Revive club badminton

Bangalore, 13 February 05:

THE inter-club badminton tournament which ended at KBA last night witnessed a carnival atmosphere, the likes of which have never been seen during recent National-level tournaments in Bangalore. East Cultural Association (ECA) won the title after a close contest with Indiranagar Club, leading to wild scenes of celebration among family and friends who had gathered to cheer the players noisily.

The ambience during the final and semifinal days was in sharp contrast to the sombre mood of the audience during the other, more 'serious' tournaments such as the State or National Ranking tournaments. Even as some young -- and several creaky old -- members ratcheted one point after another, the crowd went wild. As ECA won the final point, the audience spilled into the courts, hugging each other and shouting wildly.

Isn't this what badminton is supposed to be about? There is a funereal atmosphere to all the top badminton events today. The fun has gone out of the game, replaced by a cold, win-at-all-costs attitude. Perhaps it has to do with the game getting more professional, calling for more commitment and seriousness. But along the way, we seem to have lost a big element: spectator participation.

The game has evolved in the peculiar sociological time-space of the city in India. The high cost of the game hasn't encouraged rural participation, and is thus dependent on the evolution of the city. The Real Estate boom in all the major cities in India, for instance, has meant a proportional decrease in sports infrastructure. (To put it simply, there is more money in building an apartment than in a stadium, which requires more space and generates lesser money.) The only institutions which build courts are high-profile corporates or 'international' schools, which effectively shut out a large percentage of sports lovers. To make it worse, the older clubs themselves have intimidating (and expensive) restrictions on membership, enabling only the rich to access the courts and other infrastructure.

Whatever be the recent nature of club badminton in India, it wasn't always like this. There used to be 'tin-and-bottle' tournaments among the Bangalore clubs in the late 1950's, which was as much a social pastime as competition. Members were required to bring snacks and drinks, and the winner would get a special treat. In the 1960's, an inter-club league developed, with intense competition between Canara Union, Malleswaram Association, Century Club, ITI, and the others. All the state players of those days were active on this circuit. The league had a "home-away" system, just as in the Davis Cup matches. The league died down when the clubs started conducting tournaments and open events became popular in the mid-60's.

What the league did was encourage family participation. An open event restricts interest to the individual player; there is an element of self-centredness. In a club match, on the other hand, the interest goes beyond the individual; team effort is more important, and there is greater enthusiasm in the performance of team mates. Badminton becomes more than just an individual sport; being part of a team leads to better social skills and community participation.

The dying interest in club badminton ran parallel to other factors, such as television, gruelling work hours, lesser free time and higher costs of living. Strangely, through the late 1980's and 90's, lesser young people took to the game in clubs. The only ones playing were elderly gentlemen out for a spot of relaxation, or national-level players who trained under a coach. Kids would come in only during "summer camps" when their parents were glad to have the buggers occupied with something other than destroying stuff around the house. After the vacations, the kids mysteriously disappeared, back to their schools and ordered lives.

What had happened to the teenagers in the game, the ones who weren't playing competitively but nevertheless liked the game? This breed became almost extinct, the reasons for which may be found in socio-biology or social economics. Were they lost to the game ever since professional courses such as engineering and medicine became a social craze? Were they lost to the game because the only free time they had outside academics was spent at the pubs and discos? Were they lost to the game because club managers looked haughtily down and asked them to pay a lakh rupees as membership? We might never know.

We now turn to the larger picture, to see what we missed. Bombay has the only worthwhile inter-club system in India that's worth emulating, with a prize money of Rs 1 lakh. But we may look at the examples of Denmark, England, Indonesia and other badminton powerhouses, and we'll get an answer as to why they are so far ahead of us in the game.

Clubs in Europe hire players from Asia and elsewhere on a contract system. Great Indian examples are Prakash Padukone (Hvidore Club, Denmark), Gopichand (FC Langenfeld, Germany) and Vimal Kumar (Surrey, England). Even despite the highly individualistic lifestyle in Denmark, there is great participation in inter-club matches, as Prakash found out.

Vinod Kumar, winner of several National doubles titles, was one of the 'mercenaries' for ECA last night. He fondly recalls the days of the inter-club league in Trivandrum. The Sree Mulam Club produced several state and national-level players, including himself, Vimal and TA Balachandran. Sadly, the club went on the decline after a change in management, and one is more likely to find social drinkers there than badminton players.

Much the same happened at Malleswaram Association. Having produced champions of the order of Prakash, Kiran Kaushik, Narendra Ubhayakar, SRK Murthy and others, not to mention table tennis stalwarts like K Nagaraj, B Saikumar and K Jayant in the 60's and 70's, the club is in its death-throes as far as badminton or table tennis is concerned. Saikumar credits this development to the bar. "Sports and drinks don't go together," he says. "The drinking culture somehow discourages the development of the sportsman." Indeed. The (Western?) club drinking culture has invaded the hallowed court of the badminton player.

Vinod is himself excited at the possibilities of the inter-club league. "Look at the European clubs. They fly in players from China and Indonesia for the weekend matches," he says.

Vinod believes club badminton will popularise the game, which otherwise is "dying". "Look at all these players," he said, pointing to the creaky old gentlemen. "They are the only ones playing in the clubs. Where are the youngsters?"

The inter-club league in Bangalore was revived in 1997, and went on till 2000, when it was conducted by KBA. Immediately thereafter, KBA was disrupted by internal feuds. This year, under a new committee, KBA hosted the league again. There were 16 clubs, and the ties were played under a best-of-seven matches system. All the matches were doubles: two open doubles, two over-35, two over-45, and one mixed doubles. Several sponsors were roped in, including Yonex, who sponsored the shuttles. There was no prize money, but for next year, a rolling shield has been instituted.

Indiranagar Club was the best prepared, but ECA pulled a fast one by 'contracting' former international Vinod Kumar -- who coaches at the club, Padukone Academy coach Balachandran, and Karnataka state coach BN Sudhakar. ECA won after a surprisingly tough fight. Its success has encouraged ECA to scout further afield for the next edition. Other clubs may be better prepared next time.

So these are perhaps encouraging signs that things may change. But change towards what? Optimists may forecast great expectations -- that the clubs will once again foster competitive badminton, and that future international stars might be discovered in the league. Why isn't there a national league, for instance, along the lines of hockey and football?

These are possible. But if we are to dream, let's dream of more courts, more space to play, fewer forms to fill, and lesser money to pay. Let badminton courts flourish like snooker and pool parlours. Why not? Let's have some private enterprise. If space is a constraint... well, what do we have wedding halls and community halls for? Is there anyone who can set up badminton courts in all the wedding halls of Bangalore?

Remember, India's greatest player, Prakash Padukone, learnt his badminton in a wedding hall.

-- Badminton Maniac