Being Inspired by Sportsmen at #Kabaddikabuddy meet

I love stories with happy endings. Well, don’t we all? Well I suppose the thing with stories is that they never really end. One happy ending is the happy start to another story. This belief of mine was reaffirmed when I met superstars of Kabaddi Pro League at an event organized by Sun Pharma. Volini, which is India’s leading pain relief product is has partnered with Pro Kabaddi team Patna Pirates and it is their official pain management partner. The event was an interaction with three Patna Pirates team members Rakesh Kumar, Ravi Dalal and Girish Ernak.

Rakesh Kumar, an Arjuna Awardee leads the Patna Pirates and is a Kabaddi veteran. He spoke of his humble beginnings and of the days when there was no ground to practice on. The boys would use plastic bags to carry water and prep the land before practice. He said that it is pure passion that has kept him and scores like him to keep going. He has played Kabaddi at regional level where there were no trophies. The winners would be given bowls and spoons instead. His journey from there to being the highest bid Indian player in 2015 Pro Kabaddi League is quite something.

A nation that has been cricket crazy for the longest time, is now waking up to other sports and Kabaddi is one of them. For all the bloggers who attended the event, it was heartening to hear the stories of the days when the players would use half cooked rotis to soothe their sore muscles. Today, they have support of several professionals and products like Volini to help them out. Renowned sports Scientist Shyamal Vallabhjee who is associated with this team said that Kabaddi is one of the world’s most physically demanding sports. There is fast paced action in every kabaddi game in a span of 30 seconds. As a result every player wakes up each morning with something sore. An athlete’s success is hugely dependent on the endurance of this physical pain. No wonder then that Volini is now partnering with this sport. Subodh Marwah, Vice President & Head Global Consumer Healthcare, Sun Pharma said “Kabaddi has a huge incidence of pain and injury. Thus, there was a need felt of a pain relief expert to enable players to bounce back quickly. Patna being the national Kabaddi capital and the only city in the country which has a separate Kabaddi stadium, we feel proud to be associated with Patna Pirates team as their official pain relief partners”.

That ladies and gentlemen is the happy ending of the player’s struggle in a sport that did not get the spotlight it should have. It is also the happy beginning of a new era of Indian sports where players get the best professionals to help them maximize their potential. The interaction with the team members was the highlight of the event we attended. The players were so humble and so grounded that it was truly inspiring to meet them. There were a few games in store for the bloggers as well. We had a live kabaddi match with the Patna Pirates at one end and super enthusiastic bloggers at the other. Here is a short video of it. I enjoyed meeting so many different bloggers that day and eating the delicious food at ITC Grand Maratha!

This is a brand sponsored post and I am being remunerated for it.