Vidya Pillai

She was educated in Chennai in three different schools namely St. John's School, Boston Matriculation and Children's Garden Secondary School. Higher education took her to the prestigious Loyola College, Chennai where she obtained a degree in Visual Communication and later went on to complete a Post-Graduate Diploma in Communication and Management at the National Institute of Sales. She credits former Indian international cricketer Hemang Badani for introducing her to the sport, and the late national billiards champion, TG Kamala Devi, for inspiring her.

Vidya Pillai is a nine-time Women's National Snooker Champion, her latest victory coming at the Indian National Snooker Championship in Indore in 2016. She has finished runner-up in three different editions of the tournament in 2006, 2009 and 2015. She also won the Indian National 6-Red Snooker Championship in 2013 & the Indian National 9-Ball Pool Championship in 2005.

Currently, she is a part of the Chennai Strikers team in the Indian Cue Masters League, where she is teamed up with Pankaj Advani for mixed doubles.[3]

Vidya Pillai made her first international appearance at the 2007 IBSF World Snooker Championship (Ladies) and lost in the quarter-finals.[4] Ever since, she has won a gold medal in the IBSF World Team Snooker Championship in 2013, Gold in the IBSF Australian Women's Ranking Snooker Championship in 2016, Gold in the IBSF Australian Open Women's Snooker Championship in 2010, Two Silver medals in the IBSF World 6 Reds Snooker Championship Women in 2015 and 2016, one Silver in the IBSF World Team Snooker Championship in 2016, two Bronze medals IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2010 and 2012, one Bronze in the IBSF World Team Snooker Championship in 2014 and one Bronze at the WLBSA World Billiards Championship in 2008. She has also won a silver medal at the Asian Billiard Sport Championship held at Doha in 2016. Most recently, finished with a silver medal in the WLBSA World Women's Snooker Championship in 2017.