Chella left a broad imprint on all those he encountered
The passing away of C. Chellaraja, or Chella as he was more commonly known, was a great loss on many fronts. Most tellingly, it marked the departure of an unbending and inimitable spirit, one which radiated brightly both on and off the field, first for S. Thomas’ Mount Lavinia and later the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC).
Playing for the Thomians in 1949 under Shanthi Kumar, Chella was a wily left-arm spinner who played with a smile and, through his easygoing demeanour, encouraged many of his teammates and opponents to follow suit.
Upon leaving school, he played for an NCC side which accommodated a long queue of talent comprising figures such as the late Vernon Prins, Stanley Jayasinghe, Malcolm Spittel, T. Shanmuganath and Patrick Schokman.
While celebrated for his enduring talent, Chella was characterized by an affectionate and principled personality. The most endearing of his many fine qualities was a willingness to make time for all his friends regardless of how busy he was.
Another unique trait which deeply defined Chella was his refusal to sulk over setbacks. Indeed Chella was the ultimate exponent of the acclaimed Thomian grit, setting the gold standard whenever he stepped onto a cricket pitch.
This resilience, combined with his acute intelligence and sparkling zest, filtered into his daily life, manifesting itself in an inextinguishable exuberance which left a broad imprint on all those he encountered. And it is for this, more than his spate of exploits, which he will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.
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