Rohan Shrestha showcases home-grown basketball communities for the NBA

‘Home Court – Inside India’s Unique Basketball Communities’ is a coffee table book co-curated by NBA and photographer Rohan Shrestha to bring alive untold stories — from Sikkim to Tamil Nadu — through photos

October 12, 2019 01:39 pm | Updated 02:22 pm IST

Rohan Shrestha was introduced to basketball thanks to Michael Jackson’s ‘Jam’ video, which featured Michael Jordan. Since then, the celebrity photographer has been obsessed with the NBA (National Basketball Association). Combining his love for the game and his photography, he collaborated with the NBA to bring out a coffee table book titled Home Court – Inside India’s Unique Basketball Communities .

The North American league has been attempting to popularise basketball in India, and earlier this month, the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers were in Mumbai for a couple of pre-season games. To this end, NBA had tied up with Indian graffiti artists such as NME, Mooz, Minzo and Dexter for a campaign titled #NBAInMyBackyard, and launched a hip hop soundtrack in collaboration with Brodha V, Shah Rule, Madurai Souljour, Meba Ofilia and Frennzy. They inked a deal with Shrestha in September to work on this project.

Shrestha had been travelling across the country from early June this year, visiting communities in places like Periyakulam in Tamil Nadu and Dharamshala. “There were some very striking experiences; for instance, at Gangyap [in Sikkim], the girls would level the courts by hand. There was a familial atmosphere as they got together to do this. And then they go on to win the nationals,” he says. Following are images and excerpts from the book, which will further showcase the resilience and passion of these athletes.

Photos by Rohan Shrestha; words by Manan Dhuldhoya.

Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu: Periyakulam is home to an agrarian community who make their living off their land. It was here that the Sports Club was founded in 1942, with its first district-level tournament, organised by a Mr Subbiah. By 1960, it had grown into an all-India tournament with the Chidambara family’s patronage. Through the ’70s, the club played host to some of India’s best clubs and players. But by the early ’80s, the dynamics of the participating teams had changed. Demands for travel and miscellaneous expenses put a strain on already burdened finances, and in 1983, with much regret, Sourya Narayan decided to discontinue the tournament. PC Chidambara Suriya Velu played as a forward while growing up in Periyakulam, and later for his college team. In 1995, when his father suddenly passed away, he had to wrap up his life in Chennai and move back to Periyakulam to take care of the family business. Two years after he moved back home, he was approached by a delegation who wanted him to take up his father’s mantle and restart the festival of Periyakulam, especially their cherished annual basketball tournament, which had been dormant for 15 years. Since then, the town has come together: sponsors needed little urging to show their support via donations, cash prizes, gifts, gear, and even food and refreshments. The old boys of the club got deeply involved in the organising and ensured that, regardless of where they might be based, they would never miss the tournament, and that it would always be held from May 15 to 21. State officials recognised the heritage status of the Silver Jubilee Sports Club to host a tournament, re-establishing its standing in the larger basketball community. 2019 was a special year for Periyakulam, with the beloved club celebrating its diamond jubilee by hosting the 60th All India Basketball Tournament.

Gangyap, Sikkim: Gangyap is a tribal hamlet in the shadow of the holy Mt Narsing in Eastern Sikkim. This story is about a visionary young basketball coach, Siddharth Yonzone, and his effort to put together a dream team of fearless girls who love the game. In Sikkim, basketball has traditionally been played in the more affluent, private schools, but Siddharth was confident that his girls would be the first from the public-school system to make their mark. They started playing at the state level and were soon winning games by margins of more than 40 and 50 points! the phrase ‘Gangyap Style’, based on the popular Gangnam Style song, eventually became their war cry. Starting off from a make-shift muddy basketball court and a single post as a hoop to shoot at, to representing Sikkim at the national level, the ‘Girls of Gangyap’ made it big on their own accord, backed by their mentor’s passion and commitment. By 2014, the girls began graduating from school and by 2015, the original dream team had all moved on to colleges across India. As a mark of respect, their numbers were retired. But the students of Gangyap are striving to keep their legacy alive.

Nagpada, Mumbai: The locality of Nagpada in central Mumbai is home to a thriving, vibrant community of Muslims, most of whom have lived here for decades. One of the arterial lanes here is Dimtimkar Road, where a small quirk of civic zoning has had major implications for Indian basketball. The areas on either side of Dimtimkar Road ended up assigned to different zones. This ensured that Mastan YMCA and the Nagpada Court, though barely a hundred metres apart, would never be in the same zone. Each club’s players have always hailed from its neighbourhood — the club you play for depends on which side of the ‘border’ you are born on. And in this tightly knit community, this often means that players from one extended family end up playing on different sides of the court. One of the enduring legacies of Nagpada is Bachoo Khan (Mustafa Khan Zahur). Initially a volleyball player, he was approached by a director of the neighbourhood to coach the local children for a sum of ₹35 per month, and thus began the legacy of Nagpada. In the ’60s and ’70s, Nagpada’s players were recruited to play for institutions like the Railways, Police, Income Tax department, Navy, Customs, and several banks. By the ’80s, the club had produced 22 ballers who had played for India at the junior and senior levels. One of their star players won the Arjuna Award in 1970.

Karkadooma, New Delhi: At 19, Uma was left with a burning desire to fight for inclusive education for the differently abled when her older brother Arun Tuli lost his leg in a bike accident. Her aim was to sensitise children right from nursery. And so, in 1984, with the help of Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Jagmohan Malhotra, the Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust was given a plot in Karkadooma. Here, children are encouraged to play whatever sports they can — it was perhaps this energy that brought Varun Ahlawat to Amar Jyoti. A former state and national level baller who went on to build a career in advertising, Coach Varun, as his students call him, stepped back on to a court in 2014 after a break of 17 years and by the kindest twist of fate. The school his children were studying in had requested him to start a basketball programme on their campus. Within three months, the senior girls’ team were the district champions, and later that year, 10 of the 12 girls in the Uttar Pradesh Under-14 team were from his programme. His achievements with his school team brought him in touch with Carlos Barocca, Senior Director, NBA India, who made him part of NBA India’s coaching programme. In September 2014, he completed the FIBA-BFI Certificate Course and in December, he won the Best Coach (Delhi City) Award in the Junior NBA India programme. In early 2015, he invited Scott Flemming, the then head coach of the Indian basketball, team to conduct a coaching camp, which was followed by an invitation to the Basketball Without Borders international basketball clinic in Johannesburg. In just one year, he had achieved as a coach what he had never dreamed of as a basketball player.

Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh: The Tibetan settlements sprawled across the slopes of Himachal, just below McLeodgunj, is popularly known as Gangkyi (pronounced Khang ki) and is home to the Central Tibetan Administration. But perhaps the most visited institution here is the basketball court, placed perfectly on the edge of a slope. The court is not only one of the prettiest locations a baller could hope to sink a few at, but it is also the beating heart of the basketball community of Dharamshala. The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), founded in 1970, works towards the independence of Tibet and reaches out to governments, allies, and supporters to popularise the cause. YC also organises basketball tournaments for the community, which shows how ‘basket’ has been a part of the community here for nearly 50 years. The unifying power of the game did not go unnoticed in the monasteries around Dharamshala either. Paplung Sherabling Monastery introduced basketball on its premises by building a court, and the Dirru Sakya Monastery followed suit. Along with the physical exercise that the game offers the young monks who love playing it, the older monks also appreciate the mental agility that it demands and the teamwork it teaches. Some even liken it to meditation, which is what any baller who enters ‘the zone’ must be feel.

Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu: Periyakulam is home to an agrarian community who make their living off their land. It was here that the Sports Club was founded in 1942, with its first district-level tournament, organised by a Mr Subbiah. By 1960, it had grown into an all-India tournament with the Chidambara family’s patronage. Through the ’70s, the club played host to some of India’s best clubs and players. But by the early ’80s, the dynamics of the participating teams had changed. Demands for travel and miscellaneous expenses put a strain on already burdened finances, and in 1983, with much regret, Sourya Narayan decided to discontinue the tournament. PC Chidambara Suriya Velu played as a forward while growing up in Periyakulam, and later for his college team. In 1995, when his father suddenly passed away, he had to wrap up his life in Chennai and move back to Periyakulam to take care of the family business. Two years after he moved back home, he was approached by a delegation who wanted him to take up his father’s mantle and restart the festival of Periyakulam, especially their cherished annual basketball tournament, which had been dormant for 15 years. Since then, the town has come together: sponsors needed little urging to show their support via donations, cash prizes, gifts, gear, and even food and refreshments. The old boys of the club got deeply involved in the organising and ensured that, regardless of where they might be based, they would never miss the tournament, and that it would always be held from May 15 to 21. State officials recognised the heritage status of the Silver Jubilee Sports Club to host a tournament, re-establishing its standing in the larger basketball community. 2019 was a special year for Periyakulam, with the beloved club celebrating its diamond jubilee by hosting the 60th All India Basketball Tournament.
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