In September 2018, Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Dey Sarkar won the gold in the men’s pair event of the bridge competition at the Asian Games.

And suddenly a veil seemed to lift from the sport which, to many, was just a waste of time. Some even associated it with gambling. The country sat up to take notice and interest in the sport began to grow.

“Contrary to popular belief, bridge is by no means a game of chance,” Bardhan told The Telegraph on Monday. “It is as much a game of skill as any other sport, with excellence developing only after years of practice.

“It is a mind game like chess but more challenging. In chess you play against one. Here you are playing with a partner with whom you can’t speak during the match. You have to understand each other’s moves.

“Being a mind game, bridge helps develop a player’s patience and logical reasoning. It keeps one’s brain alert and active.

“Today I have a cool temperament. You will not be able to instigate me to react to any situation easily. I owe this to the game,” Bardhan added.

Both Bardhan and De Sarkar dream of opening an academy in the city.

“All we need is a plot to open an academy which can accommodate at least 30 students, a projector and a few computers,” said De Sarkar. “We can then hire a foreign coach to instruct our wards online on the finer points of the game.”

The duo, playing partners for close to 20 years, will of course be on hand to help and advise. Verbal discussions to help this long-time dream materialise, have taken place. The paperwork should begin shortly.

Bardhan narrates an interesting story of a village called Raibidpura in Madhya Pradesh. Though economically backward, almost every house in this village of 5000 people has a member who plays bridge.

The expertise of many is so high that several players are invited to national-level championships from the village. Bridge is bringing a ‘backward’ region enormous respect.

De Sarkar would like more from Bengal to take to the game. Last month he had taken a team to the World Youth Championship in Croatia. Of the 22-member team, six were from Bengal.

“Since we won the Asian Games gold, we have become somewhat of celebrities here. We are called to inaugurate pujas and as guests at blood donation camps.

“All that is fine. But I will derive greater satisfaction if I find more from Bengal playing the game. More so, if we find youngsters beginning to learn the game early. As of now, bridge is still marked as a game for ‘seniors’,” De Sarkar said.

When Bardhan, who is 60-plus and De Sarkar (55-plus) started playing, bridge certainly wasn’t a sport.

A few years back, when Bardhan was trying to get his passport reissued in order travel to Montreal to take part in a tournament, he was asked by the passport officer: “Aap jua khelne Canada ja rahe ho? (Are you going to gamble?”)

Those days are past. The game has bestowed much honour on the duo and both vow to bring the game to the masses and take it forward.