When Gurmeetsingh Mehtab, a Mumbai native, retired as an engineer a few years ago, his main concern was where he would find an adventurous and fun-filled life. His search led him to kayaking and he literally plunged in, with a strong paddle, to master his passion.
Amid the motley crowd, the Mumbai man stood out in his paddling costume. He carried the kayak quite comfortably to the starting point, with the zeal of a teenager. Crossing the bumpy narrow path and slippery rocks, he approached the starting point, where he was all set to begin a new innings in life with the seasoned men and women in the sport.
“Of course, this is my maiden contest in an international event and that too in a beautiful rural setting, where people are passionate about encouraging newcomers. I feel that my passion for kayaking was fuelled by the people here,” said Mr. Mehtab. He said he had embraced the sport recently and wanted to explore its possibilities.
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He also expressed his disappointment over the lack of proper publicity for the tourism and water sport amenities in Kerala. “I was really stunned by seeing the opportunities here for a professional kayaker to fine-tune his skills. If the authorities here are trying to project it in the international arena, tourists will queue up to see this location,” he said.