Jharkhand’s reputed training centre located in Kharsawan, is all set for a revamp. Seraikela-Kharsawan District Archery Association (SKDAA), has sought help from its chief patron Arjun Munda to revamp the centre.

Munda, a former Jharkhand chief minister, had laid the foundation stone of the archery cradle in his capacity as Jharkhand welfare minister in 2005.

The district archery outfit has requested Munda, president of Jharkhand Archery Association, to help in setting up a multi-gym, a shade, separate toilets for trainees (boys and girls), sophisticated recurve and compound bows at the centre.

The training centre that’s functional at Damadiri ground in Kharsawan, the erstwhile princely town about 40 km from Jamshedpur, is at a non-descript state and runs from a community centre.

SKDAA secretary Sumanta Mohanty mentioned that the suggested facilities were for the trainees coming from the hinterland to get trained at the centre. “We have sought Mundaji’s help in sprucing up the facilities. We are optimistic that he would extend necessary help by arranging the required funds,” he added.

Speaking over phone from Kharsawan, Mohanty said, “We are doing our best to help trainees make progress. But it is not possible without the required facilities. Archery will get a new direction in the district if the facilties were in place,” Mohanty said. He further added that Munda had earlier provided 10 sophisticated bows for the trainees.

Union tribal affairs minister Munda, who also heads the Archery Association of India (AAI), is aware of the potential of archers from Seraikela-Kharsawan. and wants other district archery units in Jharkhand to promote the game (as well as archers) who can be guided in winning medals in national and international competitions. He is seriously working to promote archers in the rural backwaters across the country.

Seraikela-Kharsawan district has won plaudits from Munda for promoting the game and producing international archers. At present Munda's wife Meera is the president of SKDAA.

The likes of international archers Deepika Kumari, Paltan Hansda, Manjuda Soy, Mangal Ho have been trained at the Kharsawan cradle.

Prior to the pandemic around 25 (15 boys and 10 girls) archers belonging to the 8-18 age group used to train here in the Indian round (shooting with traditional bows and arrows as well as recurve and compound divisions.

Training is imparted by senior archers, including NIS (National Institute of Sports)-accredited coach Sumit Mishra. Experienced coaches Purnima Mahto and Dharmendra Tiwary as well as their counterparts from government-run cradle in Dugni (near Seraikela) B. Srinivas Rao and Himanshu Shekhar Mohanty make periodical visit to guide the trainees.

Mohanty said training at the cradle has been discontinued owing to the pandemic. “We would like to resume training once the Covid situation completely improves,” he added.