KUALA LUMPUR – The passing of former Olympian M. Harichandra received an outpouring of condolences and tributes not just from Malaysians, but Singaporeans too.
Harichandra represented Malaysia in athletics in the 1954 Asian Games in Manila as well as the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.
He had also broken the national 800m record with a sub-two-minute run at the age of 23, before representing the country in many other events, before moving to Singapore.
There, he worked as a prison officer in 1957 and carried his passion for athletics to the Republic where he trained young track and field athletes and created several big names in the Singaporean athletics industry.
“He did it for the love of the sport,” said Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan, who is the younger brother of Harichandra and also a legendary Malaysian sprinter.
“In my family, there were five siblings. Harichandra was the fourth sibling and I came 14 years after him.
“When he was starting to excel in sports, he was about 20 and I was about 6 years old. I remember looking at him bringing home prizes and everybody was cheering him. He became my role model and hero.
“The biggest thrill was when I was 10 years old. When he goes for a meet, he allows me to carry his bag, follow him around and wait to see him win a race.”
Jegathesan was describing one of the many defining moments that inspired him to venture into the sport.
Their father was also a well-known figure in the Malaysian sports industry. N. Manikavasagam was the founding secretary of the Athletic Association of Malaya.
Jegathesan told The Vibes that growing up in a family of sports-background people made it natural for him to be involved in the sport too.
“My brother was always very motivating. With his successes and love of the sport, he took me right under his wing.
“On the day that my brother passed away in the evening, I had a chat with him.
“I asked him how he was feeling and whether he enjoyed his food.
“Although, I don’t engage him in long conversations because he gets tired easily. As long as he's happy to hear my voice and I like him.”
Jegathesan also reminisced the early days when he was training with Harichandra in Singapore, saying how he would copy exercises and training that his brother did.
Between him going full-time studying and Harichandra doing a full-time job at the prisons department in 1957, they would allocate 1-2 hours of training every day in the evening.
“We started (training) at about 4 pm and ended our training around 6 pm. On some days, we train at 6 am.
“It was around 1955 till the 1960s at Farrer Park in Singapore,” said Jegathesan, while describing Harichandra as a very straightforward and simple man – never profit-motivated and kind and helpful to people all the time.
Harichandra died at the age of 92 due to old age in Singapore yesterday.
He leaves behind a wife, Thangarasi, 78, and two children – Rohan and Anita. – The Vibes, July 1, 2022.
