A bunch of noisy kids play volleyball in the huge ground on Sitanath Bose Lane every afternoon. These kids belong to Salkia Association, which has always been a leading volleyball club in Howrah. In 2014-15, Ishita Roy from Tarakeswar, a player from Salkia Association, played in the senior India women’s volleyball team at the 17th Asian Youth Championships. Nabanita Pandey, another player from this club, was captain of the Indian women’s volleyball team that played at the 9th Youth Asian Games in 2012-13. The national sub-junior and junior girls’ and boys’ volleyball teams have players from this club as do Eastern Railways and other office teams.
Many girls and boys from this club have landed jobs through the sports quota after playing well in various championships. Kamalika Debnath has landed with a job this year in Eastern Railways and so has Ruksana Khatun. “Belonging to the minority community, there was a lot of resistance from the people in her village about her playing volleyball. But with sheer determination, Ruksana has managed to reach where she is today. She has managed to find a place for herself in the national women’s volleyball team,” said Shibjiban Pathak, the president of Salkia Association.
Salkia Association is one of the oldest clubs in Howrah, where volleyball was introduced for both boys and girls. Jyotirmoy Mukherjee, Bhrantimoy Mukherjee, Arun Mukherjee and other local people had joined hands to form the club in 1968. The main purpose of the club was to promote volleyball. Two 9x18 metre courts are a part of Salkia Association’s club ground. Another small football ground adjoining the club ground is used by the local boys to play.
A pavilion, Shibcharan Memorial Pavilion, was made by one of the members of the club, in his father’s name in 1984. A small room in one corner of the pavilion serves as the store-cum-office. Nets, jerseys, balls and other equipment are dumped here all the time. Inside a makeshift wall cupboard are the huge trophies that the club has won over the years in various tournaments.
“The main problem of our club is that we do not have funds to develop the infrastructure properly. Whatever little that has been donated by local residents and members of the club, is all that we have,” said Debu Basak, the secretary of the club. The monthly fees of Rs 30 has to be waived for some players. “Most of those who come to play at the club, are from very poor families. Most of them cannot afford to pay the fees,” said Basak.
The club, however, has received a lot of help from the former local MLA, Lagan Deo Singh, in the past. “Singh arranged for the floodlights on the ground in 2010. Earlier, we would have to stop practice after evening and could not hold tournaments after dark,” said Basak. Although the ground belongs to Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), it is maintained by Salkia Association.
“We have had to repair the ground several times because it is used a lot by the students here. Eleven club teams practise on this ground every afternoon,” said Basak. The entry age for students starts from nine years. This year, the state government grant of Rs 2 lakhs, for clubs to promote sports activities, has finally arrived. “We plan to make a sports gymnasium with that fund. It is necessary for our players. Apart from that, we also want to develop infrastructure within the club,” said Basak.
The club has organised various tournaments. The East Zone Volleyball Federation Cup was held in 1992. National and state volleyball championships for both boys and girls have been held several times at the club. The 33rd Annual All Bengal Senior Volleyball tournament for both men and women, is held every year at this club where club teams from across the state participate.
