Good roads are required to spruce up the city

The scorching summer heat, dripping down from a “terrible sun”, has left Guwahatians hassled and enervated. But badminton icon Dipankar Bhattacharjee is in no mood to sit back and rest in the evenings.

After a tiring day of work at the Northeast state office of Indian Oil at Bamunimaidam, where he works as deputy manager (fleet marketing), Bhattacharjee rushes to Kanaklata indoor stadium at Nehru Stadium to groom a host of trainees.

“As I had wrapped up my career pretty early, I am now busy providing guidance to upcoming sportspersons,” says the 34-year-old soft-spoken champion. “This is the only way I can contribute to the city, with which I have developed a deep emotional attachment,” he adds.

This is also why he has embarked on a mission to identify the best of talents in the state and help them shine in national and international firmaments.

As part of his mission, he recently launched the Iswarati Centre for Badminton Learning (ICBL), where he nurtures young talents.

This is the first time that a sportsperson in the city has single-handedly established an academy to guide the youth in their pursuit of glory at the international podium.

“I have approached many corporate houses, but they want to see tangible results before committing themselves. I agree with them and am working hard to prove the ability of the children,” Bhattacharjee says.

However, it is not in Bhattacharjee’s genes to lament if things do not turn out the way he wants. “I believe in karma (work) and leave everything to destiny,” he says.

So, when he talks about the city where his “roots” are entrenched, Bhattacharjee refuses to be a cynic. “We need to work for a fuller development of the city. I wish it had grown at a much faster and definitive manner,” he says.

“Guwahati needs to expand northward. An abnormal growth of population and rapid increase in vehicles has left us with no space,” says Bhattacharjee, who is the only badminton player in the men’s section to have represented India twice in the Olympics.

Dipankar first made his presence at the pre-quarter finals of Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 and them at the Atlanta Olympic Games where he made it to the second round. He had set a record at the national level by holding the number one rank for six consecutive years (1991-1996).

The focused player, who is stern with his disciples at times, has travelled widely, but his heart is where his home is.

“The city is inside me. It’s almost impossible for me to stay away from it for long. Thus, after every trip, I look forward to seeing its lapis lazuli sky, the big-hearted Brahmaputra and the equally kind denizens,” he says.

There are certain changes that the winner of 22 national ranking tournaments wants to see in his hometown — good roads, better public transport system, planned housing complexes, leisure and entertainment centres, shopping malls, educational institutes and definitely sports complexes.

“The National Games, slated for October, has brought about good changes in infrastructure. If utilised properly, this can bring a revolution in the state sporting world,” he says.

The sportsman, who was forced to quit early from the game as a professional because of “injury blues”, aspires to give the best of infrastructure, event organisation, development schemes and recognition to the next generation.

In all his endeavours, his father Iswar and mother Arati have been his mentors. “I have been blessed to have such great parents. I have named my institute Iswarati after them,” he smiles.

If only the city, too, had been blessed with enough people like Dipankar and his parents to take proper care of it.