Interview with Honnappa C Gowda- "Pro Kabaddi League has made a huge difference in terms of facilities"

Honnappa C Gowda was appointed head coach of Dabang Delhi

With a day to go for the 2nd edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, we caught up with Dabang Delhi coach Honnappa C Gowda who with much nostalgia and reminiscence, recalled his days of struggle as a player and how he has seen the game ascend to a whole new level with the advent of this league.

Excerpts from the interview:

SK: Hello sir, tell us about your initiation into the game? How was it received then?

HCG: When I started as a 13-year-old, taking the first lessons of kabaddi, looking at my elder brother, C. Govindraj, it was more about getting a job like him in sports quota. We used to play barefoot. It was only after I got a job at Indian Telephone Industry in 1991, that, I started playing with shoes which were provided by my department.

I would especially like to mention the contribution of my family here, who in spite of being not very well off always supported me in my pursuit.

There were no facilities whatsoever-we did not have money to buy milk, nor was there any special diet. We depended on whatever was cooked at home.

SK: How has the sport developed over the years? Does it feel good that people are finally sitting up and taking notice?

HCG: Definitely. Earlier, despite winning medals in nationals and international events, there was no recognition or respect for the players. Now look at the way fans adore them. From getting suitcase and steel tiffin boxes as a prize to getting bikes and cars as remuneration, it has been a huge change. Now they don’t have to think about their family, they can just focus on the game

SK: Would you thus say that the PKL (even though its just a season old) has contributed massively for that?

HCG: Yes, PKL has made a huge difference in terms of facilities that are provided to the kabaddi players or remuneration for that matter. They now have special shoes, air-conditioned rooms to stay, dieticians and physiotherapists to take care of them. Even during tournaments, they are given flight fares and put up at five-star hotels. It is a far cry from our times.

Kabaddi has always been played by people who belonged to lower class as it was an inexpensive sport. It never was like a recreational sport. Now though, with PKL, even people from well to do families are also taking up the sport. So there is a change in the mindset, and that seems to do our sport a world of good.