Bopanna
Dr C.M. Muthaiah, one of India’s leading sports administrators and five time national decathlon champion, passed away in Bengaluru on December 5.
Codanda Madappa Muthaiah, 87, (in picture) who was the technical director of 1982 Asian Games, was conferred the Asiad Vishist Jyothi for his contribution to the Asian Games and was also conferred the Karnataka Rajyothsava award in 2013.
Dr Muthaiah was instrumental in bringing the SAI south centre to Bengaluru.
One of his biggest regret was his narrowly missing the decathlon medal in the Tokyo Asian Games in 1958.
Born in Madikeri in Kodagu (Coorg) district, he graduated from Central College, Bengaluru. He was the national decathlon champion during 1956-60.
Muthaiah secured first rank in M.Sc., Biomechanics from Germany and also did his doctorate. He went on to become a senior first grade coach at the sports training centre at Patiala in 1962. He also served as the Secretary General of Asian Track and Field Research Centre.
After retirement, he has been living at Jayamahal Extension in Bengaluru. He is survived by wife Parvathi and daughter.
Indeed, a loss for the Indian sports that can never be compensated. I still cherish of having seen him in action at Sree Kanteerava Stadium when the Nationals were hosted here in 1956. He readily, with an cheerful smile obliged me for his autograph. So sad that I have lost that autograph album.
His contribution in reinforcing the Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur sports complex, later rechristened as NIS needs to be rewritten in golden words. CM along with Milkha Singh, Balkar Singh, Parduman Singh and Dinshaw Irani happened to be the torch-bearers of Indian athletics during the late ’50s.
He was also among the pioneers (particularly being an active and champ athlete) in the setting up Sports Medicine as a specialised discipline in India.
I was told that over the past couple of years, he had been keeping unwell as such his interaction in public was at a low profile.
I trust that his last moments were without any pain.
May his soul rest in peace and so too his name and fame eternal not only in the annals of Indian sports but in all spheres since such was his majestic personality, both on and off the track and field …
A touching tribute
I recollect my younger days as an athlete when I had several interactions with Dr CMM.
Those days, six decades ago, I was a regular on the cinder tracks of Kanteerava Stadium and had the opportunity to practice along with Sprint legends like Kenneth Powell,
AP Ramaswamy, Nicky Ferro of Bombay and Rajasekaran of Madras.
Dr CMM, Chikkapapaiah and Lingappa were our main motivators. Besides us, the female athletes like Deana Syme, Dhurdana Gill and Sheila Paul also were the beneficiaries of
Dr CMM’s coaching.
In all, those Golden days of the then Mysore State can never be replicated.
Those nostalgic memories shall remain etched in my mind till my end.
In passing, I like to mention that even today I have preserved as a souvenir the
wooden starter block given to me by Rajasekaran of Madras, who went on to win
Gold in 100 mtrs sprint in KL Asian Games.
Dr CMM should have been awarded all the highest Sports awards of the Govt.of India,
since he deserved every on of them.
Sixty years ago as an young athlete, I drew inspiration from him as he was a legend in
all the ten events that make decathlon.
I can never forget his handsome features and my interaction with him forever.
Great sportsman at Central College and a very pleasant friend. In 1955, he stood down in the annual athletics competition and I won the individual championship. We went to the National Games in Calcutta and Cuttack. He represented Mysore State in athletics and I in Kabaddi. He was a class by himself, stylish, dedicated, and a true champion sportsman. God bless his soul.