PM Modi, TN CM Stalin condole death of table tennis player Vishwa Deenadayalan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday condoled the death of promising table tennis player Vishwa Deenadayalan in a road accident near Shillong in Meghalaya.

Modi said the death of the Tamil Nadu paddler on Sunday was shocking and saddening. "The demise of TT champion Vishwa Deenadayalan is shocking and saddening. He was admired by fellow players and had distinguished himself in several competitions. In this tragic hour my thoughts are with his family and friends. Om Shanti," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju too condoled the death and posted on Twitter: "Very sad to learn that young Table Tennis player from Tamil Nadu, Deenadayalan Vishwa died in an accident at Ri-Bhoi in Meghalaya while on his way to Shillong to participate in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championship. My deepest condolences to his family. RIP"

Stalin offered his condolences and said he was shocked to hear about the heartbreaking demise of the player. "Shocked beyond words to hear about the heartbreaking & untimely demise of our young, promising Table Tennis player Vishwa Deenadayalan. He was a legend-in-making and it pains me that he left us too soon. I offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends & sports fraternity," he said in a tweet.

The promising table tennis player, who was on his way to Shillong to participate in the 83rd Senior National and Inter-State Championships, died in a road accident on Sunday. Deenadayalan was 18. He was travelling in a car along with his three teammates from Guwahati to Shillong when a 12-wheel trailer, coming from the opposite direction, ploughed through the road divider and hit the vehicle at Shangbangla and plunged into a gorge.

Deenadayalan, a promising player with several national ranking titles and international medals to his credit, was to represent India at the WTT Youth Contender at Linz, Austria, from April 27. A product of Krishnaswamy TT Club in Anna Nagar, he had come in for praise from none other than ace paddler Sharath Kamal. Deenadayalan's transition from cadet and sub-junior to junior section was steady.

He had won the cadet and sub-junior national titles also. The BCom student of Loyola College won the Under-19 Boys title during the National Ranking Tournament in Dehradun this January. Meanwhile, Deenadayalan's body was brought to Chennai on Monday morning.