Where Every Tag Starts a New Chase

The morning light spreads gently across the ground behind Thiyagi NG Ramasamy (TNGR) Memorial High School. Even before the first bell rings, the place hums with energy. Boys dash across the sandy field barefoot while a few crouch in anticipation of the next kho-kho move.

- S SENTHIL KUMAR @Coimbatore

A whistle cuts sharply through the air, and instantly the chatter dies down. All eyes turn to a man at the centre of the ground, stopwatch dangling from one hand and a bamboo stick tapping the earth in rhythm. One quick clap, and the children spring into motion again.

For three decades, this was the scene that defined the mornings of countless school students in Coimbatore. At the heart of it was S Subramaniam, known to every child simply as 'Drill Anna'.

Subramaniam, now 78, spent 36 years shaping generations of students as a physical education teacher—first at TNGR Memorial High School near Hopes College and later at Venkata Lakshmi Higher Secondary School near Singanallur.

It is no surprise then that his influence has rippled far beyond the schools where he taught. Over the years, 28 of his students went on to become physical education teachers themselves.