Gurumurthy N, who once coached future Olympic paddler, now drives an auto

In what can only be described as yet another ‘Peak Bengaluru moment’ to go with several that the city keeps producing, an auto driver was pictured displaying a signage which stated that he was “a professional table-tennis coach.”

A post on Wednesday morning from a Bengaluru-based Human Resources professional has since garnered eyeballs.

As it turns out, Gurumurthy N, the auto driver, is a former table tennis player and a certified coach, with a LinkedIn page to boot.

A certified coach

“I have coached the Olympian Archana Kamath when she was a member of the U14 Karnataka team in 2012,” Gurumurthy N tells The Bridge in a telephonic conversation.

Having watched his uncle, a coach, play the sport, Gurumurthy picked up the paddle as an 8-year-old. While he did play tournaments across the state, he found his calling in coaching and made a swift transition.

Thereafter, armed with an ITTF Level-1 and 2 coaching certifications, he found a coaching job at Tenvic Sports, a company founded by the former Indian cricket captain Anil Kumble.

After a five-year stint with the firm, Gurmurthy subsequently ventured out on his own and set up the Bengaluru Table Tennis Academy on government premises in the city with four tables that catered to roughly thirty students.

With three-to-four-hour coaching sessions twice a day, Gurumurthy was realizing his dream of nurturing the next big champion from the state.

Fate, however, wasn’t kind to him.

A post from HR professional Gayatri Gopakumar caught the attention of several LinkedIn users. (Photo credit: Gayatri Gopakumar/ LinkedIn)

Entrepreneurial roadblocks

The COVID-19 pandemic struck and much like all else across the world, training sessions at the academy came to a grinding halt.

When the lockdown was eventually lifted, a local MLA reclaimed the academy space.

“He cited the fact that it was government property and used it instead to store kabaddi mats,” laments Gurumurthy.

He did attempt to set up another academy in collaboration with other coaches, but those efforts hit roadblocks.

With a five-year-old son and a wife to support, Gurmurthy now drives an auto for five hours a day and draws the attention of customers with a well-placed banner that displays his table tennis coaching services.

Gurumurthy (1st from right) with the Karnataka junior team in 2012 featuring future Olympian Archana Kamath (5th from left). (Photo credit: Gurumurthy N)

“I now conduct on-demand one-on-one and group classes,” he says, while stating that he aggregates roughly 3-5 classes a week.

This, however, is a far cry from when he was a part of the coaching staff for the Karnataka State Table Tennis junior squads.

“In 2012, I was a coach with the Karnataka U14 and U12 state team for a national tournament in Gandhidham, Gujarat,” he recalls.

“Archana Kamath was on that team and I worked with her during that event and afterwards as well,” he says, with palpable excitement in his voice

“She was at the Paris Olympics last year. It was a moment of great pride for me,” says Gurumurthy.

Now though, the 38-year-old juggles between his autorickshaw and the occasional coaching session.

That said, he oozes hope and that reflects in his voice, and on the signage in his vehicle: “I am a professional TT coach.”