Although Hyderabad is located far away from the coastline, thanks to the presence of the Hussainsagar lake, the city has produced several talented sailors who have fetched medals for India in international competitions.
The most noteworthy among them are Arjuna awardees - C.S Pradipak and Rajesh Choudhary (originally from Bihar but learnt sailing on the Hussainsagar waters), and A.A. Basith, who represented India at the Munich Olympics.
Fortunately the flow of talent still continues and now there are a bunch of youngsters who are looking to follow in the footsteps of these achievers. The fact that some of the boys are from the economically underprivileged section of society shows that the sport is gradually losing its elite tag.
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Suheim Sheik, president of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad, has been coaching schoolchildren, some of who come from poor families and these boys seem have taken to the sport like a duck to water.
Nikhil Kumar, whose mother is in the fish selling business, showed so much promise that he was sent for an advanced level coaching course conducted by Polish coach Marek Nostitz Kackowski in Hong Kong.
Ragi Rajnikanth is another young lad with tremendous potential. He has bagged the bronze in Topper class national championships twice. “Hussainsagar lake is a very good sailing venue in many ways,” says Lt. Col. M.P. Jaggi (retd), a former sailor.
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“The lake has the requisite length and breadth to lay a full sized course. Two internationals were conducted here – the Four Square International in 1990 and the Asia Pacific Laser Regatta in 1991. Moreover, it is located in the middle of the city, which means less hassle in the transportation of boats, sailors and maintenance crew. Also, it allows more people to view the events. All these factors give Hyderabad an advantage and we are hopeful that this city will produce more top level sailors,” he says.