I was my dad’s best & worst student: Sourav Kothari

Fathers are often a child’s first heroes. For World Billiards champion Sourav Kothari, his father Manoj Kothari – a former World Champion himself – was also his coach, his fiercest critic and his greatest source of love.

In the run-up to Father’s Day (June 21), Sourav looks back at the man who shaped his game and his life, sharing memories of loss, resilience and the lessons that continue to guide him long after his father’s passing.More than a father, a lifelong guruIn 1990, six-year-old Sourav watched his father lift the World Billiards title — and decided, then and there, to follow him onto the table. Manoj became his coach, critic, mentor and guide.

“I was his dream, ambition — actually, his lifelong project,” Sourav says. His father never demanded victories, only honesty and hard work. Decades later, Sourav still trains daily from 2 to 6 pm, a promise kept to the man who modelled the same discipline all his life.

My father never judged me by victories or defeats: SouravA legacy that lives onManoj’s reputation stretched well beyond India – he coached players from Iran, Myanmar, Singapore and Sri Lanka, and was affectionately known in Iran as ‘Murabbi’, the most respected guru.

Thirty-five years after his father’s 1990 win, Sourav lifted the World Billiards trophy in Ireland, completing a rare father-son circle in world sport. “The greatest inheritance papa left for me was love, unwavering belief and the values that continue to guide me every day,” he says.

Learning to cope with failureBy 2012, one of India’s most gifted cueists was unravelling. After a painful pre-quarterfinal loss at the National Championship, Sourav broke down at Chennai airport and missed his flight home.

When he told his father he wanted to quit, he asked, “Who has given you the right to make this decision? I want to see you at the practice table tomorrow at 10 o’clock.” He says, “Looking back, I realise my dad held on to my last shred of hope when I had given up.

” Sourav showed up, and the years that followed brought a World Championship bronze, a National title, the Asian crown and Arjuna Award.Pizza, memories & Father’s DayFather’s Day was never formally celebrated at home, but whenever Sourav was around, he took his father out for pizza and chaat.

“Papa loved food, especially cheesy pizzas. He’d become a child when the pizza arrived,” Sourav says. Since his dad’s passing, Sourav says he has barely been able to eat a slice of pizza without thinking of his dad.

Feeling Dad’s presenceSourav’s dad passed away on January 5. Shattered, he could not imagine returning – until a call from the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India urged him to play the National Championship, saying his father wouldn’t have wanted him to sit out.

Sourav competed despite months away from the table and won. “I believe he was guiding me. I felt like he was watching over me,” he says.The only thing that disappointed him was if I didn’t complete my training schedules. So, even now despite being the World Billboard champion, I practice 365 days, 2-6pm, just like I promised dad : Sourav

‘His lessons mean more than a trophy’Manoj’s lessons went beyond billiards. “Kindness, humility, empathy and respect are non-negotiable in our home,” Sourav says. Yet Manoj’s perfectionism never eased. Last year, when Sourav won the IBS World Billiards Championship (top right) – the same title his father claimed in 1990 (top left) – Manoj’s first words were a complaint about a single shot, not congratulations. “I had just become a world champion, and yet that one shot was all he could think about!” Sourav recalls.Pix: Anindya Saha