He would have loved to see Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal-winning performance, says son Gaurav Natekar.
Legendary
badminton player from Pune,
Nandu Natekar, who held the distinction of being first Indian to win an international title post-independence in 1956, passed away at his residence here on Wednesday morning, after a brief age-related illness. The 88-year-old breathed his last around 7.20 am, while being taken care of by all his family members — his son, daughter-in-law, two daughters, and grandchildren. His son Gaurav Natekar, an Arjuna Awardee (1996), confirmed the news and said that it happened after a few days of age-related health complications.
“He passed away peacefully with family around him. He was ailing for the past three months, but thankfully did not suffer any kind of pain. He has left during the time of the Olympics, when India is hopeful of a few medals. It would have been great had he been able to watch Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal event. He would have been very happy to watch it live on television,” said seven-time national tennis champion Gaurav.