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| Forget
cricket, it's all about baseball in Manipur:
Cricket is, by far, the most popular
sport in the country, but that certainly doesn't seem to
be the case here; more and more youngsters are taking to
baseball in Manipur
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| RX
FOR A HEALTHY HEART |
| PRINTED
CIRCUIT |
| BOOKEND |
It is 8 a.m. on a sunny Sunday
morning in a nondescript town (which, sadly, for all its scenic
charm, has become a garrison town); a bunch of around 20 boys, mostly
still at school, is out practising a game of baseball. If this were
Middle America or Cuba or even Japan, chances are, you wouldn't
be reading about them, at least not here. We're talking about them
not only because of the unlikely setting but also because, if Manipur's
capital Imphal capitalises on a us-led initiative, this quaint little
strife-torn town could carve a niche for itself as the centre in
India for one of the world's wealthiest sports.
This story has its origins in a visit back home, in 2005, to
Manipur by an expat from New York City (NYC). "I always wanted
to initiate a process that could help develop baseball in the
state," says L. Somi Roy, a documentary filmmaker. Roy went
back and, along with a couple of other baseball enthusiasts, founded
First Pitch (FP), with the objective of facilitating the promotion
of the sport in the state. Result: "Manipur Project"
was born. FP succeeded in getting Major League Basketball (MLB),
the governing body of the sport in the US, and a couple of other
bodies on board. "We really did not know much about Manipur,
but it sounded like a good opportunity and we got interested,"
explains Jim Small, VP (Market Development), MLB, whose annual
ticket revenues from over 60 countries are estimated at over $3
billion (Rs 13,200 crore). The first camp, a 10-day event, was
held in Imphal in November last year and trained 30 local coaches.
MLB's coaches held two more camps at Goa and New Delhi, the only
other centres in India for baseball.
To be sure, Manipur, which frequently outperforms other states
in national sporting events, has for long been home to the sport.
"Imphal, with a population of just under 5 lakh people, has
at least 22 registered baseball clubs; up to 300 boys play the
game seriously here," informs Roy, adding: "but the
state association, and, indeed, others nationwide, has rudimentary
facilities and old and inadequate gear."
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| One
step at a time: Many
believe that Manipur can actually be a good launch pad for
baseball in India. The sport is already a part of popular
culture there |
Baseball first came to India in the early 80s, and the first
"official" match at the national level was played in
1985. And, this will surprise many, the country even has a national
team, but it fares insignificantly at the global level (why does
this sound familiar?). "We have associations in almost every
state, and there are up to 600 players playing the game at the
national level, but there isn't enough money in it for players
to subsist on it," laments P.C. Bhardwaj, Secretary, Amateur
Baseball Association of India, which sustains on government grants.
What ails the sport in India is not very different from what hinders
most non-cricket sports activities in the country, but baseball,
say experts, is uniquely positioned as the only viable alternative
to cricket in India, primarily because of its format. "The
fact that Indians are familiar with a bat and ball sport is very
helpful," says Small. "Moreover, Indian students constitute
one of the largest foreign student groups in the us. We're confident
that when they return, they'll take some of their interest back
with them."
This is not to suggest any impending threat to cricket, but
such a scenario cannot be ruled out in future. "If you were
to pit the two sports against each other, you'd find that in relative
terms, baseball has grown faster than cricket in the country,"
says Bhardwaj.
For a new sport to take root in any society, say experts, it
needs to be helped along by two inextricably conjoined factors.
First, there has to be an appetite for the sport among the local
people, which in turn can be kindled and nurtured by sustained
government support. On the first count, Imphal has an inherent
advantage, as the sport is a part of popular culture there. "Even
the militants do not object to it; so Manipur can actually become
the launch pad for baseball in India," says Geet Lairenjam,
FP's local Convener in Imphal. But for it to gain popularity nationwide
(and it remains alien to most Indians), it will have to enter
people's drawing rooms. "We currently broadcast up to five
games a week in India on ESPN-star," says Small, "and
are already in talks with Doordarshan on terrestrial telecast
of the games."
Publicly, all stakeholders claim that the government, both at
the state and national levels, has pitched in with monetary, infrastructural
and institutional support, but privately, they admit that not
enough has been done. The first dedicated baseball stadium is
soon slated to come up in Goa; the equipment (all of it imported),
however, is hard to source (see Know Your Baseball Kit). "We
have been lobbying with the government to reduce duties on gear,
but for prices to really come down and become more easily available,
the equipment will have to be made in India," says Bhardwaj.
As of now, though, FP and MLB are unwilling to talk about how
much money is being invested in the game and via the "Manipur
Project" and where it's coming from. "It's early days
yet," says Roy, "so, we are treading carefully."
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