Coaching camps are held in Chennai not only during the summer but practically the whole year around. The majority of such camps are nothing but money spinners. Very few coaches take the trouble of giving proper guidance to the trainees. Also the sad aspect of these camps are that they are run by cricketers who hardly played the game or were never strong technically. In such a scenario the camp being held at the Guru Nanak college grounds by former Indian cricketer V.B.Chandrasekhar is refreshingly different. Following are the excerpts from an interview `VB', as he is popularly known, gave to CRICINFO:

Q: What made you start this camp? A: So many young cricketers with immense potential go unnoticed. I wanted to project and nurture them. Basically I want to give them the opportunities that I did not get during my younger days.

Q: Is there any mode for selection for your camp? A: I categorize them in five segments namely under 8, under 10, under 12, under 14 and under 17. Overall the ultimate goal is to spot talent.

Q: How do you go about the coaching aspect? A: First I select the boys according to the categories mentioned. I allow them to bat, bowl and keep wickets and then I, with the help of my other coaches zero in on the talent and potential of the boy and suggest to the trainee as well his parents in which field he is likely to succeed.

Q: Who are your other coaches? A: I am fortunate to have a fine team of coaches who support me in all aspects of the game. S.V.S.Mani a former South zone player, T.S.Mukund, a former junior state cricketer and S.Ramesh are there and without their help, my goal will be difficult to achieve.

Q: What is the duration of the camp? A: My academy has two sets of camps. The first is a nine month stint with the camp being conducted on every Saturday and Sunday both in the morning and evening. The other is a summer camp for two months during May-June on all days.

Q: Don't you feel the duration of the first camp is long considering there are studies and exams? A: Yes I agree but the boys should be able to balance both studies and games and because of that I conduct only during Saturdays and Sundays. Further we do not have a very rigid system. For example, if a boy who is supposed to come on Saturday morning cannnot because he has school, he can come in the evening. The main objecive is that he should not miss a practice session.

Q: What about accountability? A: We do not simply finish the camp with a valedictory function by issuing certificaes and medals like in some other coaching centres. I may have to do do this at the request of the parents. All the same I insist on the accountability factor by calling the parents during the camp and giving them the feed back regarding their child. A parent should be aware of the progress made by the lad.

Q: How do you handle a boy who is not upto the mark? A: This is a delicate problem. If the boy is not up to the mark I call the parents and tell them in a diplomatic way to accept the fact. Sometimes there is this problem of a parent insisting that I continue with the lad even when I know he is not up to the mark. Sometimes the problem is that the boy is really good and has a bright future but the parents may not, for some reason or the other, be keen on sending him.

Q: Can you name a few cricketers who are products of your academy? A: Sure. M.R.Srinivas played for Tamil Nadu under 19 and he was later picked for the TNCA XI for the KSCA golden jubilee tournament in Bangalore. S.Manoj represented Andhra under 16.

Q: Do you have any novel ideas? A: I am sending one of my trainees S.Arjun to Australia to play as a professional. He is a very good off spinner and batsman and he will be in Australia for six months. He will play for Bundaberg, which is about 100 miles from Brisbane. He has been sponsored by IFCR. I have also been fortunate in that Rahul Dravid is taking keen interest in my academy. He comes regularly to give the boys a pep talk. The presence of Dravid certainly acts as big morale booster to the boys.

Q: How many trainees do you have at present? A: I receive many applications but I trim them to about 100, with not more than 15 in each category. The youngest I have is a six year old boy.

Q: What are the facilities you provide for the trainees? A: Let me first thank the principal and physical director of Guru Nanak college for their unstinted support. The academy has five wickets in the annexe (adjacent to the main ground) - one matting, one concrete and three turf wickets. The trainees play matches between them. Their activities are videographed and we then have a two hour session with the trainees seeing the video to sort out the technical flaws. My academy van picks the trainees up at vantage points and drops them back which minimizes the work of the parents and the boys who don't have to carry their heavy cricket kits with them. In the absence of the driver I myself do this job. The academy has a physical instructor who motitvates the boys to stay fit and teaches some very good exercise routines.

Q: What is your ultimate aim and have there been any regrets? A: I will be happy if at least four or five cricketers play for the State and India juniors in the near future. In the long run if some of the trainees represent the country I will be very happy. My only regret is there is no good left arm spinnr in the camp.

Q: What about your first class career? A: I have not officially announced my retirement but it is as good as over. The Goa Cricket Association has already approached me twice but I have had to regret the offer since I am fully committed to the academy.