Jasmer Singh, captain of Dabang Delhi team in Pro Kabaddi league (PKl), is happy that his favourite sport — kabaddi — is back at the forefront. The Haryana lad, who has won gold in 2010 Asian Games, tells Amit Chaudhary that he is feeling like a star. Excerpts from an interaction
How much difference the PKl has made in your lifeIJ
Money is very important for an athlete. He needs to eat proper diet and take care of his physical health. If he doesn’t have money to do that, he won’t be able to perform at the highest level. Through this league we are getting a lot of benefits, including money, and this will help us improve our game. This league is beneficial for us as well as for our country.
Your coach also mentioned that diet has improved after the PKl. Elaborate on the issueIJ
From our accommodation to our training centre, everything has improved. Now, we are living in a five star hotel. We have a physio, a trainer, a masseur and a doctor with the team. Earlier, it wasn’t the case. Not even during the national camps. We used to stay at dharamshalas. But we had to adjust because we wanted our game to grow and get popular among masses. Here in the PKl, we are getting everything. We stay in good hotels, travel in air-conditioned cars, train in air-conditioned halls.
Where are you fromIJ
I hail from Boodsang village in Panipat district of Haryana where everyone plays kabaddi. It has helped around 60-70 people secure a government job. I am an inspector in Haryana police.
Are people in your village excited about this leagueIJ
I get so many calls from my friends and neighbours in the village. They see it on TV and then tell me how a particular player made a mistake and how another player made a good move.
Is there any other player from your village in this leagueIJ
There are two players from my village. One of them is employed with ONGC and he is playing in this league. The other one is employed with Air Force but he wasn’t allowed to participate in the league. They said their players can either play for Services or national team. But I am not happy with this decision. A player will always benefit from playing in such tournaments.
How was the public response during the two legs of the league in Mumbai and KolkataIJ
The host team gets very good support from the public and teams have been benefited by the support. Kolkata lost their match in Mumbai but when they played in Kolkata, they managed to win both of their matches.
How different is it playing on mat in comparison to mudIJ
Our national camp and all the national tournaments are played on mat now. It was long back when we used to play in mud. I started playing kabaddi in mud. Actually it’s very expensive — approximately `3.5 lakh — for a village to buy a mat. But those who have learnt this art in mud, they can easily adapt to the mat but it’s very difficult for mat-trained players to play in the mud. By playing in mud you become strong. It’s easier to make an individual catch in mud but on mat it’s very difficult. While a defender has an upper hand in mud, here on mat, raider has the advantage.
You think this league will be able to popularise kabaddi at the international levelIJ
It is being broadcasted in other countries as well. Replays are available for people to understand the game. You can even watch it on youtube.
You think kabaddi can be an Olympic sportIJ
I have no doubt about that. Kabaddi will be in Olympics very soon. The entire nation would feel happy and proud when both men’s and women’s team would bring gold.
There are a couple of foreigners in your team. Is it difficult to coordinate with themIJ
There is a language barrier. Their English is very week so is ours. So we have to use sign language to communicate with them. We have taught them a few words of Hindi. So when they will come back next year, it will be easier for us to connect with them.
Many film stars have been attending PKl matches. Did you get the opportunity to meet anyoneIJ
Yes, I met Shah Rukh (Khan), Amir (Khan) and some others as well. It was my first meeting. It feels good when a big star stands with you, makes you feel equally important, makes you realize that you can also become a star one day. Now people are watching us on TV. We are also stars in kabaddi.