Google Trends highlights an unambiguous spike in the number of searches for a particular sport during the first week of August. A sport that only a few had heard of, let alone comprehend the rules and be familiar with the emerging talents. A sport that has been overlooked since its inception, and its players who are lightyears away from reaching the echelons of ‘superstars.'
Lawn bowls has been played in India since 1930, but it was only on 2 August, 2022 that it became popular across the nation, as four women created history by winning the maiden medal in the sport at the Commonwealth Games. That too, the glittering gold.
Police constable Lovely Choubey, physical education teacher Pinki, sports officer Rupa Rani Tirkey, and forest officer Lovely Choubey scripted history in England’s Birmingham. Not only did they play the sport not many knew about back home, but they played it well enough to stun the world and become champions.
Fab Four Experiencing New Lives
For them, life has taken an alacritous turn, albeit for the better. Congratulations, awards and garlands were in order when they returned to India, and since then, they have been provided with a taste of what the celebrity life is all about.
A meeting with the Prime Minister, an appearance on a popular comedy show, and a plethora of accolades—the last few months have been nothing less than a dream for the marvellous quartet.
Pinki, a physical education instructor at Delhi Public School, once had to be on unpaid leaves to participate in tournaments, hoping her sporting commitment would not have any adverse effect on her job. However, her gold medal has elevated her to the status of role model.
"We are now getting recognized and are being treated with the utmost respect everywhere. After returning to India, we were able to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as comedian Kapil Sharma. For us, those were dreams we never quite thought we would realize, but we have," she informs The Quint during an interview.
Before the Commonwealth Games, not many of her pupils were aware of what their teacher does, but it is a completely different story now.
With indelible pride discernible, she informs "The young kids are now interested in playing the sport. One of these days, we asked the children to draw their idols, and a kid drew me, saying I am the biggest inspiration. You can understand how special a feeling that is."
Indeed, the journey from oblivion to stardom has been nothing short of special. Speaking on how life has changed for the players, the President of the Bowling Federation of India (BFI), Ravi Bengani informs The Quint "It has been a completely different story since the Commonwealth Games. One part of the improvement pertains to recognition—the players are now attending shows, meeting the Prime Minister, and getting felicitations and awards. Another aspect of it is their jobs, as all of them received promotions after their success."
Sport Yet To Be Officially Recognised by Government
Yet, beyond the glitz and fulguration, there lies a crucial problem: the CWG gold medal-winning sport is still not officially recognized by the government. Subsequently, the organization is not able to request funds under the annual training and competition calendar.
"What we are lacking now is official recognition, which will help us considerably in financial terms. I hope it happens soon, because the government officials have promised that, and we are maintaining constant correspondence with them," informs Bengani.
The board has taken steps by hiring industry experts to rope in sponsors, but Bengani believes they can only do so much without government recognition. "As for the steps we are taking, we have set up a sponsorship committee, which includes specialists in this subject, to bring in sponsors. But we will still need government recognition to be financially sound," he says.
From an individual perspective, Pinki also expresses concern about her future, with job security and flexibility still proving to be an issue. "I have received everything, barring a government job like my CWG teammates. It is difficult to be a teacher at a school, while also being a professional athlete. I can only hope my schedule does not hinder my growth as a player," she admits.
A government job will do a player the world of good. For the board, nothing will mean more than government recognition. But amid the hurdles, there is an unadulterated, unanimous attempt at growing the sport, ensuring consistently that the hype does not die anytime soon.
The immediate goal, Bengani says, is to take the sport to every state, and then encourage schools to allow kids to take up the sport. Plans are also in place to start new academies.
If only the funds start flowing in and if only the future starts looking a bit more certain, there is plenty left to be achieved.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)