P. Bharathan Nair

{{short description|Indian volleyball player}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

{{Use Indian English|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox volleyball player

| name = P. Bharathan Nair

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| nationality = Indian

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| birth_place = Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala, India

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| hometown = Changanassery

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{{MedalCompetition|Asian Games}}

{{MedalBronze|1958 Asian Games|Team}}

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P. Bharathan Nair was an Indian volleyball player and captain of the India national volleyball team. He was part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal at the 1958 Asian Games. As of 2021, He is the only Indian volleyball player to have participated in the World Championship and the Asian Games.{{cite news |title=അഭിമാനങ്ങളുടെ പേരുണ്ട്, എന്നാൽ പേരില്ലാതെ ഈ റോഡുകൾ |url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/district-news/kottayam/2021/09/03/kottayam-changanassery-road.html |work=ManoramaOnline |language=ml |access-date=2021-09-16 |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121072905/https://www.manoramaonline.com/district-news/kottayam/2021/09/03/kottayam-changanassery-road.html |url-status=live }}

Biography

He was born in Puzhavathu, Changanassery in Kottayam district of Kerala, India. His son Praveen says he was a long jumper and swimmer when he was young. He joined the Indian Railways and was posted to Mumbai.{{cite news |last1=Rayan |first1=Stan |title=Roads named after Anju Bobby George, P. Bharathan Nair in Changanassery |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/anju-bobby-george-p-bharatan-nair-road-changanassery-kerala/article32525024.ece |work=Sportstar |language=en |access-date=2021-09-16 |archive-date=2021-09-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915111150/https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/anju-bobby-george-p-bharatan-nair-road-changanassery-kerala/article32525024.ece |url-status=live }}

He died in 2007, at the age of 81.{{fact|date=September 2022}}

Career as a volleyball player

Bharathan Nair made his senior national debut in 1955.{{cite news |title=Kerala roads named after Anju Bobby George, volleyball player Bharathan Nair |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-roads-named-after-anju-bobby-george-volleyball-player-bharathan-nair-132498 |work=The News Minute |date=7 September 2020 |language=en |access-date=16 September 2021 |archive-date=15 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915144539/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kerala-roads-named-after-anju-bobby-george-volleyball-player-bharathan-nair-132498 |url-status=live }} He was part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal at the 1958 Asian Games and he also played in the 1956 World Volleyball Championship in Paris. He captained the Indian volleyball team at the 1963 Pre-Olympic qualifiers in New Delhi. Bharathan captained the Services team when it won the national title in Allahabad in 1956.

Honours

In 2020, the Changanassery Municipal Council passed a resolution to name a road in Bharathan Nair's birthplace after him.{{cite news |last1=Sep 5 |first1=PTI / |title=Roads named after Olympian Anju Bobby George, volleyball player Bharathan Nair in Kerala {{!}} Off the field News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/off-the-field/roads-named-after-olympian-anju-bobby-george-volleyball-player-bharathan-nair-in-kerala/articleshow/77952024.cms |work=The Times of India |language=en |access-date=2021-09-16 |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121072821/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/off-the-field/roads-named-after-olympian-anju-bobby-george-volleyball-player-bharathan-nair-in-kerala/articleshow/77952024.cms |url-status=live }}

References