Walking Around Matunga

Sports Culture

With the Olympics 2016 just ending in the exotic location of Rio in Brazil, debates have started doing the round of all news channels – “A nation of 1.2 billion people and only 2 medals” . The news anchors trying to out do each the other in dissecting this hot topic . Some exposing our Union Sports Minister’s selfie obsession with the athletes . The other exposing Haryana Sports ministers escapades at the Copa Cabana pubs and the Rio’s famed beach parties instead of meeting our Indian athletes and boosting their morale. Some other like the top rated news anchor of the #1 news channel shouting from the roof top and cutting out even the subject matter expert in his debates and Asking the question “India wants to know “ why we were not able to win more medals . Is it the apathy of our Sports Ministry or the lack of infrastructure or is it the lack of sporting environment and culture.

There is no perfect answer to the question Why ? But yes there are small small things that contribute to the success of a nation at the highest level of the games that are played at the Olympics. And that starts with the basic sporting environment.

To that extent I can say Matunga has a long history of sports friendly environment and laurels at the Olympics. You have most active and sports enthusiastic college like the Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts and Science my Alma mater and a well college in Matunga-King Circle. Their hockey teams have repeatedly brought laurels both at State and National championships. This college boast of Olympians like Balbir Singh, Silma D’Silva, Lorraine Fernandes, Joaquim Carvalho , Marcelus Gomes , Marl Patterson, Jude Menezes , Adrian D’Souza and Gavin Fereira as their ex-students and represented India in Hockey at the prestigious games. They also had S S Narayan representing  Football and  Mary Leela Rao participated in Athletics at the Olympics. The college has always supported sporting activities be it Hockey Football or Basket ball . Special attention is given to students joining from the sports quota and the management is more than happy to lend a helping hand to the student union if they come up with proposal for sports events.

Just next doors there is the Don Bosco School an equally sports friendly school and with a vibrant and active sports body run by the school. They are the only school in the vicinity with a full fledged Football ground and a champion football team . Students like Gaston D’Silva being selected for 2017 FIFA World Cup in under 16 category to represent the indian Football team. The students here train under the watchful eye of their coaches Mr. Leslie Machado, Mr. Mohan Pillai, Mr. Naresh Solanki.Their teams out playing bigger and better schools and winning State and National u-8, u-14  and u-16 football championships consistently.Besides bringing laurels in Football , they also have Basketball and hockey teams winning at the inter school and state level championships. The School is at the forefront in terms of sports promotion and nurturing sporting talents. The Savio Club operated and managed by the school administration and run on school premises has been active for more than 50 years. Every year during Summer Vacations this Savio Club hold various coaching camps for the children not just from the school but from outside. The Coaching camps are run by well know sports coaches and the students are taught all nuances of the sport. Be it Basket Ball , Tennis , besides the regular Cricket . They have great facilities for indoor sports like Carom and Chess.

All these facilities were available by becoming part time members of the Savio Club in summer vacations for a measly sum of Rs.30 per month. You could both enjoy and learn the chosen sport right here in Matunga. Today also this club charges minimal fees for the summer sports camps .It encourages the children to take up sports as hobby or even profession. Creating a pool of talented sports enthusiasts. Giving that much need boost to the activity starved kids of today.

Next I line for special mention is the local Basket ball club going by the name of Hooper Club. This club has a rich tradition of promoting Basket ball in the vicinity of Matunga , King circle and Dadar. Just as Shivaji Park is regarded as the mecca of cricket with its Cricket coaching nets, the Hoopers Club has been the mecca of Basket ball with its multiple basket ball courts and famed famed coaching. With active support of the local Corporator and Mumbai Municipality the courts have been upgraded from the red mud to cement courts and international games oriented Basket ball hoops.

The Hoopers Club has tied up with all the schools in the area for imparting Basket ball coaching. The students who want to learn and go ahead in the sport join their respective school teams which get trained at pre defined slots on week ends . The training stats as early ad 6 am. And continues through the day breaking only for lunch and finally winding up at 6 pm in the evening.

The other sport that is much in demand after Saina Nehwal’s bronze at London 2012 Olympics and this years champion P.V Sindhu bringing in the silver medal for India at Rio 2016 is Badminton. A real common mans game, all that is need are two players , rackets and a badminton cock and you are ready to play even below your buildings. Matunga boast of 3 international level wooden courts. One at the Matunga Gymkhana with its prime and proper enclosed indoor court. The membership for this is much saught after. Within the Gymkhana it has 2 wooden courts of great quality.  The other famous academy in the vicinity is the Padukone Shuttlers Academy , though not related to the famous Prakash Padukone , it is run by  a local Badminton player Jitesh Padukone . This academy is right behind King Circle Station on the Bhaudaji Road. It has good facility for the young shuttlers and teaching timings can also suit the students as it operates Monday through Friday between 3 pm – 7pm and on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am – 2 pm. Great way to gain practice and in focused environment. Due availability of these facilities and easy access to sports infrastructure Matunga has a well developed Sporting culture.

It’s these basic facilities that needs to be made available at the local level to our energetic and budding sports persons-young boys and girls. If local level administration too can get involved in providing best in class infrastructure it will go long way in creating the right sporting spirit  & overall sporting environment. This in turn will give a boost to creating a sports friendly localities at the bottom of the pyramid which will eventually lead to creation of a sports enthusiastic nation.

Then every four years , we will not be debating why we didn’t win medals at the Olympics but on the contrary we will be discussing  how many more medals we can win at the Olympics.

My Salute to all the sports persons and their coaches who represented India at Rio 2016 and brought name and fame to the country despite the pathetic infrastructure and lack of government support.And also hat’s off to the parents of these athlete for firmly standing behind their wards in their struggle.

Here's wishing we get more medals in Tokyo 2020....