Former World Billiards Champion Manoj Kothari Passes Away At Age Of 67

Hyderabad: On Monday, Indian cue sports became poorer as a former world champion, coach, and father of the current world champion, Sourav, passed away at the age of 67. The sport suffered a setback at the beginning of the year with his demise. He breathed his last at the age of 67. The death of the ever-smiling and friendly Manoj Kothari has cast a shadow of grief over the adorers of the sport.

He was suffering from liver problems for the last few weeks and was admitted to a hospital in Chennai. He also underwent a successful liver transplant 10 days ago. However, he suddenly suffered a heart attack on Monday morning, resulting in his death.

The Kothari family, originally from Tollygung, is a sporting family as the two generations conquered the world in cue sport. It is rare that a father and son are world champions in the same sport. Manoj became the world billiards champion in 1990. His son Sourav Kothari is a two-time world champion. Sourav has the distinction of winning the IBSF World Cup this season by defeating Pankaj Advani. Manoj Kothari is not only Sourav's coach, but he has also coached the Indian cue sports team for decades. The father-son duo are just like the Dronacharya-Arjuna pair from the Mahabharata, as Manoj was Sourav's coach when he won the world title.

Manoj received the Central Government's 'Dhyanchand Award' in 2005. The West Bengal Government also gave him the Kriraguru Samman. In 2024, the Calcutta Sports Journalists Club honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. On the same stage, Sourav received the Sportsperson of the Year award and his mother, Neeta Kothari, was given a special award. Manoj Kothari's wife is a state champion in billiards and has represented Bengal at the national level several times.

Despite being a world champion, Manoj Kothari was a very simple and humble person. He was the king of cue sports in the country and made waves in a brief time with his consistent performances. His son was by his side at the time of his death. Sourav is speechless at the sudden demise of his father. "My hero is gone," Sourav reacted. The last rites of the Kolkata-born world champion are scheduled to be held in Chennai.