Sports Stars
One month before the 2008 Inter IIT sports meet, Siddhartha and Aayesha profile a few outstanding sportspeople from IITB
Table Tennis
Nikhil Pande: Having represented IITB for 3 years, this veteran captains the Table Tennis team. Known for his rather unconventional game, Pande has been instrumental in building up a strong Table Tennis team. Said to be the most enthusiastic player in the team even in his 5th year, Pande is known for his efforts to encourage freshies playing table tennis. Besides using a wide repertoire of shots, Pande likes to play mind games with his opponents, and his team mates vouch for this skill.
Claim to fame: He has won 1 silver medal and 2 bronze medals for IITB and was ranked on the Sub-Junior Circuit of Maharashtra in his school days.
Vrinda Agarwal: Being the most experienced and consistent player from the girl's contingent, this Table Tennis Captain has been a crucial part of the team since her freshie year. With her swift and elegant moves she usually leaves her opponents in the dust just trying to defend her attacking style of play. Under her captaincy, the girls are extremely hopeful of a good finish.
Claim to fame: She has qualified for National Level tournaments in Table Tennis twice during her school days and has won 3 bronze medals at Inter-IIT.Volleyball
Ashok Kumar: One of the most famous PG sportspeople in IITB, Ashok Kumar captains the Volleyball team. His silent off-field demeanour and on-field aggression have seen him win the respect of all his team mates. He has been IITB’s main spiker for the last three years and continues to be an inspirational force with his unmatched passion for the game.
Claim to fame: Ashok has won 2 silver medals and one bronze medal for IITB. He is famous for his rally ending spikes that have made him a crowd favourite in the various Inter-IIT Sports Meets. He captained last year’s team to a silver medal.
Uday Kumar: Like Ashok, Uday is a Post-Graduate student. Uday plays the role of Libro for IITB’s volleyball team and can be seen coming on and off the field of play as and when required by his team. Known for his solid defense and undying spirit, Uday has been the first choice Libro for the last 3 years. Even with a heavy academic schedule, Uday makes it a point to come to practice everyday.
Claim to fame: Uday, like Ashok, has won 2 silver medals and one bronze medal for IITB. As a Libro, he is required to wear a different jersey from that of his teammates and is constantly required to switch positions with players, and so is one of the most noticed players in the game. He plays a major role in every game.Weightlifting
Satadru Biswas: Fondly called ‘Tito’ by his team mates, Satadru Biswas is one of IIT Bombay’s most prolific weightlifters. Having won a bronze medal in his second year, Satadru stepped up his performance in his third year to win a gold medal. Known for his untiring efforts, Satadru also bagged IITB’s highest sports recognition, the ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ award, in his 3rd year.
Claim to fame: Along with the ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ award, Satadru was adjudged Mr. Inter-IIT in last year’s sports meet held at Bombay. Besides his exploits for IITB, he has also won two gold medals at the district level and one gold medal at the state level.Aquatics
Hutokshi Sethna: Ever since her inclusion in the Aquatics team, the numbers of gold medals have shot up drastically. This gifted girl, with her fast underwater moves, wreaked havoc in the recently held Aquatics meet in Chennai. Although generally a very quiet and a shy girl, she leaves the crowd dumbfounded with her speed in the pool. One incident which needs special mention is one when her swimming goggles broke in the middle of a butterfly stroke race. Hutokshi, undeterred, went ahead and gave her best timing ever!
Claim to fame: She has represented her district in swimming. She won 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal and was awarded the title of the 'Best Swimmer' at this year's Aquatics meet.Siddhartha Das and Aayesha Ghanekar are third year students of the Civil Engineering and MEMS Departments respectively. They can be contacted at das.siddhartha@iitb.ac.in and aayesha@iitb.ac.in respectively.
