A tall, lanky, and a starry-eyed youngster came to the fore in 2016, on the back of a tournament headline performance in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. You could hear the whispers doing the rounds in Chennai. Is Washington Sundar the next big thing in Indian cricket? Is he a batting all-rounder? The questions seemed to flow like the water gushing through the boulders of the fast-flowing river. It was not only Washington's performance that had become the cynosure of all eyes, but also his outlandish name.

In order to understand the actual origin of his name, it is mandatory to delve into a short story of his father. M Sundar, a former Ranji probable, had a godfather named P.D. Washington, who lived just two streets away from his home. He was an avid follower of cricket and had developed a fondness for Sundar's game. Realising that he was not financially secure, the retired army officer used to buy him uniforms, pay his school fees, and often used to drop him to the ground in his cycle.

In an unfortunate turn of events, P.D passed away in 1999. Shortly thereafter, Sundar's first son was born. In memory of his late godfather P.D Washington, he decided to name his son after him. 

In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, M Sundar vouchsafed the explanation behind Washington Sundar's name. “I am a Hindu and come from a very humble family. Two streets away from my home in Triplicane lived an ex-army man called P.D. Washington. Washington was extremely fond of cricket and would come to watch us play at the Marina ground. He took a liking for my game. I was poor and he would buy a uniform for me, pay my school fee, get me books, take me to the ground in his cycle and constantly encourage me,” Washington’s father was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

“My wife had a difficult delivery. But the baby survived. As per the Hindu custom, I whispered a God’s name, ‘Srinivasan,’ in his ear. But I decided to name him Washington in memory of the man who had done so much for me,” Washington’s father added. 

This piece of the story offers substantial evidence of the saying, " A good samaritan lives knowing that if we were to leave this world tomorrow, we were the best humans we could be and we touched the lives of as many souls as possible. We are not asked to be perfect. We are asked to make a difference."