Cuttack: A dental surgeon by profession, an inherited playback singer and a five-time national table tennis champion! Meet Bangladesh’s senior and most successful paddler Manas Ranjan Chowdhury. He is currently in Cuttack leading their contingent in the ongoing Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship.
A multitalented by his array of talent, it has been an interesting journey for Chowdhury for the last 26 years. Coming from the ranks of a junior national champion to breaking into the senior team, life has been a rollercoaster ride for Chowdhury — who also has 25 music albums to his name — especially when the infrastructure is not that much good back home compared to other developed countries.
So how does he manage professional fronts along with passion? “Life has become a routine for me now. I wake up at 6.30am in the morning and straightaway head towards rehearsal (for one and half hours). I am still learning classical,” he said as he watches Indian women play Singapore in the team semifinals from the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Hall gallery.
“After that I go to practice and from 10am I am at my chamber. Sometimes I even had to pick-up and drop my children to home and school. So I literally don’t get much time to spend with my family but whenever I get, I make sure I give ample time to them.
“In India a national level player gets secured government job, if he or she shines at international level. But that’s not the case in Bangladesh. You need to have something extra besides playing to earn your daily bread,” added the man approaching 40.
A playing career which started around 1993, Chowdhury has represented his country in all the major international tournaments (except Olympics). He has got a SAAF Games bronze, competed in World Championships, SAARC Asean Games, South Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Championship and Commonwealth Championship.
“I have achieved everything for Bangladesh whatever I needed to. It’s more because of fitness, passion and love for the game that I am still on board,” added the champion paddler who took a seven-year hiatus from the game before bagging five national titles.
Asked about his memorable moments in this long journey, Chowdhury has two such events. “In the last SAAF games in Guwahati in 2016, I played against then national champion Anthony Amalraj. I was 2-0 ahead. In the third game also I was ahead but somehow lost that match. I was very disappointed not to win the match despite being in winning position,” Chowdhury said.
There is no awareness for table tennis in Bangladesh. We do not play much against foreign opponents like others which would have lifted our game. This is the basic area where we are lacking behind from our neighbouring countries
“Another moment I would mention was in the World Championship in Japan against a Madagascar opponent. We were 2-2 level and I came back 5-10 in the decider to win the game for me and Bangladesh.”
However, he laments the lack of infrastructure and support for the game back home. “We don’t have a coach actually. The Bangladeshi paddlers who play the game, it’s all by their own efforts. There is no proper system in Bangladesh table tennis,” rues the son of famous Bangladesh playback singer Late Prabal Chowdhury.
“There are clubs like Bangladesh Biman, Wari Club, etc which take players on a contractual basis, but then if he or she doesn’t play well they might lose their contracts. This way the game doesn’t grow. A player needs backing,” he signed off.
