KOCHI: However right or wrong the posturing by the powers-that-be of Kerala and Tamil Nadu may be, the stand-off over the Mullaperiyar dam is creating ripples even on the sporting field.The RSC-MBTT-AITA Talent Series national ranking tennis tournament that began at the Regional Sports Centre here on Monday has seen a drop of around 40 entries this year in the wake of the dam row, the organisers told Express.“The Mullaperiyar issue has affected the tournament this year,” chief referee Shankar K told Express. “Normally, we have more than 100 players participating here. This time also we received a similar number of entries but only around 60 players have actually arrived to play.”He said that fears regarding the safety of their children in the aftermath of reported attacks on people from either state forced the parents to withdraw their names from the annual event. The tournament for under-18 and under-14 players usually witnesses TN players accounting for more than half the participants. “We have received numerous phone calls from apprehensive parents enquiring of the situation in Kerala, especially at the border. We managed to convince a few that it was safe to travel. Even now, around 30 players have come from TN,” said Shankar.The apprehension is such that Dr Suresh Kumar R of Coimbatore even borrowed a neighbour’s car with a Kerala registration number to bring his son to Kochi.“I had to give into pressure from my family to take my friend’s car which had a Kerala registration number,” Suresh said.“But I did not face any trouble on my way. Now I am absolutely confident that nothing bad is going to happen. If my son wins tomorrow, I am planning to go back and return with my own car.”Meanwhile, other parents who made the trip are convinced that all quarters concerned are flaring up the ground reality.“In Chennai, the tennis tournaments in RSC are very popular. All want to come here because the atmosphere is so good. But this year, at least ten parents that I know of have decided not to come here because of the Mullaperiyar issue. Everyone has to handle an issue like that with maturity,” said S Manoharan from Chennai.Another parent, Arumukham P from Nagercoil, had this to say: “It is sad that politicians of both states are only helping to spread apprehension rather than allay the fears of the people on an issue which cannot be solved in a short period.”
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