Tag Archives: Thimmaiah Madanda

A hockey story from coffee-country

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Sandhya Kumar’s documentary ‘Hockey In My Blood’ tells the story of the Kodava community’s passion for the game.

Sandhya Kumar

Over 3,000 players — men, women, and children — of the Kodava community from Coorg gather annually for the family hockey tournament in the midst of coffee plantations, summer vacations and the wedding season.

It’s regarded as the world’s largest field-hockey tournament. Curious about this sociological phenomenon and their passionate love for the game that forms the glue, binding generations, Bengaluru-based documentary filmmaker Sandhya Kumar decided to make a film.

After two years of research, several visits to Coorg, interviewing players and hosting families, crowd-funding, and filming the 2013 tournament, her film Hockey In My Blood is ready to be aired at this year’s tournament.

The 52-minute film is in English and Kodava-takk (with English subtitles). The 19th edition of the Kuppanda Cup Kodava Hockey Namme 2015 is currently underway at Virajpet (Coorg) and Sandhya’s film will be screened at the festival on May 7, two days before the finale.

The tournament is played over a month, with a series of about 250 knockout matches, played by anywhere between 220 to 260 teams — each team being one family. Many of the players have played for the State and National teams; some are even former Olympians. Every year, one family hosts the tournament.

“It’s the coming together of people that fascinated me. It’s a family tournament, with no big money or stakes involved. The Kodavas are a sports-obsessed community. Most of the people don’t live in Coorg — they live and work mostly in Bangalore, Mangalore, and Mysore — but have an estate and family to go back to in Coorg. When you have to put together a team of 11, contacting third and fourth cousins you’re otherwise not really in touch with, it is something. Within the clan there are classes — a carpenter may be playing alongside a banker — but the point is every one comes together for this,” explains Sandhya.

Armed with an MFA in Film from the San Francisco Art Institute, and an MA in Mass Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia University, Sandhya has been making documentaries since 2007. She won the President’s National Film Award of India (2013) for her documentary O Friend, This Waiting! After she moved to Bangalore three years ago when she married, she missed her close-knit film community in Delhi; so, along with fellow filmmakers, Sandhya helped revive Vikalp Bengaluru, a forum that regularly screens the best of documentary films from all over the world.

The story of Hockey In My Blood started when a Kodava friend of Sandhya’s was talking about the tournament, and suggested “Why don’t you make a film on it?” “There were no books on the subject, very few people in Bangalore knew about it. I only had newspaper articles to fall back on and I hadn’t been to Coorg before that. Later, when I was in Coorg for a wedding, I became interested in the community sociologically, and their passion for hockey when the rest of the country was obsessed with cricket.”

Her friend Deepthi Bopaiah offered help and introduced her to the host family for 2013 — the Madanda family, and the tournament’s coordinator Thimmaiah Madanda.

There were initial apprehensions about her making the film. But when they met up, they were pleased that someone was interested in this phenomenon, adds Sandhya.

Through the organiser, she identified players she wanted to interview and film. While she started filming impulsively with her own funds, film grants were few to come by. She soon found a need to crowdfund the film — in about five months, she raised Rs. 7 lakhs from family and friends through the Orange Street platform. “I met this young boy called Prajwal. He and his family lived on a small estate, and along with his brother he practised hockey in the coffee-drying yard in front of their home. We filmed him extensively. The film was shot in Balugodu, Virajpet, Palangala, Murnad, and the Karnataka State Hockey Association. Participants start practising just about a week before the tournament, because most live far off; some players have even come in from Dubai to participate.”

Sandhya also met Pandanda Kuttanni, who is well into his 70s, and the founder of the concept of this tournament. “He said he was in Delhi during the 1982 Asiad cup and felt Coorg needed a tournament like this to bring together a people who were moving away from home,” recalls Sandhya.

At the end of it all, Sandhya says: “It’s the commitment of the players to their families, the extent they will go to, to give up whatever they are doing to go back home to Coorg, and play for family — that was my best takeaway from the film.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / by Bhumika K / April 24th, 2015

Interview with Thimmaiah Madanda, Coach, Bangalore Warhawks (EFLI): “We have some class players going forward to season 2”

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Thimmaiah Madanda is a decorated rugby union player for the Indian national team who has since 2011 taken the plunge into American football as the Head Coach of the Bangalore Warhawks outfit.

His players and his contemporaries hold Thimmaiah in high regard, both as a player and a coach. His Bangalore team was one of the best performers in the inaugural season of the Elite Football League of India (EFLI). Their run came to an end in the semi-finals, but not before impressing a large number of people with their exciting brand of football.

A heap of praise for that can be placed at the feet of Thimmaiah, who happens to be one of the first persons to join the EFLI bandwagon. Sportskeeda caught up with him for a brief chat on his experiences playing rugby and American football.

What were you engaged with before EFLI? And how did you come into contact with American football and EFLI?

I was working for Indian Rugby Union as Rugby Development Officer in Bangalore region. I was contacted by Mr Sandeep and Mr Richard to work with EFLI.

You have a rugby background; how do you think that helped you out? Was it easier for you because of that?

I was anyways following American Football and i knew the sport. I had to just go in depth after I joined EFLI to know more about American Football.

How long have you been a rugby player and how long have you been a coach?

I started playing Rugby Union in the year 2006 and been coaching kids and adults from NGO and schools from then onward. I thought by volunteer coaching i will spread the sport (rugby) and also learn more about Rugby which helped me while playing different levels of rugby i.e. domestic and international.

So keeping that in mind, American football is a new game. How did you attract athletes to come and try out for this game?

In India there is always a craze for a new sport and also when its Western sports we get more followers. It was a great opportunity and also a challenge to explore. I had to travel to lot of places to invite athletes for tryouts. and assure them that it was a great opportunity. Also many people in our state were already following me while playing rugby union for our nation and it was easy to approach them.

American football is a physical game. How are you taking care of the safety of the players?

All the players are insured before they start training. We don’t play with too much contact during training sessions so that we can avoid injuries.

Did you have any issues with convincing the parents of the youngsters in making them join American football?

Yes with some parents. There were kids with real talent, but whose parents didn’t want them to play this sport. So I had to speak to them and convince them.

You were one of the star teams in season 1. You had lots of success. How did your team take lesser time to adapt and start playing well so quickly?

Any team sport has to have right player in the right position in the team and with that instil some confidence in the players and respect the players. When it came to playing, we had some real great training sessions in Bangalore.

How is the American football scene in India in general and in Bangalore & Karnataka in particular?

American Football is a new sport. And it’s a western sport as well. In Bangalore there is a trend to follow western sport.

Thimmaiah (left) with Bangalore Warhawks Wide Receiver, Navaneeth ‘Chamber’ Shanta (right)

While growing up, there are lot of sports and games that we play in school, like cricket, football (soccer), tennis, volleyball, athletics, hockey, basketball, etc. but American football is something that is very, very rare, even in colleges. So how do you think the game can be introduced to children and youngsters?

Yes American Football is a rare sport. But if we introduce a great program for each region we can excel in promoting the sport.

In India these athletes must have been very new to the game. So yourself and the American coaches, what were the aspects that you asked the players to work on first?

American Football is a sport which can be played anywhere and by anybody. We only worked on basics which helped us to play a good level of sport.

What are the basic types of drills that you put the players through?

We improved their hand-eye coordination, strength, speed and some ball drills.

Also, there must be specific drills for each position. So can you tell us about what drills are there for each position, like Running Back, Quarter Back, Wide Receiver, Lineman, Tight End, etc.?

This sport is position oriented. So when we have specific training for positions we have different drills which we work on with the players.

What is the current size of the Bangalore roster?

We have 35 players.

What are the locations from which you have scouted and recruited players?

Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Mangalore, Mysore and Kodagu (Coorg).

Do you have a team of any assistant coaches or junior coaches helping you?

Yes I have 2 assistant coaches helping me.

How often do you conduct camps for the players?

That depends on the schedule of our season.

Your players have heaped a lot of praise on you and have even said that Bangalore has the best coach of all the teams. What do you have to say about that?

It’s their personal thought ! I have done my job with great respect.

What was the main strength of the Bangalore team according to you?

Bangalore players are smart and technically prepared.

Do you see American football growing as a sport in India in the long run?

Yes I do.

Coming to Bangalore team, you had very good first season and some star players emerged from your team. Is there added pressure going into season 2? And what are your expectations from season 2?

I am happy that we have some class players going forward to season 2.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Home> Giridiron / by SportsKeeda Desk / April 17th, 2014

City game for ‘American league’

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American football could become big in the country with a tournament being planned in the next two years
 

A lot of sports, most of which a majority of the average Indians aren’t aware of, are making inroads into our society. The latest being American football, the top US sport which has at least five per cent of American population earning through the game, apart from players, coaches and staff directly involved with the game.

History has it that only four players of Indian origin have played in the National Football League (NFL), a lucrative organisation that runs the sport in the US. One of the four, Brandon Chillar, who has his roots in Punjab, was convinced the game had something to offer for the Indian masses. He felt it could become big and give the average Indian a chance to excel in it.

TEAMS’ FORMATION
The Elite Football League of India (EFLI) was launched in India in August this year and the government of India and the Sports Authority of India decided to back the game. A custom-fit stadium is ready in Pune, where the inaugural EFLI will be held within the next two years between eight teams from different states.

Having already formed four teams, the EFLI concentrated on Karnataka. Thimmaiah Madanda, a former India rugby player, with a passion for contact sport, was brought in as coach of the state team. The Kodava took his job seriously. He scouted for talent in Kodagu, Shimoga, Devanahalli and Bangalore. “I went to all these places and mostly visited government colleges and finally invited 140 players. A first shortlist of 115 went through a four-day orientation programme last week,” he said.

Thimmaiah, Sailesh Devrukhkar, the chief coach of EFLI, and Jeff Whelan, EFLI coaching co-coordinator, watched the hopefuls through drills and games before settling on the final 44 who will represent Karnataka.

DECENT SALARY
EFLI is more unique than most associations in the country. It will pay players a salary rather than a match fee as does happen with most sporting disciplines. That too, a decent sum of Rs 15,000 per player. Jeff Whelan said, “This, we are offering till we sign a deal with Ten Sports to televise the league matches. Once we get everything in order, players will earn much more than what any coach earns.”

Does the average Indian have the physique or skill to compete in such a “ruthless sport”? All three men laugh it off and Thimmaiah says, “It is nothing like what the public imagine. Played with an elongated ball, the game offers 44 players the chance of being involved in a game (including substitutions). The game accommodates all physical attributes; athletes from any sport can take to this game. It calls for power, speed and agility. It does not need special skills,” he says.

The forwards and interiors do not even touch the ball, leave alone catch it. Their job is only to defend the quarter-backs… to stop the opposition from getting to the quarter-backs,” said Thimmaiah, adding: “You have a defending team, an attacking team and a kicking team. It is not about just 11 on field. Thirty players are used in each game, with the other 14 used for substitutions. So, it involves a lot of people and does not need any one qualification or requirement to play the game.”

TALENT APLENTY
The EFLI does have some convictions that other sports administrators mostly talk about. “We know that if we search enough, we could find the right guys. The right athletes are in the villages of India,” said Jeff. “The game does not need any special skill. It combines a lot of disciplines like cricket, football, baseball, rugby,” he added.

Having watched the NFL mess it up in England when it tried to introduce the game there, the EFLI is more focused. “We are planning a league for players born and brought up in India. Unlike the NFL, we will not allow foreigners. That way, we know the cities can relate to players and will stand up for the team,” he said.

CHALLENGING CRICKET
“India, with its masses, offers an opportunity for us (EFLI) to become a top sport in the country. India is a one sport country (cricket) and we believe we stand a good chance of becoming a top sport. Because we feel we can offer more opportunities for athletes and people of India,” said Jeff.

“We plan to have eight Indian teams and will invite two from Sri Lanka, one from Bangladesh, and each team will only be allowed proper citizens to represent them. No outsiders, guests or foreign players,” he said.

“At some point of time, we hope to invite a team from Pakistan to play a series against an Indian team. Because that is the ultimate battle in this part of the globe and we are sure millions will tune in to that game and the whole world will watch,” he said.

source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com/ Home> News> City / by R Sathish Paul / Tuesday October 04th, 2011