CHENNAI: Two middle-aged men draped in Tricolour flashing toothy smiles, looking unfamiliar with what’s going on around them. Shibhnath Sarkar and Pranab Bardhan are actually quite far away from the din in real life, for practically the only thing they do is play bridge. This passion, some say addiction, took them to the top of the Asian Games podium on Saturday.
Hailing from the suburbs of Kolkata, Sarkar is employed by a Vizag-based company. His job profile? Play bridge. Four years older at 60, Bardhan runs a small business. Both devote most of their time pursuing their passion rather than paying attention to household chores. Sarkar, in fact, hasn’t married, presumably to stay loyal to cards.
“They are completely bridge-minded. Don’t think anything else matters to them as much as the game does,” coach and non-playing captain of the Indian bridge contingent, Debasish Ray told Express from Kolkata. “I have known them for over a decade and don’t recall them being any different. Like you see full-timers in politics, they are full-timers in bridge.”
The advent of Bridge Base Online has helped, as the two can pair up irrespective of where they are. Before that, they used to meet at some club or the other. These clubs are run informally and some of them are so nondescript that they don’t even have a name. This sector is unorganised too, since other than for preparation before the Asian Games, bridge hardly received any government funding.
“In terms of incentives, there is practically nothing,” said Ray, who returned from Indonesia earlier because of personal work. “Prize money hardly makes up for what you spend on travel and lodging when you go for tournaments. Both Sarkar and Bardhan are middle-class. It’s very evident that what they do is purely out of love.”
The Bridge Federation of India expects the situation to improve. “It’s a game that helps personality development. After this success, people will take it seriously. With better funding, we will be able to cater to the game in a better way,” said general-secretary Anand Samant.