An evening walk on the grounds of the Bidhan Sishu Udyan leaves one spellbound by the host of sporting activities taking place there. On the left, past Bidhan Sishu Udyan’s organic vegetable market, are toddlers splashing around a 25-metre swimming pool, one ‘dubki’ at a time. Adjacent to the water, sit a group of youngsters indulging in yoga therapy, practising the 12 steps of the Surya Namaskar. There’s also Rabindrasangeet, art and foreign language lessons being conducted around the waters.
The right side of the ground has a basketball court, a cricket pitch, an athletic track and the most recent addition — a skating rink.
An overlooked sport
While Kolkata is known for its love for sport, skating is often overlooked. The advent of Bidhan Sishu Udyan Skating Academy’s 150-metre professional skating track, which is the longest in Bengal, brightens the future of Kolkata’s skaters.
The Bidhan Sishu Udyan Skating Academy’s 150-metre track is the longest in Bengal Arijit Sen
“In the past, we used the road track for both athletics as well as skating. But now, since our skaters are excelling at the sport, we’ve built a professional skating track,” says Gautam Talukdar, secretary of the Bidhan Sishu Udyan. The track has been financed by the guardians of the students enrolled at the Bidhan Sishu Udyan Skating Academy and the Bidhan Sishu Udyan.
The skating academy is headed by Victor Balmiki, a professional skater, who believes that enjoying the sport is far more important than excelling at it. “When students first join, they are usually only four-years old,” says Balmiki. “So, it’s our responsibility to introduce the sport to them and help them fall in love with it. I strongly believe that the first priority should be to enjoy yourself, and this is only possible if you love the sport,” he explains.
Incentive-based training
The Bidhan Sishu Udyan Skating Academy has three levels for skaters — beginner, mediocre and elite. The beginners are trained using an incentive-based approach and innovative games. “We teach beginners the basics of skating through fun games and exercises. We make them race against each other and then give them toffees at the end, which helps motivate them,” shares Balmiki. He also shares that when four-year olds are regularly crowned ‘champions’, it does wonders for their self-worth and self-esteem, making the sport all the more attractive.
The academy has three levels for skaters — beginner, mediocre and elite Arijit Sen
Once a student has understood the concept of skating, they move on to the mediocre level, where competitive skating is introduced. The Bidhan Sishu Udyan Skating Academy hosts club competitions, which are compulsory for all enrollees, to get them accustomed to speed racing. Once a skater is well versed in competitive racing, they enter open championships and national-level contests to fight for a spot on India’s podium.
‘Train well to perform well’
Seasoned skaters make up the elite level at the Bidhan Sishu Udyan Skating Academy. “The elite level go through rigorous training. They report on the Rajarhat main road at 4.30am every morning for a round of road training and then at BSU’s skating rink in the evenings for track training,” says Balmiki. When there’s a championship round the corner, the elite skaters pack in an extra session in the afternoons. “We need to train well in order to perform well,” explains Balmiki.
Young skaters take a break Arijit Sen
The meticulous training sessions paid off for the athletes at the academy. The home team has been the reigning champions of West Bengal, for five years in a row. “We have a number of exceptional skaters on our team who help us bag the most number of medals at every championship!” beams Balmiki. “To name a few, Riddhi Bharti and Ryan Mukherjee, who have consistently been medalled in the past.”
The home team has been the reigning champions of West Bengal, for five years in a row Arijit Sen
The academy’s true star is the doe-eyed six-year-old — Vidhushi Agarwal. She learnt how to skate at the Ultadanga rink and recently represented Bengal at the Delhi nationals where she bagged a silver medal for the state. “It was a real accomplishment for her because she is used to skating in the Kolkata heat. In Delhi, she raced when the temperature fell to 14 degrees and still won a silver medal. It was awesome!” says Balmiki, with great pride.
Vidhushi Agarwal, 6, a star of the academy Arijit Sen
Over the next few years, the Bidhan Sishu Udyan hopes to upgrade the amenities of the skating rink. “We still have work remaining at the rink. As soon as we collect enough funds, we will add lighting, fencing and other facilities, so this will be a real asset to the state of West Bengal. We look forward to hosting several competitions at the state and school level,” says Talukdar.
Details
- Admission charges: Rs 2,000
- Monthly fees: Rs 1,200 for twice a week, Rs 1,500 for thrice a week
Timings:
- Beginner and mediocre levels: One-hour sessions from 4pm to 5pm or 5pm to 6pm on weekdays
- Elite level: 1.5-hour sessions from 6pm to 7.30pm every day and 5am to 7am on weekends