Typist To Billiards World Champion - Journey Of Uma Devi

[JANASENA]

 

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is one such story of Revanna Umadevi Nagraj. She started her journey back in 1995 in the billiards room of Karnataka Government Secretariat (KGS) Club; bringing out the true meaning of determination, persistence and hard work, at the age of 47.

After completing her SSLC and training in typewriting, Umadevi started working as a typist for the horticulture department in 1989 at Lalbagh in Bangalore. She enjoyed playing table tennis and other sports at KGS. It all began when one day, the secretary Krishna Kumar took her to the billiards room and gave her to hold the cue. That moment and now, everything changed.

She started initially playing to kill her curiosity but then realised this is all she had been searching throughout her life. She hooked on the game with immense passion and grit. After her office hours, she would remove as much time to practise her skill which made her reach the 3rd position in state snooker ranking.

This made the doors wide open and she became a member of the Karnataka state Billiards Association (KSBA). The horticulture department then transferred Umadevi to Cubbon Park, where she could further her sports interests.

Being a shy and introvert, she was the target of many jokes but it never let her guard down. She worked harder and stronger to reach her goals.

Umadevi won her first national championship in Ahmedabad (2002). Further, She finished third in 2011 World championship and claimed her maiden World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association title in 2012. She also received Arjuna award in 2009 for her contribution to Billiards.

Her husband, an ex-footballer supported her career throughout and tried to make financial adjustments as she started get offers to play international. “It hurts to think I was not given any publicity even after winning the Nationals twice. It seemed I was an orphan and nobody knew what I was doing. Some people even suggested that I should photocopy the published news reports and photographs and distribute them myself,” Umadevi says.

Now-a-days we sometimes forget to recognise the golden talent present at all times in our country, but that doesn't stop anyone from not climbing the ladder. Umadevi is one such example. She not only started off late but also proved age is just a number in the literal sense of the phrase. With her dedication and hard work, we bow down to her for the eternal glory she has brought to the nation.