Sri Lanka’s tennis would not have been the same if not for K. Sub. That is not an exaggeration. Kathirgamarthamby Subramaniam, who was better known as “K. Sub” was a gentle giant.
“Migrating” from his native Batticaloa to Colombo as a teenager, Subramaniam, who did not have any major family ancestry that related him to the game of tennis, made a profound impact later in life in a sport that has been centred vehemently in Colombo.
The Cosmos
This “Batti Boy” who had excelled in tennis, basketball, and football at St. Michael’s – a great sporting hub in the east of the island – in fact, movednear Dehiwala in Colombo’s southern outskirts.
The Cosmopolitan Club or simply, the “Cosmos”, down Frazer Avenue near the famous “Williams Junction” is the most popular tennis club in
the area. It’s not by accident
that Subramaniam had started spending his evenings there.
Tennis was more than a means of socialising at the Cosmos. It was a place of champions. Even during the mid-20th Century, the competition there was very heated.
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Having humble beginnings, Kathirgamarthamby Subramaniam had a profound effect on Sri Lanka’s tennis as a whole[/caption]
They all played tennis
Subsequently, Subramaniam of the Sri Lanka Education Department had tied the knot with Kamaladevi, an old
girl of Holy Family Convent (HFC), Bambalapitiya, whose parents came from Manipai, Jaffna.
They had four sons and a daughter. It is no wonder that the father gave them the best possible education: The four sons went to Royal College, Colombo and the daughter went to HFC. All five did one thing in common – play tennis.
Inseparable part
Later, joining the governing body of the sport, the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) and its playing section
Having humble beginnings, Kathirgamarthamby Subramaniam had a profound effect on Sri Lanka’s tennis as a whole[/caption]
They all played tennis
Subsequently, Subramaniam of the Sri Lanka Education Department had tied the knot with Kamaladevi, an old
girl of Holy Family Convent (HFC), Bambalapitiya, whose parents came from Manipai, Jaffna.
They had four sons and a daughter. It is no wonder that the father gave them the best possible education: The four sons went to Royal College, Colombo and the daughter went to HFC. All five did one thing in common – play tennis.
Inseparable part
Later, joining the governing body of the sport, the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) and its playing section
at Green Path, Colombo during the 1970s, “Sub” continued in his passion. His offspring followed in his footsteps. By the 1980s, the Subramaniams were
an inseparable part of the country’s tennis.
All sons were playing at the highest level. Suresh won a national doubles title in the early ‘80s, partnering the late Arjan Fernando. Ganendran played in the prestigious Junior Wimbledon and by the 1990s, played for Sri Lanka in the Davis Cup. Keshini too represented the country playing tennis at the South Asian Games (SAG).
Story doesn’t end here
The story didn’t end there. Subramaniam Sr. continued to be involved in tennis as a qualified coach, an umpire, and a referee. Suresh went on to head the SLTA for many years and his administrative career reached the highest echelons in the country when he was elected President
of the National Olympic
Committee (NOC).
Ravi dominated Travel Trade tennis like no other
while Logan continued to
be involved in the game as a professional coach. But for Ravi and Keshini, who are now living in Australia and Canada, respectively, Suresh, Yogan, and Ganendran are still actively involved in tennis in Sri Lanka.
If not for the Subs...
It is a story of humble beginnings ending up with enormous success. The Subramaniams are all over tennis, some say. That’s really true. Suresh once told this writer, “if all the Subs are doing well, we can’t help it”.
In retrospect, one thing is for sure. Kathirgamarthamby Subramaniam’s “migration” from Batti to Colombo many decades ago, directly or indirectly, has created lasting effects in Sri Lanka’s tennis. That’s why they say, “if not for the Subs, Sri Lanka’s tennis wouldn’t have been the sam