An everyday sight for Calcuttans wowed athletes who have sailed some of the mighty water bodies of the world.
Rarely have they rowed past bustling city traffic or heard the whistle of slow-chugging passenger trains while on a boat.
On the inaugural day of the 3rd International Friendship Sculling Regatta at Calcutta Rowing Club (CRC), participants were unanimous in their admiration for the venue — Rabindra Sarobar, “Dhakuria Lake” for Calcutta and the only rowing venue in Bengal.
Jack Beaumont, an Olympic medallist from the UK on his maiden India tour, was one of the admirers.
“I row on the Thames. The river has currents. The water here (Sarobar) is still. The sun is mild and the weather mellow. The conditions are perfect for rowing. But what impressed me most was the picturesque lake. It is calm and peaceful despite being in the heart of a city,” said Jack Beaumont, who won a silver in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 because of Covid).
From Leander Club in south London, Beaumont also represented Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He is on his maiden trip to India and the star attraction of the ongoing tournament, which ends on Saturday.
As a cluster of boats sailed on the Sarobar on Wednesday afternoon, the rowers onboard saw a constant stream of cars on the Lake Gardens flyover. Every now and then, they heard the whistling of trains entering or leaving the Lake Gardens station, the call to prayer from a nearby mosque and people walking up and down the hanging bridge in the middle of the lake.
James Shipton, 54, from Mercantile Rowing Club in Melbourne, Australia, had come to participate in his third regatta in Calcutta. The Sarobar has not ceased to excite him. He has grown up rowing on the Yarra. Shipton has also rowed on Lake Geneva, the Thames and Lake Barrington in Tasmania.
“I have been rowing for 35 years. This has to be one of the most picturesque rowing venues. Rowing courses are usually located outside the city or a metropolis. A course in the middle of a city is unique. It is a wonderful heritage. It is the only course where you can hear the call to prayer,” said Shipton.
A young team from New Zealand found the Sarobar “a picture of calm”.
“The course is peaceful and the conditions are perfect for rowing,” said Jack MacDonald, 24, from the Auckland Rowing Club on the banks of the Tamaki.
This year marks a century of rowing on the Sarobar. Calcutta Rowing Club, established in 1858 by British expatriates, is among the oldest rowing clubs in Asia. Originally located on the banks of the Hooghly, the club relocated to its current site at Rabindra Sarobar in 1924.
“Around 100 participants from various countries, including the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, alongside prominent scullers from India, are taking part in the regatta. We want to celebrate the rowing heritage of our city,” said CRC secretary Chandan Roy Choudhury.
This year’s regatta features three competitive events — singles, doubles, and quadruples.
For Major General M.A. Naik, 71, an Arjuna awardee who won bronze in the 1982 Asian games in Delhi, a Sarobar visit meant turning the clock back.
“I attended so many rowing camps here. I almost started my career in Calcutta. Sarobar holds a special place in my heart,” said the rowing veteran who traces his roots to Tral in Kashmir.
A trained mountaineer, skydiver and the first commandant of the Army Sports Institute in Pune, Naik was joined at the Sarobar by his teammates for the 1982 Asian Games.
“Rowing as a sport trains you for everything. A good rower will be good at any sport,” he said before heading to the boat for a practice session.
Indian Olympian Bajrang Lal Thakkar, who won gold in the 2010 Asian Games, is among the participants.
“The lake is smaller than international courses. But beautiful,” said Thakkar.