A Different Ball Game

In a cricket-obsessed nation,it was strange when Sandeep Kumar,then a student of Class VII,chose to play a ball game with an unusual name — korfball. It’s equally strange that 17 years later,Kumar and his friends still get together every evening to play korfball on a school-ground in Delhi’s North Campus. Kumar is among the 200 youngsters in the Capital who swear by korfball,a sport that resembles basketball and originated in the Netherlands more than 100 years ago.

As Delhi prepares to host the Korfball Commonwealth Games in 2010 one month after the Commonwealth Games ends,the Korfball Association of India office in Lodhi Road is receiving enquiries from youngsters about “where to buy the equipment or get coaches for the game”. Present in 27 states across India,in Delhi,the sport is popular in educational institutions like Hansraj College,Kirori Mal College,Jesus and Mary College and Ramjas College. “These are grounds where I honed my skills enough to play in the national team three times,” says Sandhya Banik,28,who was among those nominated for the 2004 Rajiv Gandhi Sports Awards for her korfball skills. The first inter-college tournament held last year saw representation from eight colleges.

Players try to hit the ball into their own baskets and block scoring by the opposite team. Rajesh Mehta,secretary-general of the Association,however,points out several differences with basket-ball: “Take out the dribbling from basket-ball,focus on long and short passes,and you begin to get an idea of what korfball is about.” Pramod Sharma,secretary-general of the Delhi Korfball Association,adds that this is possibly the only major field sport with an equal number of men and women playing together in a team. “This gives Korfball its unique appeal,the boys bring stamina and high speed to the game while the girls add flexibility and sudden moves. Korfball is about sheer skill with the ball in which we match one another’s strengths and weaknesses,” says the Agra-based Rina Singh,31,a national-level player.

The game celebrates its 30th anniversary in India this year,and the players are upbeat about the increased awareness that’s bringing more youngsters into the fold. Banik and Singh were introduced to the game while they were playing basket-ball in their schools. “I was hooked. I never went back to basket-ball again,” she says. So,are you ready to play ball?