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Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj (, born 14 December 1953) is a former Indian tennis player, sports commentator and actor.[2]
Amritraj was born in Chennai, India to Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj.[3] He and his brothers, Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis. They did their schooling in Don Bosco Egmore,Chennai, and later graduated from Loyola College, Chennai. In 1976, the brothers (Vijay and Anand) were semifinalists in the Wimbledon men's doubles. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983.
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Career
After playing his first grand prix event in 1970, Amritraj achieved his first significant success in singles in 1973 when he reached the quarter-final stage at two Grand Slam events. At Wimbledon he lost 7–5 in the fifth set to the eventual champion Jan Kodeš and later that summer at the US Open, lost to Ken Rosewall after having beaten Rod Laver two rounds earlier.
Amritraj repeated his feat at Forest Hills in 1974 when he went out in the last eight again to Rosewall after beating a young Björn Borg in the second round. In the years that followed he reached the latter stages of numerous Grand Prix events but failed to meet with success in Grand Slam tournaments. It was not until 1981 when Amritraj again reached the quarterfinals, going out in five sets to Jimmy Connors. This match typified Amritraj's tennis. He was a natural grass-court player who liked to chip-and-charge and serve-and-volley. He could compete against the world's best but often would lose longer matches through a lack of stamina. Against Connors he was up two sets but lost the last two convincingly in a 2–6, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2 loss. A similar Wimbledon result occurred in 1979 in the 2nd round where he looked set to defeat defending champion Borg, up two sets to one and 4–1 in the fourth set, only to lose 2–6, 6–4, 4–6, 7–6, 6–2.
Davis Cup
Amritraj was the captain of the Indian Davis Cup for much of the late 1970s and 1980s, helping India reach the finals in 1974 and 1987. It was here that he revelled as a champion and chalked memorable wins against higher ranked players. A do-or-die five set epic over Martín Jaite of Argentina was the highlight of India's run to the final in 1987.
Amritraj still plays occasionally and has entered the finals of the 2008 Wimbledon Sr. Invitation Gentlemen's Doubles, partnering Gene Mayer. They were seeded number 1.
Distinctions
• He compiled a career singles win-lose record 384-296, winning 16 singles titles to go along with 13 in doubles.
• He beat the best, including John McEnroe at his peak in 1984 (in the first round in Cincinnati).
• He had five career wins over Jimmy Connors in their 11 matches.
• He reached his career high ranking in singles of World No. 16 in July 1980.
• Both his son Prakash Amritraj and nephew, Stephen Amritraj are professional tennis players.
Acting career
Vijay also had a brief acting career, perhaps his most notable appearance being as Vijay in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy as an ally to Bond (played by Roger Moore) during his mission in India.[4]
He also appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as a starship captain.
He was also a regular character in the NBC TV Series The Last Precinct, and the Yakov Smirnoff comedy What a Country, as well as a guest star on various television shows such as Hart to Hart. He has since gone on to become a sports commentator, has been a judge at the Miss Universe pageant, and has developed a successful multimedia business.
Foundation
In 2006, after completing his assignment as a "United Nations Messenger of Peace", Vijay Amritraj founded "The Vijay Amritraj Foundation".[5][6] The foundation's mission is to bring hope, help and healing to the defenseless and innocent victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance in India. Driven by a firm belief that "in giving we receive", the foundation pledges to make a real difference for those who are most in need of the helping hand of humanity. After an extraordinarily successful debut in 2006, the Foundation raised enough funds to immediately begin supporting various Charitable Organizations in India. Over the next decade, the Foundation aims to have a meaningful presence in all the states of the Indian Union, and to make a positive difference in the lives of the less fortunate citizens of these states. Today, many noteworthy persons are associated with the Foundation, including World Leaders, Statesmen, Business Leaders, and Philanthropists; among them, George H. W. Bush -Former President of the United States, Reddy S. Jay Reddy - Chairman & CEO of The CORBISCO Group, Sashi Tharoor - Former Under Secretary General of the United Nations, and General the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank - Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom during the Blair Administration. The Foundation conducts a highly successful Golf Tournament every year, followed by a gala dinner event in Beverly Hills, California.
Personal life
Amritraj lives in California with wife Shyamala, who is Sri Lankan Tamil, and sons Prakash Amritraj and Vikram. He is a Christian
Anand Amritraj
Anand Amritraj; born 20 March 1952, Chennai, Tamil Nadu) is a former Indian tennis player and businessman.[1][2][3]
Anand Amritraj and his brothers, Vijay Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis. In 1976, the brothers (Anand and Vijay) were semi-finalists in the Wimbledon men's doubles. He was part of the Indian team for 1974 Davis Cup, which advanced to the finals of the tournament and then forfeited the championship to South Africa as the Government of India decided to boycott the matches in protest against South Africa's Apartheid policies.[4] His son Stephen Amritraj is also a professional tennis player.

Manuel Aaron
Manuel Aaron (born 30 December 1935, Toungoo, Burma) was the first Indian chess master in the modern tradition. He dominated chess in India in the 1960s to the 1980s, was the national champion of India nine times between 1959 and 1981. He was India's first International Master, and is one of the key figures in introducing international chess practices to India; until the 1960s, chess in India (known as chaturang), was often played using many local traditional variants[1] (e.g. in lieu of castling, the king could execute a knights move once, if it had not been checked). Aaron helped popularize the international variety, forming many chess groups and urging players to study openings and other formal chess literature.
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Life
Born in colonial Burma of Indian parents, Aaron grew up in Tamil Nadu, India, where he did his schooling, finishing his B.Sc. from Allahabad University. Aaron was Indian National Champion nine times (out of 14 championships between 1959–1981), including a run of five consecutive titles between 1969 and 1973. He also won the Tamil Nadu Chess Championship 11 times (1957–1982); after him, Tamil Nadu emerged as the chess powerhouse of India.
He won the West Asian Zonal against Mongolia's Sukien Momo 3-1 (earning his International Master's rating), and the Asian-Australian Zonal final against Cecil Purdy of Australia 3-0 in 1961.[2] In 1961, he won the Arjuna Award for Indian sportsmen, the first-ever chess player to be so honoured.
These wins at the Asian level qualified him for the Interzonals, and in 1962, he played in the Stockholm interzonal and although finishing last (23rd place), his game was notable for the defeats he inflicted on grandmasters Lajos Portisch and Wolfgang Uhlmann, and his general aversion to draws.[3]
Aaron also played thrice with the Indian team at the Chess Olympiads. He captained the Indian team at Leipzig 1960 (+2 –10 =8), and at Varna 1962 (+7 –6 =4). In 1964, he played at second board in Tel Aviv (+4 –7 =6). He also led India to the 2nd Asian Team Championship at Auckland in 1977 and to the 4th Asian Team championship at Hangchow in China in 1981. He took 4th in the Commonwealth Championship at Hong Kong 1984. The event was won by Kevin Spraggett and Murray Chandler.
He is the author of Dubai Olympiad 1986 and a journalist for The Hindu newspaper. His son, Arvin, is also a well known journalist.
Contributions to Indian Chess Culture
Having emerged in an environment without a minimal chess culture, Aaron was very sensitive to the growth of chess awareness in India. He did much to further chess as the Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Chess Association (1977 and 1997) and also as chairman of the All India Chess Federation. It was 17 years before India could have a second International Master in V. Ravi[1] (1978), and its first grandmaster (Vishwanathan Anand), only in 1988.
Manuel Aaron remains active in Indian chess circles even today, and has a FIDE rating of 2300+,[4] although he has not been active in competitive chess for several decades.