Ever been 'killed' with a ball of paint? Here's how to do it and build team spirit at the same time
Ever been 'killed' with a ball of paint? Here's how to do it and build team spirit at the same time
EVERY few years, a new sport catches Mumbai's fancy. That sport is now paintball, replacing go-karting and bowling. While different skills are required for each, the competitiveness in all three has seduced Mumbaiites.
Originating in the 1980s, paintball at its most basic is two teams fighting each other to capture the other team's flag. If any of the game players, each of whom have a paintball gun with colourful pellets, akin to bath bombs in their structure, are shot at by the other team's member, then the referee signals them out. Over the years, however, the game has had a few variations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Flavour of the season
Quite a few paintball arenas have sprouted in Mumbai since the end of last year. Pune-based Vikram Singh of the outdoor adventure sports company OLEx, is also a mountaineer by profession. He first observed paintball in Malaysia and thought it'd be a good idea to bring it down here, and that's just what he did with an old school friend.
OLEx now has an arena in Amby Valley, unfortunately only open to those who visit there. But Singh does plan on opening a mobile paintball unit that can house about 100 people.
Mihir Manker, chief operations officer at Natura, says, "Paintball is the flavour of the season, it's been rising in the last six months." Natura has two paintball arenas, one in Versova, smaller than the three-acre property in Thane, which is big enough for 'mock battles'. "Men love it because it's like Counter Strike in real life and women love it because they can be kids again, it's more real than pakda pakdi," says Manker. 
Even actor Chetan Hansraj and his business partner Jujhar Kochhar sensed the potential of paintball in Mumbai and put forth Action Paintball as a side project. Kochhar, in the liquor trade business says that paintball might be the new thing to go "gaga" over after snooker and pool. Action Paintball first opened in Khar Gymkhana, but had a few problems with timings. They've now opened a permanent fixture at Atria Mall's terrace. Kochhar thinks the sport hasn't picked up as well as it could have, due to a lack of marketing, but that there has been a slight increase in the number of corporates who play the sport as the game is believed to be an efficient tool for team building.
Attracts corporates
In fact, Sharan Sood (27), planner with advertising company Mudra Communications has played at Natura about 10 times already. "I have played at both the grounds, but the one in Thane is better because it has more space," says Sood, who found out about the sport through Facebook. He saw it as a quick fix for an optionless weekend. "It's different, exciting and has your pulse racing while playing. It's as close to the feeling of combat as one can get," explains Sood, who even took his friends there for his birthday. "It does help in team-building," says Sood, "there were people I was not very close to at my work place, but after playing with them I can relate to them better."
The physical energy while playing the sport is what Divy Jaising (24), Asset Manager, Edelweiss, likes about the sport. He first played at Head Rush Paintball his friend's arena in Pune. "It's a lot of fun. It's physical and better than playing a computer game," he says. But adds that the pricey sport (going as high as Rs 1,500 per game) "might attract an upper middle class of people."
Garima Prakash (22), Senior Executive, India Bulls, says the game is definitely picking up. She went to play at Amby Valley at a grim time, "When we went, the 26/11 attacks were just over. The residents objected to the game being played during the night, the organisers stopped it at night they respected the residents," she says.
On a lighter note, she really enjoyed the game: "You have no idea who is aiming at you. It's very life-like. The pellet stings a bit, but it's fine. When we there, there were these group of husbands and wives, who began to play paintball as Husbands Vs wives."u00a0u00a0
Safety first
"If it gets you in the wrong place, it will cause damage. Yes it stings a bit and may even leave a welt. But it's a very safe sport, providing you follow the rules," says Singh, "Even a ping pong could hurt badly if you don't play the game properly." He has a few tips for your safety; every paintball arena must provide a facemask, neck protector and a chest guard. "Don't ever remove your face mask during the game," he warns.
Bigger the better, but don't fret
Paintball is best played in large groups. But even if you're going in smaller groups of say, 3 or 4, you could play a game called Last Man Standing, where there won't be teams but players will shoot at each other. You could alsoform teams with the people working at the football arena or be added to another big group of players.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
