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| SPORTS TRIBUNE | Saturday, August 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Professor
of English, master of the gun Golf losing elitist
tag Awards panel okay but
aberrations exist |
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Professor
of English, master of the gun TEACHING English and shooting ‘birds’? Well, it’s a world that’s poles apart, though that’s what Professor Sunny Thomas has been doing all along!. Prof Sunny Thomas is a soft-spoken, unassuming man, who does not give out the impression of being an aggressive coach of a “killer sport” like shooting. A smiling assassin? Perhaps! This retired Professor of English has earned the reputation of being a coach who delivers. Ever since he assumed the stewardship of the national shooting squad over a decade ago, Indian shooters have won medals by the bagfuls— close to 500 from various international competitions. Yet, this talented coach never ever shouted about his achievements from roop tops. Prof Thomas can take justifiable credit for putting India on the world map of shooting. No one takes Indian shooters lightly any more. A lot of sweat and toil had gone behind the making of Indian shooters a force to reckon with. But it took the Government a little too long to officially recognise the contribution of this affable coach, when it became almost impossible to overlook his impressive credentials. The Dronacharya Award bestowed on Prof. Thomas was a befitting reward for his hard work and achievements. The whole Thomas family—wife Jossamma, sons Manoj and Sanil and daughter Sonia, along with their
spouses—were present to cherish their moment of glory when Prof Thomas was decorated with the Dronacharya Award for the year 2001 by President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at an investiture ceremony at the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, on August 29. Did the award come to him a little too late? Prof Thomas buries your query in a controlled smile. “Yes, my friends and well-wishers used to tell me that I deserved to get this award a little earlier. But I have no complaints. Perhaps, I deserved to get this award only now”, reasoned the seasoned coach. Prof Sunny Thomas’ association with shooting dates back to the sixties, when he took to the sport, like a duck to water!. And shooting become an integral part of his life when he emerged the national champion in rifle shooting in 1976. He continued his links with shooting sport even after he retired from competitive shooting in 1982. For, by then, he had begun training the Indian shooters. He took to full time coaching after retiring from the St. Stephen’s College in Kottayam, as Professor of English. He was appointed the national coach in 1993. Ever since, the fortunes of the Indian shooters have been on the upswing. His wife, Mrs Jossama Sunny, a professor of botany in the same college where Prof Sunny Thomas taught, says with a lot of pride, rather than remorse, that ever since he became the national coach, Prof Thomas has had very little time to spare for the family. He does not spend not more than 70 to 80 days in a year with the family. While Prof Thomas takes care of the Indian shooting team, Mrs Thomas keeps the home fire burning, without complaining. The government has acknowledged in its citation that Prof Thomas has “spotted shooters like Jaspal Rana and Vivek Singh”. The Dronacharya Award was bestowed upon him in recognition of his “exceptionally meritorious achievements in the field of coaching”. Though the government has put down the number of medals won under his guidance as 108 gold, 74 silver and 53 bronze medals in various international tournament, Prof Thomas begs to differ and says the overall tally is close to 500 medals, give or take a few medals here and there. Despite his high achievements, Prof Thomas does not live in a dream world. He’s very realistic about India’s prospects in the Asian Games at Busan. “Busan will be no Manchester. The competition field in the Asian Games will be very strong. In Manchester, we made some easy pickings. But Busan will put our shooters to a litmus test”, Prof. Thomas cautioned. Prof Thomas was happy that the Indian shooters were getting their due rewards. Jaspal Rana got the Padma Shri Award this year, and the Khel Ratna, Dronacharya and Arjuna Awards have added more lusture to the shooters’ sheen. He said the shooting squad would attend a coaching camp in Delhi from September 11 to 25, in preparation of the Asian Games. Prof Thomas said though India were comparatively strong in pistol shooting, the Asian standard was of world standard and even our best shooters like Jaspal Rana would find the going very tough. He said the world record in pistol shooting is 590 while the Asian record stands at 589. “Countries like China and Korea are very strong in pistol shooting, but in rifle shooting, the competition is not very strong, and India are coming up”, Prof Thomas explained. He said the “Champion of Champions” award won by ace woman shooter Anjali Ved Pathak during the World Cup finals in Munich recently, was a great achievement as she had beaten all the medal winners on way to the honour, which included two world record holders. He said in air rifle, India boast of a formidable combination in Abhinav Bindra, Anjali Ved Pathak, Suman Shirohi and Deepali Deshpande, while in pistol, the competition will revolve around Jaspal Rana, Samresh Jung and Anjali Ved Pathak. Prof Thomas will spare no effort to make the shooters “peak” for the Asiad, in the next few days. With every outing, he sets new frontiers to be captured. |
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Golf losing elitist tag GOLF with its growing popularity and consequent spread outside the exclusive circle, has nearly lost its tag of being an elitist game. Having played most of the field games right from my school days, without really excelling in any, I can trust myself to make a fair appraisal of the attributes of all these games. I therefore, with this wide perspective along with my 17-year varied experience as a golfer, avidly wish to let out the million-rupee secret that possession of normal physical fitness is the sole prerequisite to being a golfer and its relative expensiveness can, at most be a feeble inhibiting factor. All evidence manifestly proves that in Golf pedigree is less important than a golfer’s dedication and it is for sure that the next generation golfers won’t have to contend with Tiger Woods Jr. In fact, the golf course itself by providing the experience to tackle all the vagaries of the game is truly the breeding ground of golfers. The manner in which this game grows on one and the extent to which it dominates the sensibilities of the majority of the golfers, it is natural to concur with the truism that golf, more than a game, is a way of life. With the rapid increase in their numbers, the golfers with their own convivial folklore have gradually evolved into a distinctive group and are indeed a breed apart. Golf is the only ball game in which the ball is always stationary at the time of being hit and except, when being teed off, its position in the rough and sand bunker can pose a stiff challenge to any golfer. On the contrary, in other games, connection with the moving ball brings into play a whole gamut of dynamics, both aiding or resisting the intentions of the hitter. Deprived of this alibi, a golfer has to assume the entire responsibility of a bad shot and thereafter sheepishly go after the ball, approach it cautiously to obviate its accidental dislocation and then undo the damage by a bold or a safe shot. Address, a golfing term used for preparation of the golfer before hitting the ball, can be as brief as the swing taken to dispatch the ball or can get prolonged to a rigmarole, which easily convinces a non-golfer into believing that the golfer is trying to coax the ball to respond to the address. Any number of members of a family staying together would share a common address but no two golfers can have the same address. The whole set of 14 clubs of varying lengths and angles enable the golfer to hit the ball through intended or unintended trajectories and what is most important, through desire or unplanned routes in each of the 18 holes. The large number of shots needed to complete the round can range in distance from a tap to cover as shot a gap as a few centimetres up to a solid distance of 350 metres and each nudge, push or hit is guaranteed the equal status of one stroke. Since the total number of strokes taken to complete the round is what matters to a golfer, the egalitarianism inherent in this supposedly royal game is breathtaking. The unique concept of handicap in golf is a further vindication of its bent towards equality as each and every golfer either feels protected or exposed by his handicap. As such a golfer cannot afford the luxury of treating even a measly two feet putt with disdain. The indescribable contrast between the sublime sight of a shot soaring along the trees, crossing numerous obstacles over a never ending distance and the shocking defiance of the ball to a slight push to roll it into the hole, merely two feet away can push any golfer into a brooding mode. In such a state, until reversed by few glorious shots, even minor mistakes test his patience and contribute to breed despondency. Rather, a prolonged bad patch often convinces a golfer to start enjoying the scenic beauty and make the most of the opportunity of moving in a picturesque environment. A recent survey, conducted by a reputed agency in the USA revealed that around 80 per cent of C.E.Os cheat while playing golf. This high percentage certainly exposes the underside of basically a grownup’s game although the blot is somewhat dimmed by the fact that not money, but fear of being beaten and presumed loss of face for not being considered a decent golfer are the real reasons for this malady. The widespread desire among the golfers to be long hitters also arises from the same compulsions and their uncontrollable urge to gain a few extra yards have enriched the golf terminology with slicing, hooking, topping, grounding etc. However, the mother of all mishits, plain and simple duffing embarrasses even the initiates till they get enlightened that even low handicappers, after hitting with the slightest loss of concentration, can look silly. Very few golfers play without bets and they feel isolated and ignored as others avoid and do not enjoy playing with such devotees of pure golf. |
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Awards panel okay but aberrations exist IT is that time of the year once again. It is time for awards and rewards for Indian sports personalities from the government. The list announced for the Arjuna and other honours this year has evoked much less criticism than on earlier occasions if only for the fact that an attempt has been made to give more transparency to the whole process. And Prakash Padukone who heads the panel of the selection committee carries with him a halo of respectability which is the envy of many a sporting hero. No one will raise a finger on a decision taken by him and his panel. That is as it should be. But it would be wrong to hide under the respectability of Prakash Padukone and his eminent panel for quite a few of the aberrations existing in this year’s announcements. It must be remembered that the panel has to work within the confines of the canvas provided by the government. It cannot make a choice of its own. Thus the panel could be said to have done a good job within the parameters outlined by the government. But are the guidelines perfect? Or for that matter were the recommendations without flaw? It would be wrong to make an issue on the basis of the sportspersons who have been fortunate enough to get the nod for both cash and kind. It would be unfair to question their credentials to the awards. Yes, some awardees could be deemed lucky. But it would be equally unfair not to mention the anomalies in the guidelines which could and have tended to mislead the panel. Not that anything has been done deliberately but it would be unfair to ignore the mistakes altogether. Some sort of introspection is needed to ensure that mistakes are not repeated. It must be admitted that in the Indian context it is not always easy to iron out all the wrinkles at the same time. It will take quite a while for the whole process of awards and rewards selection to become totally free from controversies. Yet at the same time one cannot overlook the fact that a case can be made out for a number of people who have been ignored . And these people do matter. Yes we are talking about sports personalities who have missed out on the awards because of wrong perceptions. The Athletics Federation of India which for years refused to recommend cases on its own more as a protest against the arbitrariness of the ministry in the past did come around this year and submitted a list all its own. But not one of its nominees found favour with the selection panel. Thus one cannot blame Anil Kumar (discus), Bobby Aloysius (high jump) and Jagdish Bishnoi (hammer) among others for feeling aggrieved with the selection panel. While on the subject of athletics and in view of precedents and practice, it would not be out of place here to bring to the attention of the powers that be the overlooking of the performances of Amrit Pal , easily one of the most talented athletes of yesteryears and the late Sohan Singh, a prince among 800 metres in the 50s. Old stagers still talk about the versatility of Amrit Pal who began as a metre miler and then doubled up to make the grade in the 800 metres before becoming the country’s best in the 400 metres hurdles. And not satisfied he went on to make a formidable combination with the likes of Milkha, Makhan and Jagdish in the 4x400 metres relay. He represented India in both the Olympics and the Asian Games and his record in the 400 metres hurdles stood the test of time for nearly two decades. And as far as the late Sohan Singh is concerned he is still rated as one of the finest half milers of the 50s who, in many ways was far too advanced in technique for his time. According to those who were fortunate to see him running, he had the longest and most graceful strides in the history of Indian half mile. Considering the fact that India has produced some of the best half milers in the continent with Sri Ram Singh leading the field, it is saying a lot. A semifinalist in both the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, Sohan Singh certainly deserves to be remembered and his memory honoured. And at this juncture it would be also apt to recall the performances of discus thrower Balkar Singh who has yet to be recognised. Clearly some attempt must be made to rationalize the whole process with the stress always on performance instead of medals. It must be emphasized here that medals at Olympics need necessarily bring up the national record but not so in certain events in the Commonwealth Games. To give cash awards for performances even below Indian standards is ridiculous. Awards must be given only to those who perform better than the national records in competitions where the overall standards in certain disciplines is mediocre. One instance is the shooting and weightlifting disciplines in the Commonwealth Games. Here medal winners must be recognised only if their performances are better than those registered as the best in India. By appointing a special panel inclusive of top ranking and distinguished sportspersons, the government has gone a long way in meeting the demands for an honest assessment. But there is much more that needs to be done. |
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Boost for Indian football KUDOS to the Indian under-23 soccer team for winning the six-nation LG Cup in Vietnam. The Indians have been champions of the SAARC and SAF Games football competitions frequently, but it is after a long period that they have lifted a trophy outside these arenas. It is all the more commendable since 10 members of the team were newcomers and the new coach had taken charge just three weeks back. The success in Vietnam has come as a big boost to the game. G.
S. Jaidka, Chandigarh
II Kudos to India for winning the six-nation LG Cup Football Tournament in Vietnam. In an exciting final, they prevailed over hosts Vietnam 3-2 to register their first major victory in football in 28 years. They trailed by two goals to nil till a few minutes before the breather. But showing rare resilience, they rallied brilliantly under the captain and star striker Baichung Bhutia to restore parity and take the wind out of their rivals’ sails. And substitute Abhishek Yadav scored the winner in the dying minutes to clinch victory. The fantastic win will certainly give a boost to Indian football. Tarsem S. Bumrah, Batala
C’wealth Games Heartiest congratulations to all athletes and officials who achieved success at the Manchester Commonwealth Games. These athletes should now bring more glory to the nation in the forthcoming Asian Games to be held at Busan. Well done! S.S. Jain, Jalandhar
Toss To ensure that the home team does not prepare a wicket to suit its own requirements, the toss should be dispensed with and the visiting team should have the option to bat or field first. KJS Ahluwalia, Amritsar |
M. S. Unnikrishnan
