Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Shuttling sports to the hinterland
|
The four-day B.G. Krishnam Raju memorial Andhra Pradesh State open badminton championships at Narsapur, West Godavari had its own drawbacks but certainly served the purpose of attracting little-known players from lesser-known regions.
|
Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
BIRTHDAY BOY: C.M Shashidhar clinched the men's singles title.
THE SWAYING coconut trees silhouetted by the sinking sun provided the perfect backdrop to the recently concluded B.G. Krishnam Raju memorial Andhra Pradesh State open badminton championships at Narsapur, West Godavari recently.
The decision to broadbase the sport, by moving events to the interior is a welcome trend in that competitions will not be restricted to the cities of Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. The four-day meet had its drawbacks but certainly served the purpose of attracting little-known players from lesser-known regions.
For starters, the Y.N College was located in sylvan surroundings on the banks of the Vasishta, a tributary of the Godavari. The cement court in its indoor hall was however a deterrent to the top rung players, who feared injuries arising from falls on the hard surface, as they are used to playing on wooden floors. The low roof obstructed free flow of the shuttle and reduced the venue to a cauldron, when the temperature soared.
The Pratibha Badminton and Sports Association, organisers of the event, hope to have the playing area revamped. For a group conducting an event of this type for the first time, it did a fairly good job, although their lack of experience showed at times.
Their enthusiasm to felicitate Sports Authority of India coach and Director of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh's Badminton Academy in Vijayawada, P.U. Bhaskar Babu, had to be seen-to-be-believed.
Every memento handed out, had his image in plastic displayed prominently. After all, Babu was a native of Narsapur and the locals took immense pride in his achievements, not least of which was the grooming of Chetan Anand.
Enough volunteers, keen to give off their best, ensured the event went off quite smoothly. For instance, Raghu, an engineer by qualification, but an aqua farmer by choice, coordinated various aspects of the championships' conduct.
So did Sai, a maths lecturer in the host college, as well as its physical education director, the ever-smiling Jaya Kumar. What drew this group together in staging this event was the esteem they had for their late physical education director, in whose memory the meet was organised.
Not many people knew who the chief guest would be to give away the prizes on the concluding day. The 5 P.M. `sharp' start was delayed by over an hour in typical Indian `stretchable' time. Many eager enthusiasts sweated it out inside the hall, with the start nowhere in sight.
On enquiry, one reason for the delay was forwarded. That it took one's breath away, would be an understatement. The President of the Organising Committee had gone to have bath!!
For the record, C.M Shashidhar clinched the men's singles title, T. Sowmya and Deepthi Shalini, the women's doubles, D. Mahesh the singles crown in the non-medallists category and the duo of Gangadhar and Akhil in the doubles. Shashidhar, as the country's seventh-ranked player, added sheen to the championship.
His triumph could not have come at a better time. The night before, there came the feared midnight knock on his hotel door. He was `picked up' and taken to the venue, where awaiting him was a surprise - a birthday cake.
The hall was often packed with spectators keenly rooting for their favourites, mostly their neighbours, friends or relatives. Many of them would have come away enriched in terms of exposure to players of the calibre of Shashidhar.
If the tribe of sports lovers and players is to increase, such a shift to the hinterland, where the heart of India lies, will boost sports consciousness and awareness.
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
