When Badminton was only popular in Marathi novels and Bollywood cinema, when Hero and Heroines were being shown carrying badminton racquets with profuse, in that period, Nandu Natekar was our first international champion. The period was from middle of fifties to seventies decades in which years, Natekar ruled this game. In India, at that time also, no other game was popular other than Cricket. But, Natekar with his success and his style of playing, got immense popularity for himself as well as badminton. He was the first to grab third place in prestigious All England Championship in 1954. In 1956, he was first international champion winning Sellangar tournament in Malaysia. The first hero of our badminton passed away late night. It is no wonder that, badminton field is in shock of his sad demise. There may be still lakhs of people who used to enjoy Natekar’s game and throng to watch him playing. Natekar had won as many as 100 national and international championships in badminton. From 1955 to 1963, he won a total of 12 single and 16 double matches at Thomas cup. In his time, there was no other player who could touch his level of success. No doubt, he was one of the most popular players in the country. There were still some more years to come for rise of Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar on international horizon. Natekar was our first popular hero of any game till then. He had huge fan following in that era also when there were no landline phones in enough number, let alone social media and mobiles and computers. The only medium was Akashwani and newspapers and still people used to come in large numbers to take a glance of him. Natekar’s game was very different from his contemporaries as well as today’s players who focus on very speedy and breathless powerful service. Natekar used to play very smoothly and gently but his back hand was so strong that, the rival player would not be able to see the cock. Nandu Natekar represented a brand of badminton that relied on wrist-craft, anticipation and deception in stroke-play. While the breathless power and speed has become characteristics of modern badminton, a giant of gentleness in form of Nandu Natekar is no more now. Little to nothing of the badminton doyen’s game was committed to taped memory, so we are unable to watch his game now. But for a sport that has seen India climb up to global echelons with Olympic contention at three straight Games, the idea that an international winner once existed, forged out of neither strength nor speed, but soft touch, is a charming throwback to tender sepia. Nandu Natekar, who hailed from the genteel sugar bowl of Sangli, was charmed by the Malaysian and Danish greats who graced the soft wooden courts of South Bombay. None of their frenetic pace, however, could turn him away from playing a brand of badminton that relied on anticipation and deception in stroke-play. Natekar must be given credit for popularizing the game and bringing it to common man’s courtyard. Players in Tennis and Badminton are seen as people from other world as they use the racquets that are beyond common man’s reach. Still, Natekar was extremely popular in young generation of girls and boys of that period which he has earned only on his prowess and unique style of playing. When Cricket was just getting more popularity, Natekar was definitely most popular player at that time. The irony is that, like any other game, his style of playing with soft gentleness has been evaporated now and horrible speed has become the rule. So, now it is difficult to see players who will copy Natekar style. We have lost a great legend. Tribute to Nandu Natekar.