New Delhi: Vishwa Deenadayalan of Tamil Nadu, 18-yr-old promising table tennis from India, passed away in a road accident on Sunday. Vishwa was on his way to Shillong to participate in the 83rd Senior National and Inter-State Championship when he met a road accident.
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 the gorge.
According to a release issued by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), the driver died on the spot, while Deenadayalan was declared brought dead by the doctors of Nongpoh Civil Hospital, as mentioned in a PTI report.
His teammates -- Ramesh Santosh Kumar, Abinash Prasannaji Srinivasan and Kishore Kumar -- suffered severe injuries but are currently stable.
The organisers of the championships had rushed them to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong for critical care.
"The team of doctors attending to them said the boys were stable," the release said.
Deenadayalan's father and two of his family members arrived in Guwahati on Sunday night and his embalmed body will be flown to Chennai on Monday morning.
Many leaders expressed condolences over the passing away of the young talent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the shocking incident. He said, " 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."
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur expressed his condolences on Twitter and said, "Heartbreaking to learn that Tamil Nadu paddler, Deenadayalan Vishwa passed away in an accident in Ri Bhoi District. He was on his way to Shillong to participate in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championship. Sincere condolences to his family & friends."
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter and expressed his condolences over the incident. He said, "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."
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma also expressed over the death of the TT player and said, "Saddened to learn that Tamil Nadu paddler, Deenadayalan Vishwa passed away after an accident in Ri Bhoi District while on his way to Shillong to participate in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championship in our State."
Deenadayalan had impressed many people who followed the sport by winning several national ranking titles and international medals to his credit and 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 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 B.Com student of Loyola College won the Under-19 Boys title during the Dehra Dun National Ranking Tournament this January.