Durairaju's 'glory road' has just begun

After about nine years and a series of fortunate events, Durairaju, the basketball referee, stood staring at the backboard shot-clock in International Sports Arena.

It all started in the summer of 2000 as a bonding ritual between friends in Tanjavur, and went on to take up most of Durairaju’s time between 2001 and 2009, but seldom did he or his friends expect him to be called by the Basketball Federation of India to officiate in the men’s basketball event at the Asian Games.

The 34-year-old from Tamil Nadu officiated the men’s quarterfinal between Iran and Jordan at Guangzhou but the moment that would put him in the league of SK Subramanyam, was yet to come. Subramanyam was the first Indian to officiate the final of an Asian Games basketball event way back in the 1982 Delhi Games.

Upon returning to his hotel at around 2.00 am on November 25, Durairaju met Puducherry’s Prakash Bhagyaraj, who had been called on to referee the women’s event, and mentor Naresh Aneja of Delhi. The two had a surprise in store for the unassuming referee: the Indus Valley School, Bangalore PED had been chosen to officiate the women’s final at the Asiad in China.

“I still cannot explain that feeling,” said Durairaju. “I was so taken aback that I could not say anything for a while. It’s hard to imagine for someone, who took to the sport as recently as I did to officiate the final of such a prestigious event. We sat up and spoke for a bit, and after they left, I tried to sleep but I couldn’t. I managed to get some sleep at six in the morning but I had to wake up by eight and leave for the stadium.”

Hosts China scored a hard-fought 70-64 win over South Korea in the final where Aneja was the Commissioner of the final, and Durairaju was accompanied by referees Elena Chernova of Russia and Thailand’s Teerapong Yodsint on the floor.

“I walked into the stadium and there were so many people. The crowd, the noise and the sheer magnitude of the stadium sent shivers down my spine. I had to be mentally prepared for this game. It was a great and easy game to officiate, as both teams were focused on playing the game and not committing too many fouls,” pointed out the little man.

Presently based in Bangalore, Durairaju started off as a fitness trainer in 2000 but one fine evening with friends he tried his hand at basketball and the seeds were sown.
In 2001, he took up refereeing seriously as he thought he was too old to pick it up as a player, and much to his surprise, he took to the job like a fish to water. After a successful season in the local league and a couple of BFI Panel exams later, the founder of the Mamannan Raja Raja Chola Rural Basketball Development Trust passed the FIBA referees’ exams in 2006 at Dhaka. Impressed with Durairaju’s achievements on the court, the BFI asked him to referee the 2008 Malaysian Basketball Championship.

“I thank my school and four very important people -- CEO Lt Gen Arjun Ray, principal Sarojini Rao, sports director Lt Col Satya Rao, HOD sports Sagairaj -- for all the support they have given me. I cannot imagine doing any of this if it was not for them,” said Durairaju.

“I would like to impart the knowledge that I have gathered to my students. Being a referee will always be my first job but coaching has been my other passion. Teaching children in India to play the way the rest of the world does is something that will reap rich rewards in the future,” he reasoned.

With  a pocket full of dreams, Durairaju’s run down Glory Road seems to have just begun. Perhaps the World basketball championships next.