Games and Sports in My Life
Author : Dr. K.S. Kang
I
enjoyed an intimate relationship with games and sports, despite my weak
constitution- particularly lungs- due to my school which was a predominantly
residential school with a military based training. So it had all the
facilities, grounds and equipment for almost all the modern games like Tennis,
Football, Hockey, Cricket, athletics, badminton, table-tennis, basketball, and
even baseball and volleyball. So in my school days I learnt playing almost
every game except volleyball. As a person at a sumptuous banquet is unable to
eat anything properly so I also changed games according to occasion and
season,. When there was any major contest in Hockey going on in the world like
World Cup, I and my friends used to come out in the ground with hockey sticks;
and whenever there were any cricket series going on in the country against
England, West Indies or Australia I used to play Cricket regularly but this
tendency made me Jack of all games and master of none. The main handicap that
put hurdles in the path of my becoming a good player was my weak lungs and poor
stamina, as I suffered from Pneumonia in my childhood that later developed into
chronic ailment of bronchial asthma. I started learning and playing tennis
seriously after passing my eighth standard. I was fortunate that my father had
also learnt playing tennis after he had joined this school. So he had a wooden
racquet of Symonds that I used to start my game of tennis. However, I made the
full use of playing facilities in the campus and learnt playing Hockey,
Cricket, Table Tennis, Badminton, basketball, football and even baseball and
billiards. Here I must confess that I could not learn playing volleyball though
it is quite popular game in Indian scenario. I thank my alma mater for providing
the latest and state of art facilities in modern games like Cricket, Tennis,
athletics and gymnastics that inspired me to learn these games.
After
passing through various grounds and games I finally decided to settle in Tennis
as there was no competition in that field at that time and secondly my father
also played this game with wooden racquet so I could use or share his racquet
because he still played Tennis though he was more than fifty years of age. From
this game I not only learnt volleys, forehands and backhands but gentlemanly
behavior with my seniors, teachers and administrators as well. Most of the boys
in those days were not allowed to play this game but as I was member of
teaching faculty so I had an edge and opportunity to learn and play this game.
In those days mostly wooden racquets were used in Badminton and Tennis and it
was necessary to keep them in wooden frames to prevent them from bending during
the monsoons. Though I had to struggle against various setbacks like weak
stamina and weak shoulders that prevented me from becoming a good tennis player
as I could not volley and serve powerfully yet I continued this game even after
completing my higher education and I started working as college teacher. My
first posting was at Karauli where there was a tennis court that was entirely
available to us as there were only four people in the town who played this game
regularly- Additional District Judge, College Sports Officer, a government
doctor and myself.. At this juncture there was a valuable addition to our club
in the form of Mr. Rishibhan Chauturvedi, who was also an English teacher at
the college and former no. 3 player of Tennis in Rajasthan. His company
improved my game a lot till I was transferred to another town Bharatpur in
1990.
Though
I had played all the modern games but I tasted my success in a very strange
game or athletic event named three legged race at Karauli. The occasion was
annual sports day of the college. This event was held for teaching faculty
only. It had to be run in pairs in which one of the leg of both the runners was
tied up and the pair had to run in coordination with each other. My partner was
also of almost of my height and stature. There were five pairs in the race. The
victory fell on us in an equally strange manner. At the beginning of the race
the position of our pair was at number four. It was nearly impossible to beat
the first pair as they were quite fast and won the race hands down. Luckily for
us the second pair lost their balance and fell on the track and not only did
they fell but they fell in front of third pair as a result of which they also
fell on the track after losing their balance and so our pair finished the race
at second sport. However, we managed to keep ahead of last pair. So we were
given a brass peacock by the Chief Guest of the function who was none other
than Director of College Education Rajasthan.
When
I came to Bharatpur in 1990 I continued playing Tennis as fortunately there was
a Tennis court in the college campus. Here also nearly half a dozen of my
colleagues played this game. Here we organized an unofficial tournament of
Tennis among the faculty members of the college and I tasted success by
becoming the runners up of this contest as I reached finals easily and I lost
to a more experienced and a better player. So in Tennis this was my first
success even though I was not the winner of the contest.
I
tasted success in the field of athletics at Government College Kekri and the
occasion was again Annual Sports Day of the college. This success was in the
field of throws and that too shot put in which iron ball was to be thrown as
far as possible. One of my colleague was injured also in it. However, I
succeeded here also in securing second spot in the contest and was awarded a
metal miniature trophy by the local M.L.A, who was chief Guest of the function.
I was naturally overjoyed by this success as this was my first success in the
field of athletics and that too throws. However after 1991 I could not keep
continuity in playing Tennis as I had to commute daily from my place of
residence to my place of working for nearly four years.
In
1995 when I was posted back to my place of residence I thought about restarting
playing Tennis. In this venture I was encouraged by my father and my friend
Sharad Gangwar, who was then Secretary of District Officer’s Club Chittorgarh.
He enrolled me as the member of the club that had facilities of playing Tennis
but still I could not continue this game regularly. But still I played off and
on with the veterans and youngsters and during summer vacations I lost nearly 3
kgs of weight due to this game as the temperature soared above 40 degrees
Celsius. But now besides dearth of stamina I had to face trouble of weakening
legs and knees as I was approaching 40 years of age. After three consecutive
days of playing it my knees started aching almost unbearably. One day another
moment came in my life when a South Korean gentleman working in a firm to help
the Zinc factory in the town came to play the game. He was hitting the balls
alone. Luckily at that time I was in the district club and I started playing
the game with him for some time. This was a historic moment for me as for the
first time in my life I was playing with a person who did not belong to India .
But
the crowning moment of glory of my Sports life came in 2017 when in the month
of September my town organized State Level Civil Services Badminton and Tennis
Tournament. I became the member of the team of my district Chittorgarh as in
Veteran category above 55 years there was no civil servant in the district who
played Tennis. Though I did not win a single game in this contest but owing to
intelligent planning by the Captain of my team and luck draws our team
succeeded in reaching the finals of the tournament and were runners up as we
lost to Secretariate Jaipur team in the finals. Collector of the town Mr.
Inderjeet Singh, who was chief guest of closing function, honoured us by
individual as well as runners up trophy to the team. Here I would like to
record my indebtedness another collector of the town, Mr. Ravi Jain who was a
good tennis player and who played a key role in laying synthetic tennis courts
replacing the cement courts in the premises of the club.
Unable to find good partners in
games and due to my own growing physical incapacities I found a game that I
have named as Roncho that I can play in my house so as to keep myself fit. In
this game I used ping pong ball and wooden racquet and played it like a squash
hitting the ball against the wall of the room. I have found that this game is
quite manageable to the people of my age group and help in retaining the
fitness in the old age. N this game too I had devised three events. The first
event is that in which you have to use only forehand in returning the ball. In
the second event you have to use only backhand and in the third event you have
to use forehand and backhand alternatively to return the ball. O.K see you
after some time as it is time to go for another round of this new game Roncho.
