Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 12: They win age group tennis tournaments across the country and when asked where they are from, they proudly say, ‘from Orissa’. But sadly neither the Orissa Tennis Association or for that matter the state government has done anything for the betterment of these kids who want to pursue a career in tennis.
The parents of these kids to fulfill the ambitions and desires of the aspirants spend money out of their own pockets. As in other states, there is not a proper fund or scholarship system in place for promising youngsters in tennis – and it is a very expensive sport.
Fed up at being ignored and without any proper aid, the parents of Rutuparna Choudhury – Binay Kumar Choudhury and Jyotsna Choudhury have decided to start a business initiative which will not only help their daughter, but will also come to the aid of budding players across the state. Rutuparna, since last year has won a number of under-14 and under-16 singles and doubles titles in tournaments organised by the All India Tennis Association (AITA)
The two are setting up an incense factory close to the Farhan Ali Tennis Academy near Patia. The inauguration of the factory takes place Friday.
“Tennis is a very expensive game. It’s very hard to afford the cost for middle class families like us. So we decided to come up with the factory and got full support from the parents of the other kids of the academy. Initially 50 per cent of the profit will go to the academy for the welfare of the tennis players,” stated Jyotsna here Thursday.
“We are planning to form a trust in the near future. We aim to host good tournaments with the profits accrued. We will also try and bring in good coaches to supplement the ones we already have. The idea is to use the money earned for the talented kids planning to pursue tennis as a career,” she added.
