It is not just the champions who lift the profile of a sport. There are many, who just by participating, serve the sport as much.
Two such players are Vidit Gawri and Abhishek Pathania. Representing Jammu and Kashmir in the 7th 6-Red Nationals here, the two self-taught players have kept themselves abreast of the game in spite of many odds.
For Gawri, who has been a State champion in the traditional format for the past three years and a former India No. 5, the desire to be the best has seen him overcome the paucity of quality coaches and lack of a proper system back home.
Pathania, a State 6-Red champion for the past two years, says both of them egg each other on to keep up the spirits.
“We watch the videos closely and learn,” said Gawri. “There is nobody to guide us. We come to the nationals and see other players and learn,” he added.
Said Pathania, “we see these players and grasp whatever we can when we interact with them and practice to iron out our flaws.”
Gawri added, “we have our idols like Pankaj Advani and others. Wherever we can, we try to learn from them.”
Both of them felt that the lack of proper coaches was hampering the progress of the sport in the State. Pathania said. “We go back and both of us teach what we have learned.”
The duo also spoke about the financial aspect. “We do not have sponsors. So going to tournaments means spending from our pockets,” said Pathania. And they smiled at the irony saying, “the more we win, the longer is our stay here, which in turn increases our expenses.”
But it is an irony that they would rather have repeated. For now passion and the hunger to do well is what keeps them going.
And if the sport has to grow, it is such smaller centres which one needs to concentrate on.