E-Paper
Pune on my mind: Pune now a great place for a career in something other than academics, says Purva Barve
I personally think that Pune has got all international-level facilities, great infrastructure and strong economic support
Pune is said to be the birth place of badminton and I am privileged to be born in the family where the sport is preached. My grandmother Sunila Barve was university champion of her time and father was a badminton coach during his heydays.
I began playing badminton at Solaris Club when I was seven years old. During those days as well I saw many people were following badminton, but in most places it was played as a recreational sport. Things have changed now. The game has evolved a lot and the perspective of people towards it has also changed over the years.
I learnt my basics under coach Rajashree Walimbe and soon started competing in local tournaments. I won my first badminton championship when I was nine, and soon I was runner-up in the under-10 category. I gained confidence while playing in contests and it helped me win tough matches.
During my initial days, I noticed that many of my age group were taking up the sport. A few of them were dedicated towards the game, but others used to just come for practice and were not sincere.
Under the guidance from my family and coach, I was always taught to compete hard on the court.
Over time, I observed people getting serious about the sport and talent kept coming from the city. In 2010, I started training at Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association (PDMBA) in Modern Sports Complex, Shivajinagar. It is a place where most of the city shuttlers practiced, from all age groups. There are many coaches who sweat hard to train young players. The city is blessed with many talented coaches who are helping churn out promising badminton players.
I switched from PDMBA to Nikhil Kanetkar Badminton Academy in 2011.
It has been more than 10 years that I am playing in Pune and the changes and progress I have seen through all these years is wonderful. Earlier, the city did not had many academies and professional training centres, but it was never short of talent. The number of players from the city taking part in tournaments has increased because of good facilities and talented coaches
I personally think that Pune is a great place to make career in something other than studies. It has got all International-level facilities, great infrastructure and strong economic support.
Parents should not pressurise their kids to make career in academics only, but expose them to other fields also, including sports.
Support from school and colleges are important. Government should contribute more actively for the improvement of the game. In a city like Pune, all the players who work hard every day to pursue their dreams should make use of the given opportunities.
My earliest memories of Pune:
We all know that Pune is a city where you have to leave your attitude behind because we have our own and it is one of the reasons why I feel so confident in whatever I do. Back in January, I was participating in Khelo India which was conducted at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi stadium. I was playing my first round and the stadium was filled with game lovers. I had so much support from the crowd which was something that made me feel comfortable and homely. I honestly feel that playing in your own city is worth everything.
One change that I want to see in Pune:
I would love to see more people playing outdoor games rather than using their smartphones and getting addicted to unnecessary things. The world is so much more than you think. Having a sportsmanship and positive attitude towards our game, academy, coaches, trainers are very important for our generation. The more you try the more you improve. Winning and losing is part of game, but for me never giving up is all that matters.