Sports - One word I have always used to describe my liking all my life. Just the smell of it and i will be there with my eyes wide open and raring to go... Somehow the jump, the spring in the toes have always infused life to my soul. It probably never was and never will be that i enjoyed a particular sport. I have enjoyed all sports i have been fortunate to watch all through my life. Be it cricket, tennis, badminton, anything... Who doesn't like watching Federer hitting those unimaginable angle returns, Andy Roddick's booming serves,Rafa chasing down those winners and picking them... Or Yuvraj hitting those six sixes in an over, Sachin cutting Shoaib for a six in world cup,Murali/Warne/Kumble spinning their magic with the ball...

My stint with sports started pretty early. I was always an athlete ... by birth... Probably my mothers genes passed on to me (I know i can never reach her heights- more on this later) I joined the athletics club near my house... Was too early in childhood to remember how i actually joined there... I was loving the rush to just go there and run... And i was the best (Only among my cousins :)) Participated in few tourneys, won few certificates and then got busy with studies...

Then came Shuttle/Badminton. Wow! I love this game and how! Just so beautiful... Probably my love for this game arises from the fact that you need quick legs and a little bit of stamina ;) Always used to play this with my mother (When i say mother, don't go by the fact that she is elder and cant compete with a school going child of hers... FYI She was her college captain in Shuttle/Ball-badminton, Volleyball, Athletics, Carrom. & .. Ok i forgot :P. Just the fact that being a PU (12th) student she captained 5 teams comprising students from degree college is a testimony to her talent) So when we 8 cousins used to play on the road in front of our home on in the compound, i was by far the best and my only competition was my Mom. Just love those days... Unfortunately there was no shuttle club near my vicinity and hence couldnt take my game to the next level.

What the absence of one does is result to the presence of another! I joined my cousin brother in the Table Tennis club in my previous school -PTA, near Ashoka Pillar Jayanagar 1st block. From there begins a journey to last forever...

So here I was in the TT club - Horizon watching my brother play TT. Due to some reason i had not got a TT racket for 3-4 days and used to just watch from sidelines people mastering each stroke and be amazed by them. Then the day came when i got my first "Hit-Back". Worth only few hundreds of Rs, it was an amazing feeling to have it in my hands and start playing. The first day itself my cousin lost to me :) Sorry Shreyas :) Though i dint play a classic, i still won within the allowed rules :)

I was pretty quick learner.So everyday i used to go back home pedalling on my Hero-Ranger bicycle thinking about the wins i had that day and feel happy. Monthly we used to have leagues on Sundays and it was the only way to challenge the seniors.

One vivid incident still fresh in my memory: This was the day i was playing Fareed - a player who had won the state championship the previous day. Since he stayed near to my house he was a friend and at times we used to go back home together. Coming back, this match arose the interest of many in the club. A six month player playing a 2 year pro.. With the whole club supporting the underdog in the closing time of the club, it really was a thriller and went to the very last point when I won! Still i remember my coach's face after the win.

My coach was so happy that he glued MarkV rubber to Hit-Back and told me to practise more topspin with it. As days passed i earned this merit of hitting topspin with lots of speed(and less or no spin) which amazed everyone in the club. Many thought it was a flat and with little cut and chop i wouldn't be able use my topspin effectively but it was not to be... I knew there was something wrong with it but since it was so effective i dint bother to get my basic technique right... (A mistake)

(To be continued...)