Ranjan: Jack of many traits and Master of Carrom

Ranjan with some of his close associates, carrom partners and students including Nishantha Fernando (World Carrom Champion 2012) of Dominic Savio Club and YMCA Moratuwa 

By Bernard Fernando

Recently, I had the honour of being invited to a simple function to mark Ranjan Fernando’s 50 years in the game of carrom. It was a gathering of his former carrom partners and students who had reached national level. 

Ranjan Fernando

Though I am not a carrom player, I was a beneficiary of his free coaching of table tennis at the Moratuwa YMCA in the late 1960s. Coupled with my long-term association with Ranjan as a great sportsman from Moratuwa, I wish to share with the readers a few of his milestones in sports that came to light at the function.

Being educated at Moratuwa Vidyalaya, Ranjan represented his School First 11 in cricket (opening batsman) and soccer. The foundation to his prodigious career in carrom was laid in 1961 at Lakshapathiya Boys’ Club in Moratuwa where ‘Aunty Millie’ was his first coach and mentor. 

In 1963, he joined Dominic Savio Club at Kadalana and the YMCA Moratuwa which later became a household name for producing national level carrom, basketball and table tennis players. The YMCA provided a fertile ground for Ranjan to develop and exhibit his all-round sports capabilities. 

As a result, in the early 1970s Ranjan, teamed up with veteran players like Ranjan Rodrigo, Lalith Weerasuriya and BNR Mendis representing YMCA Moratuwa, emerged Champions in the All-Island ‘B’ Division Mercantile Table Tennis Championships. 

Similarly, in 1977, he joined Dr. Mohanlal Fernando and Anacletus Fernando to emerge as runners-up. With his acquired prowess in table tennis, Ranjan was instrumental in producing two national women champions in Preeth Swaris and Shyamalie Dias from YMCA Moratuwa.

Another trait I discovered in Ranjan is his ability to entertain his friends with an array of songs tempered with ‘Waada Baila’!

However, as the title of this write-up implies, Ranjan truly deserves the title ‘Master of Carrom’ in Sri Lanka going by his following achievements and milestones. 

• 1969 – All-Island Novices Champion and became Runner-Up in his first attempt at the National Carrom Championships
• 1972 – National Champion. Also, during the first Test series with India, fought against Indian National Coach Arun Deshpande in the third Test at Moratuwa and beat All-India number two Jageshwar Sahu in the fourth Test at Kandy
• 1977 – National Champion
• 1979 – National Champion
• 1971-1979 – Triple Crown winner in many ranked tournaments in Sri Lanka
• 1988 – Vice President of the Carrom Federation of Sri Lanka
• 1992-1994 – Vice President of National Selection Committee
• 1996 – National Carrom Coach
• 1998 – As National Carrom Coach, organised and conducted the first-ever Carrom Tournament for schools in collaboration with the National Schools Carrom Association
• 1999/2000 – Authored and launched the first-ever book on carrom in Sri Lanka titled ‘Carrom Thakshanaya’
• 2000 onwards – Coached Colombo and Moratuwa Universities, Air Lanka and Sri Lanka Army
• Currently coaching at Sri Lanka Air Force, St. Peter’s College Colombo and Our Lady of Victories Convent – Moratuwa

Records  

• Two consecutive slams (Pocketing all dogs in the first attempt without giving an opportunity to the opponent) in one game
• Two slams (within five shots) in one game – three times
• Finishing a game within four minutes
• Seven slams in one tournament
• Four slams in 1972 at All India Carrom Championships in New Delhi – Allahabad
• Executed and trained a student at Sri Lanka Air Force to perform an exhibition shot of pocketing four dogs to the four pockets in one single shot in May. To Ranjan’s knowledge, it has not been performed by anyone in the world so far 
  
   

Using his wide and researched knowledge of the game Ranjan has conducted several seminars for school teachers, physical training instructors and sports officials island-wide.

As an experienced coach Ranjan has produced a number of world-class players and champions like Clarista Peter (Nee Fernando), Langley and Bradley Mathiasz, Viraj Fernando (National Champions) and Nishantha Fernando (World Champion 2012) all from YMCA Moratuwa whom he groomed from their basic skills to garnering finer points of the game.

With his humble beginnings, Ranjan continues his game as a champion player and a disciplined and experienced coach.

I wish my good friend Ranjan and his family good health, prosperity and happiness.