Dronacharya award recipient, athlete coach Lingappa no more
Bengaluru, Jun 18: Veteran athletics coach and Dronacharya awardee N Lingappa, credited with training several star athletes including sprinters Ashwini Nachappa and Vandana Rao, died here Tuesday, family sources said.
He was 95 and died at his residence due to age-related issues.
Lingappa is survived by two sons and three daughters.
His wife, Lakshmamma, predeceased him.
One of his sons, Nagaraj, was a national-level basketball player.
Lingappa was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya award in 2014 in recognition of his work as a coach.
During his illustrious coaching career spanning over six decades, Lingappa has trained athletes, including Nachappa, Rao, D Y Biradar, a former national marathon champion, Udaya Prabhu, Sathish Pillay and P C Ponnappa (400m silver medallist at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1970), among others.
He himself was a 10km walker in his prime and qualified for the event in the Manila Asian Games in 1954, though it was cancelled.
He had also served as an assistant coach of the India athletic squad.
Lingappa won a silver medal in 10 km walk in the first National Games held in Delhi in 1954.
He was a recipient of various state awards, including the Karnataka State Dasara award (1987), Rajyotsava award (1994), Karnataka Olympic Association award for outstanding coach (2002), and Kempegowda award in 2002.
Ashwini Nachappa, who trained under Lingappa during her early years, said his death was a loss to Indian athletics and praised his dedication.
"His death is a loss to Indian athletics. He was a wonderful coach, a complete taskmaster and instilled discipline in his trainees. I am fortunate to have trained under him and am thankful that he was part of my journey," the former Asian Games medalist told PTI.
Well-known Bengaluru-based coach V R Beedu, a close associate of Lingappa, said Indian sport had lost a legend.
"Indian sport has lost a legend. It is a loss to Indian athletics. He was a very dedicated coach and used to come to the Kanteerava stadium each day to train athletes.
"He was an inspiration to young coaches. Enthusiasm was a great trait of his. I learnt a lot from him," Beedu, a Dronacharya awardee who has also trained Nachappa, Reeth Abraham and Angel Mary among others, said.
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Modi targets Congress over 26/11 attacks, warns against INDIA bloc's 'mission cancel'
Ahmednagar/Beed (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted the Congress over a senior leader's remarks on the 26/11 terror attacks and claimed if voted to power, the grand old party will reverse the Supreme Court verdict on Ram temple like it did in the 1985 Shah Bano case.
The BJP's star campaigner asserted the Congress's one point agenda on coming to power is to "cancel" landmark decisions taken by his government like scrapping Article 370, bringing a new citizenship Act, banning the instant triple talaq, and declared June 4, the day when votes polled in the Lok Sabha will be counted, will be the "expiry" date for the opposition INDIA bloc.
Addressing two poll rallies in Maharashtra in support of BJP-Shiv Sena candidates, Modi accused the Congress of playing a dangerous game of appeasement politics on 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Ram temple and religion-based quota.
Speaking in Ahmednagar and Beed districts, the BJP stalwart hit out at the Congress over its Maharashtra leader Vijay Wadettiwar's comments that then-ATS chief Hemant Karkare was not killed by Pakistan terrorist Ajmal Kasab during the 26/11 attacks.
Quoting a senior Congress leader who recently resigned, the PM noted that "shehzada" (referring to Rahul Gandhi) had told a select group of people that if his party was voted to power, it will reverse the 2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ram temple like the Rajiv Gandhi government did in the 1985 Shah Bano case.
Modi asked people to be alert to Congress designs to "snatch" the SCs/ST/s/OBCs quota in jobs and education and give it to Muslims, saying this has been done in Karnataka, where the grand old party is in power.
The BJP stalwart maintained that while he is on a mission to realize the goal of Viksit Bharat (developed India), the INDIA alliance will be on a "mission cancel" if voted to power.
Modi claimed the opposition bloc will bring back Article 370 (which granted special status to J&K), restore instant triple talaq practice, scrap measures like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), free ration for the poor, free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh for 55 crore poor people and pro-farmer steps such as Kisan Samman Nidhi.
"A former Congress leader has revealed that after the 2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ram mandir, 'shehzada' called a meeting and said if the Congress returns to power, it will overturn the Ram mandir ruling," the PM noted.
Speaking in Ahmednagar, Modi said June 4 will be the "expiry date" of the INDIA bloc.
"This grouping will disperse like sand. The Congress-led bloc is indulging in appeasement politics, while BJP-led NDA wants to make everyone happy. BJP-led NDA works for development, national security, welfare of the poor, self-respect of the nation, while the Congress manifesto has the Muslim League's stamp. The party has made false promises of poverty alleviation and betrayed the poor," he emphasised.
Modi pointed out that he has provided four crore homes to the poor, while 50 crore people have been brought in the banking system through the Jan Dhan scheme and 80 crore people are getting free ration.
In Beed, Modi noted the Congress neglected the arid Marathwada region for long, while his government worked on expediting irrigation projects and solving water scarcity issue.
At one point, the PM got emotional and recalled that in the last 10 years, he had lost party colleagues like Gopinath Munde (who hailed from Beed), Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Manohar Parrikar and was feeling their absence now.
Remembering BJP leader Gopinath Munde, who was a member of his first cabinet in 2014, Modi said, "He used to often discuss about development of Marathwada. I took people like Gopinath Munde to Delhi."
The PM warned the Congress wants to replicate the "Karnataka model" of reservation politics, which involves including Muslims in OBC quota, in the entire country.
"Till Modi is alive, no power in the world can take away reservation granted to Dalit, tribals and OBCs," he declared.
Modi said the "real" NCP and "real" Shiv Sena were with the BJP, while the 'nakli' (bogus) Shiv Sena and 'nakli' NCP were with the Congress.
"The Congress can only make 'nakli' promises and 'nakli' videos. Its agenda is that it will not work and not let others work. The Congress will stop the (Mumbai-Ahmedabad) bullet train project if it comes to power. Can we trust such anti-development people?" he asked.
He took a dig at the Congress over its stand on terrorism.
"It seems the Congress is maintaining some relationship with these people (terrorists). The country has not forgotten that terrorists were welcomed in the PM's residence (during Congress rule). A big Congress leader cried when terrorists were killed in Batla House encounter (in Delhi)," Modi noted.
Criticizing RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav over his remarks favouring quota for Muslims, Modi said, 'Another leader of INDI alliance said today morning that reservation that has been given to SCs/STs/ OBCs should be given to Muslims too. This is against Dalit and adivasis."
The state government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in which the BJP and the NCP are also allies, is bringing development projects in Marathwada, the PM said.
Shinde, Union minister Ramdas Athawale, Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, BJP's Beed Lok Sabha candidate Pankaja Munde were present at the rally.
Voting in Ahmednagar, Shirdi and Beed seats will take place on May 13.
