The only natural ice-skating rink in S.E. Asia

By Jyoti Mahajan

THE sight of the capsule-shaped red balloon hovering majestically atop the Shimla Municipal Corporation building on The Mall brings cheer to the ice-skating enthusiasts who eagerly await the skating session that begins every year with the onset of winter.

Visible from a distance, the balloon provides a positive indication that a skating session is on in South-East Asia’s only natural ice skating rink in the ‘Queen of Hills — Shimla. As soon as the balloon is hoisted, lovers of the fascinating winter sport start converging on the rink to have a thrilling time. That means a vast smooth sheet of hard-frozen ice has formed on the skating rink — waiting for the adventurous to lace on their skates and sally forth.

On those favoured days, scores of youngsters (and a few veterans, too) glide and swirl around the oval rink. While experts seem to be virtually floating with effortless ease, the youngsters can be seen struggling to maintain their balance. They are balanced on the thinnest of thin blades... how do they do it? That’s a question only a beginner asks...but then there are always plenty of beginners, teetering on their skates.

Interestingly, ice skating and snowfall don’t go together. In a natural ice-skating rink, weather conditions play a crucial role. A clear sky is a must for water to freeze naturally. A few traces of clouds are enough to spoil the day. In fact, if the sky is overcast, the ice begins to melt.

The rink was founded by a Britisher, Blessington, in 1920. He chose a broad field below Scandal Point and next to the Cart Road, not far from the present Rivoli Cinema. A hillside covered with thick forest rose steeply from this spot and kept it in shade during the afternoon, which meant that the place was naturally suited for ice formation. Initially, the membership was confined only to the Europeans but later select Indians were also allowed membership in the club. Among the first Indians to be granted entry into the club were Misri Chand and Dr Sat Pal and for many years they remained the heart and soul of the club management. The club has the honour of being associated with the Portland Ice Skating Club of the USA and the Ice Skating Federation of India.

Easy accessibility has often put Shimla on the itinerary of visiting Heads of State, not to mention Cabinet ministers, industrial magnets and distinguished sportsmen, who often come to this hill station. Amongst the dignitaries and VIPs who visited this club were Marshall Joseph Broz Tito, President of the Social Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Ministers of India and Justice Hidayatullah, former Chief Justice of India. The Skating Club’s old album is filled with yellowing photographs of various dignitaries on holiday. But even more fascinating are the old photographs of filmstars Dev Anand, Nutan, Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna, Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini, Sunil Dutt and Rishi Kapoor. Umpteen films have been shot in Shimla and quite a few songs were picturised at the rink. Films like Mera Naam Joker, Woh Kaun Thi, and Jaanwar have scenes of the Ice Skating Club.

The skating rink has always been the place to be in on a cold winter day in Shimla. During December and January, the rink is covered with a layer of ice that is about 4.5 cm thick. This layer of ice is produced with the help of nature. The art lies in spreading water during certain hours of the day and night. The ice-making experts are all Garhwalis, who migrate to Shimla every winter. It’s well-paid work; their earnings during the short skating season sees them through a good part of the year. The technique has been handed down to the Garhwali highlanders by the Britishers. It was a Garhwali highlander from Chamoli who mastered the technique to freeze water under the sky in thin layers to get a 15-cm thick sheet of ice spread over an area equal to five tennis courts. Balwaan Singh has attained perfection in the art of freezing ice. His father Anand Singh and grandfather Avtaar Singh also worked as headmates at Shimla’s ice skating rink. Ice forms on nights that are cold and clear. The temperature does not fall sufficiently if the sky is covered by clouds. The art and dexterity lies in spreading water during certain hours of the day.

While snowfall is becoming increasingly elusive with changing weather patterns, the ice-skating rink continues to be the main attraction for the winter revellers who throng the queen of hills during Christmas and New year eve. Over the past 75 years, the club has produced some outstanding ice-skaters who excelled in ‘figure skating’, ‘couple skating’, and other events at the national level and even represented the country. Yet, unlike western countries, the sport here has little competitive element and is merely considered as a merry-making activity. The people eagerly await the fancy dress carnival, the annual gymkhana and exhibition ice-hockey matches which are held between Christmas and New Year.

From among the pioneer skaters, Shimla is still lucky to have Prof Madan Sharma, B.K. Parbhakar, Jugal Khanna and Mangat Dhanni. Some of them are still frequently seen on the rink. They have been active skaters for the past 35 years. Indeed, Shimla boys were Asia’s only skaters and torchbearers of the sport for many years. During the early seventies, the Bhutan Government especially requested skaters from the Shimla Club to establish an open-air ice skating rink at Thimpu. The Himachal Pradesh Government had dispatched a team led by B.K. Parbhakar to do the job.

In 1954, on a visit to Shimla, the Yugoslav President, Marshall Tito, watched an ice-hockey match. He was so impressed by the teams that he awarded a silver trophy to the winners of the annual tournament. Ever since, the Tito Trophy has been the prize most ‘coveted’ by the nimble young ‘blades of the rink. "Back in the 60s, the Tito Trophy used to pass back and forth between B.K. Parbhaker and me," recalls Prof Madan Sharma.

Besides ice-hockey, Profes-sor Sharma excelled in speed skating and figure skating. "In fact, the figures I could do on ice were always the delight of my heart," says Sharma who taught mathematics for many years. During the mid-sixties, young women were eager to be Sharma’s partner. Beena Braig, a famous ice-skater of yesteryear, was his constant partner in figure skating. Madan Sharma gets nostalgic and recites a poem he wrote to express the joy experienced by a skater.

"Indeed they are the chosen
Who love to ice- skate
Get all their worries frozen
And feel so good and great."

Professor Sharma says many couples found their life partners in the club.

However, sharp climatic changes caused due to the degradation of the environment in the recent years have considerably reduced the usable area of the rink and the duration of the skating season. The increasing population and the indiscriminate felling of trees and setting up of a bus stand adjacent to the rink have led to a significant increase in the temperature. Professor Sharma says, "The entire area was earlier enveloped by trees. Now, they have vanished, exposing a part of the rink to sunshine. This hinders freezing of ice even during December."

In order to overcome its perennial financial crisis, the club, last year, decided to expand its activities by introducing other indoor games. "We have added a billiards room, a card room, a table tennis section this year to attract sports enthusiasts throughout the year", says Bhuvnesh Banga, the secretary of the club. "In order to maintain the identity of the club as a winter sports body, a dual membership system has been introduced, allowing others to join the club" he says. Banga maintains that the club will continue to retain its distinct identity as an ice-skating club even after the introduction of other sports and cultural activities.

A major attraction of the club is the Fancy Dress Carnival, which is usually held around Christmas. This year the carnival is being celebrated on December 26. A week later, an annual gymkhana is held to select the best skaters. It is not hard to learn skating. It just requires strong limbs, a good sense of balance coupled with confidence, rhythmic swinging of the body and the concentration of an acrobat.

Amongst the young skaters, Peter Ta-Tung, a resident of Shimla, but of Chinese origin, has done wonders. He was the first Indian to represent the country at the Winter Games in Sappor, Japan, in 1986. He claimed the fourth position there. He glided off with the gold medal in figure skating at the 1994 carnival. The club celebrated its diamond jubilee with gaiety and fervour three years ago. Peter feels that the standard of skating here is poor as compared to the international standards. The upcoming skaters in girls section are Mandira Khanna and Anjali Sood who bagged the first positions in free skating and speed skating, respectively, in the National Winter Games held at Gulmarg last year. In the males section, Peter Ta-Tung bagged the first position in speed skating.