Shooting as a sport is fast catching up in the state and the newly inaugurated shooting range at the Kalinga Stadium that was inaugurated has given a push to the dreams of amateur players, who want to pursue it seriously. Moreover, the 5th Odisha State Shooting Championship also began on Thursday where over 250 shooters have taken part. Namita Panda of The Telegraph finds out all about the sport for aspirants in the state
Know-how
Anyone above 10 years can practise the sport and learn the nuances of the game that demands great precision to perform well at the national level. There is no upper age limit. The ongoing shooting championship is also an open event where anyone can take part. Only in the 0.22 bore pistol event, a firearm licence is needed. Veteran shooters say those lacking patience and full of anxiety will not be able to go too far in the game.
"Indian shooters, who play at the national level, are mostly international-level players. So, if one finishes well in the national level, they will be competing against Olympians or other international medal winners. But to reach that level, one needs extreme patience since it is easy to get a score of 90 per cent, but the national-level success is beyond that score and demands precision and mind control," said Odisha Rifle Association secretary Hari Patnaik.
Where to learn
One can learn the sport at the two 10-metre ranges located in Bhubaneswar. One is at Utkal Karate School at Unit-IX and a chapter of Olympian Gagan Narang's Gun for Glory at Chandrasekharpur. There are two other ranges at Talcher Rifle Club in Talcher and another private shooting academy in Puri that also groom aspirants. The newly set up range in Kalinga Stadium is the only 50-metre range in the state. The expenses for practising air-rifle and air-pistol sports come up to Rs 1,000 per month.
Sport gear
There are 0.177 air-gun and air-pistol events for which one does not need licence. But, one needs firearm and weapon licence for other shooting equipment such as 0.22 calibre pistol and revolvers. The gear for air guns always includes hard jacket, trouser, cap, eye protector and so on. These are not found in the state but can be bought from Calcutta, New Delhi or even ordered online. The air guns and pistols come within Rs 2 lakh, which is needed only if one is playing at the national level. The shooting clubs or centres also provide equipment. The bullets for the 0.22 pistols come at Rs 40 per piece but the National Rifle Association of India allows the association to provide the bullets at Rs 14 per piece only for sporting practice at their range.
Odisha connection
Though there haven't been any senior national medal winners yet from Odisha, scores of 96 per cent and above at either junior or senior national championships have earned a place in the prestigious "renowned shot" category. Some names in this category include Gouri Mohanty, Ashis Nayak, Lipsa Sethi, Bhabani Haibru, Debasish Das and Deepak Mishra. "The key mantra for the sport is stillness in body and calmness in mind," said Mohanty.
New range
The first and only 50 metre shooting range has 16 lanes, which means 16 people can shoot at a time. It can be extended up to 20 lanes and is the only range with baffle walls. The range has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.1 crore. "To ensure that bullets do not fly outside the range four wooden baffle walls (protecting walls) have also been created in the range. We have constructed 22 feet high sidewalls in the range. In the first phase, the range would be used for 50-metre shooting. However, another proposal for 10 and 25-metre shooting range has also been approved," said officer in charge of the Kalinga Sports Complex Barija Mohanty.
