In Memory of Vinayaga

VRR-Photo-1.jpgVinag, as he was affectionately known, was an avid cricketer and represented his school in the sport in his younger days. Also known as Geoff Boycott during his time in school, he often opened the batting. One could always count on him to hold one end and frustrate bowlers. 

He played both in the Lall Singh Trophy and Vanderholt Trophy, helping his school ACS become state level champions in both these tournaments. Besides being a batsman, he occasionally kept wickets as well. Vinag played for the Combined Schools of Selangor and also toured India with the Selangor Youth Squad in 1983. 

He also played hockey regularly and represented his school in this sport as well.  

Vinag was called to the English Bar in 1989 after completing his LLB with honours from Manchester the preceding year. After being called to the Malaysian Bar in 1990, he commenced his legal practice in Skrine in 1991, and he was made partner in 2000.  In between, he managed to find time for his favourite sport cricket, and he represented the Malaysian Bar between the years 1990 and 1992.

Through the engagement of his two talented boys, Karthik and Rahul in the Royal Selangor Club Junior Development Programme, Vinag played an active role in the support of the programme since 2014.  Vinag’s engagement in cricket took on a more formal role when he was elected as a committee member in the Kuala Lumpur Cricket Association in 2016, serving in various capacities with the KLCA from year 2016 until his untimely demise in August 2020. 

His love of cricket was passed on to his sons as well, and it is notable that Karthik captained the winning Malaysia U16 team in the inaugural ‘Belt and Road China U16 Boys Cricket International Tournament’.

On the work front, Vinag had contributed greatly to our firm and had always been present to offer advice and insights on client matters and legal practice, and he was always ready to lend a willing ear to listen to and counsel those of us who sought advice from him.   He was a capable and formidable advocate who had the rare skill of grasping the essence of a matter and resolving disputes quickly.   

He was named as a 'Leading Lawyer' in insolvency and restructuring by Asia Law Leading Lawyers in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He was listed in the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (Commercial Litigation) in 2012 and 2013. He was an accredited mediator and a member of INSOL, the International Association of Insolvency Restructuring Practitioners. He was included in Benchmark Asia Pacific 2013 as one of the ‘preeminent’ litigation practitioners in Malaysia.

As a friend, Vinag was always a great conversationalist, full of fun and laughter. To quote a message received by the firm on his passing:- 
“Some persons who come into our lives are larger than life – Vinayaga was certainly one of them. Even though he is no longer with us, he remains with us for all that he has done, shared with us and his warm, helpful, friendly, extremely likeable and cheerful disposition. He was a man of strong principles, a decent degree of discipline and hard work ethic and diligence. He achieved a lot and yet remained humble. Most of all, he was a loving, devoted and doting husband and father.” 
 
We will indeed miss him dearly and he will always be cherished as a dear unforgettable Skrine Partner, a skilful lawyer, a keen sportsman, and a great friend.