Senior Mumbaikars on their love of carrom, and expert tips

Representation pic

Pocket and strike make for two completely different words when said individually. But together, they may remind you of a black and beige wooden board you might have seen in the corner of a game clubhouse. Carrom, a game of acuity and hand-eye coordination, does not have any barriers of age limit, as seen with the news of an 83-year-old woman from Pune who won a gold medal at a city carrom tournament. Arun Deshpande, the coach of the Indian carrom team, says that it is one of the few games that is not defined by restrictions. "It requires great concentration and vigilance. If you have that, it does not matter if you are five years old or 95," he asserts.

Dnyandeo Jagtap and Shivaji Pujari

An example of this is the 86-year-old Dnyandeo Jagtap, a resident of Panvel, who began playing carrom during the lockdown. "I enjoyed watching my family play carrom on a holiday. But during the lockdown, my grandkids pushed me to learn carrom as well. That is when I started sitting down with them for a game or two. Now, after three years, I might not be the best at it, but I can pocket a few coins easily." Jagtap says that it is the stigma of age that stops people from learning or experiencing new things, adding, "Everyone believes that old age comes with restrictions of health and agility. But that is not true. All you require is practice and the eagerness to learn."

Chembur resident Shivaji Pujari, a 66-year-old retired employee, also got passionate about carrom later in life. While it had always fascinated him, he didn't have enough time to learn and enjoy the game. "After I retired, I had nothing but time on my hands. So, I fulfilled my long-standing wish of learning carrom. Maybe it was the insistence of the young kids who invited me to play or the annual games that my housing society held that motivated me, but I am glad I took up the challenge to learn something new," he recalls. Pujari believes that learning does not have an age limit and that one should keep aspiring to learn new skills. "Why should you make age an excuse to limit yourself when you have the potential to grow further?" he signs off.

Arun Deshpande teaches several senior citizens at his private coaching classes

For a perfect score

>> Set your grip on the striker before you move ahead with the game. It is the most important skill.

>> Practise a straight shot. Once you perfect that, move on to advanced tricks.

>> Pocketing a coin is all about angles. Try angling your body in a way that it aligns with the coin and the pocket you want to score. But ensure you don't move away from your seat.

>> Avoid angling the striker diagonally to the coin and pocket. You may make a due instead of scoring.

>> When scoring a thumb angle, give the coin a small cut in the pocket's angle instead of shooting straight.

- Tips by Arun Deshpande

Ace the game here

>> MCF Club
At: GymKhana Road, Prem Nagar, Borivali West; 6 am to 10 pm
Call: 28923624
Cost: Rs 2,005 (monthly)

>> Dilip Kale Carrom Club
At: New BDD 21, BJ Deorukhlar Marg, Dadar; 5.15 pm to 10 pm
Call: 9892211199

>> Goregaon Sports Club
At New Link Road, Malad West; 6 am to 10 am; 5 pm to 9 pm
Log on to: gsc.in
Cost: Rs 40 (per day)