Is this the end of the road or a new beginning?

Susan Das Chaudhuri
It was their moment in the spotlight. They were the winners of the Oil India All Assam Junior Tennis Championship 2008-09 held at the Zaloni Club, Duliajan. Their names were written in their own sweat and tears…. Alok Triparthi, Suddhanta Mahanty, Somaya Begum, Maurisha Dutta, Manaswani Hazarika, Akrasis Talukdar, Shubhrashankar Paul, Innocent Lalrindika, and Lalramimawia. Each one of them had had their share of glory and sense of achievement during the week beginning 19th January 2009. But where do they go from here? That is the big question! Not so long ago, we have seen sons and daughters of better known players dominating the Indian tennis scene. Today, a tennis prodigy need not come only from a tennis family. With the emergence of players like Sania Mirza, Somdev Dev Varman and Yuki Bhambri, it is clear that any player with dedication, hard work, unwavering commitment and the correct attitude could well make good. Nothing feels greater for a sportsperson than the donning of national colors. The pride of being selected as a member of the Federation Cup team to represent India at Philadelphia in 1976 and at London in 1977 is not yet forgotten. This feeling comes back to me now and again when I see the new crop of players representing the country. I know how they would be feeling. The fact that I had played the Qualifying tournament for Wimbledon at Roehampton in England during my younger days was itself a great opportunity and honour. The triple-crown in the Sri Lanka Open Championship is still fresh in my mind. Expectations and opportunities however, are far greater today though efforts and zeal were no less in those days. This bodes well for the game of tennis as for all other sports. And judging by the numbers participating in talent hunts and turning out to play tournaments, the popularity of the game appears to be on the upswing. Media focus and the awareness of what icons enjoy in terms of glamour and money has without doubt played a significant role in this enhanced popularity of the game. One of the greatest motivations for the young would be the adventure of setting sail for distant places beyond the shores of the country; something that is increasingly taking place, what with tennis scholarships galore. Sports can never be boring or tiring if goals [both short term and long term] are tailor made and chalked out for every individual youngster and if he is guided and encouraged to get there. All things being equal, what makes one person do better than another? It is perhaps the burning desire inside. With Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States of America one would have thought that the civil rights struggle has been won. But finding Obama having to take his oath for the second time as a measure of abundant precaution makes us think again. We realize that what has actually been achieved in the civil rights struggle is merely the crossing of yet another milestone. The stark reality is the ruthlessness and demands of the system, and the need to meet challenges to get to finish the final lap. My recent visit to Duliajan on the occasion of the inauguration of the Oil India All Assam Junior Tennis Championship was an eye opener to a whole lot of new opportunities now available to our youngsters. Oil India has been promoting tennis in this part of the country since ages. Its role has however been restricted to being a sponsor of tournaments conducted by Clubs and Associations. A commendable role. However, judging by the overall standing achieved so far at the national level by players from this part of the country, one would agree that little has so far been achieved in terms of building on potential talent. The recent tournament in January of 2009 at Zaloni Club was a happy mix of good organizing and display of good talent. The players were well taken care of, making it easy for them to perform. I was delighted by the environment. Talking to the children about their participation in the tournament at Duliajan, the common refrain clearly was that all tournaments in the State ought to be conducted in a similar manner. Very correct! That is definitely likely to enable single minded focus on the game and performance since all other worries have been taken care of. Oil India has been doing creditably in acting as sponsors of tennis tournaments. I however wonder if it would be within the realm of possibility for Oil India to enlarge its role and shoulder the responsibility of undertaking an ongoing project with the sole purpose of nurturing and promoting talented tennis players so as to produce Grand Slam Junior singles winners like Yuki Bhambri or at least a National Champion from this state? ……..Maybe by sponsoring a couple of talented players to a reputed Tennis Academy within the country. Or by setting up and maintaining its own tennis school? It may be well worth the trouble to examine the feasibility of the idea.One would like to think that it could well turn out to be the beginning of a happy journey for the State and its potential youngsters. If it does, it would certainly be a feather in the cap of the our homegrown oil corporate in the State!The author is a former national tennis champion. She can be reached at susanchaudhuri2@ yahoo.co.in source: assam tribune