Snowy slopes script success stories
A cluster of villages from Manali on the way to Rohtang has produced 50 international skiers, including six Olympians, despite limited resources and lack of infrastructure
On January 9, A an ch al Th akur, a 21- year-old from a village on the out skirts of tourist hot spot Man ali, made the country proud with a maiden ski bronze at a world-class competition in Erzurum, Turkey — more than 4,000km from her native place.
Till Aanchal’s feat — a third-place finish in Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup — the only recognisable face in Indian winter sport was luge exponent Shiva Keshavan’s, who will compete in his sixth Winter Olympic sat Pyeongchang, Korea this year.
While the country now knows about Aanchal’s achievements, what is not known is that she is carrying forward a tradition of nine villages, including her own village, Burua, dotting the rugged terrain of Himachal Pradesh.
The cluster of villages, about eight km from Man a lion way to R oh tang, has produced 50 international skiers, including six Olympians. Since 1992, when two skiers from Pal chan village competed in the Winter Olympics for the first time, athletes from this part of the country have not missed a date with the quadrennial event, barring the 1994 Games.
Pal chan, a village of around 90 hutmen ts, has produced 22 international skiers, including two Olympians, and inspired more than a thousand households in the other eight villages to dream of international glory.
It’s natural for youngsters here to pick up ski boards and hit the snow-covered slopes. Every house has a ski blade—new or old depending upon the financial status of the family — and the ‘art’ is being passed on from one generation to another for the last three decades.
Aanchal’s achievement, thus, was an event to be celebrated wholeheartedly. “On her return from Turkey, people from the nine villages turned out in huge numbers to welcome A an ch al back .“I’ d never seen such a huge gathering here except during political rallies. Anachal’s medal will make the sport even more popular,” said her father Roshan Lal Thakur, who is also the secretary general of the Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI).
Limited resources and lack of infrastructure make A an ch al’ s achievement even more spectacular. “There is only one slope—in the So lang valley—where all the skiers train. But that too doesn’t conform to international standards. We can achieve much more if the government upgrades the slopes. We also don’t have snow cannons to maintain them,” added Roshan Lal.
“For around four months( mid November- mid March) the area is covered in snow and the only outdoor option for children is to hit the slopes ,” said Nanak Chand, the first winter Olympian from the area, who is an assistant command ant with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Nanak Chand has been witness to a revolution in the region. He and his contemporaries used to strap shaved and smoothened wooden plan ks with rubber straps onto their shoes. Now, children go for modern skis because they are durable and superior.
“Our parents had limited resources. There was hardly any known source to procure original ski blades. So, we made wooden skis ,” recalled Chuni Lal Thakur of Palchan, who represented India in the 1992 Winter Games and coached the national team from 2005 to 2010.
It was Harnam Singh, the Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports( Manali) director who spotted village kids skimming down the slope son homemade ski sin the 80s. Impressed with their innovation, he arranged some ski blades and the rest is history.
“Our achievements today are because of Harnam sir. Had he not introduced us to the modern ski blades, the area would not have turned into a ski nursery,” said Roshan Lal. But it was not until 1989 that the skiers competed in the national championship, held in So lang. The very next year, Nanak Chand and Bhagh Chand (from Palchan) and the Negi brothers — Murli D ha rand Ros han of Vashisht village— were picked in the national skiing team for the second Winter Asian Games in Japan.
The moment of glory for the villages came in 1992 when a two-member Indian squad, comprising Nanak Chand and Chuni Lal, was selected for the Winter Olympics. Since then, hardly any team has left Indian shores without a skier from these villages. During the 1998 Winter Olympics, no skier from the region qualified but lu ger Shiva K es ha van from Vashisht was holding the tricolour high.
NO RECOGNITION
“Palchan has produced 22 international skiers, but as we step out of Manali, no one knows about our achievements ,” said Nanak Chand. Oblivious to that fact, the ‘elders’ continue to bring up the new generation.
Hira Lal of Burua village is one such example. His maternal uncle, R os han L al, coached him and the boy went onto represent the country at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Now, Ros han L al has begun imp art- ing lessons to his children, Himanshu and Aanchal.
Slowly but certainly, the action has shifted from Palchan to Burua village, with14 skiers competing internationally and the latest stars being Aanchal and Himanshu.
While A an ch al was the country’ s lone participant at the 2012 Youth Winter Olympics in Austria, Himanshu competed in the 2014 So chi Olympic sandi sin contention for a 2018 Olympics berth.
The success stories have also given locals from Pal chan, Solang, Kothi, Ruwar and Ku lang an option to look beyond their small land holdings to earn a living. Resources dry up during harsh winters and livelihood is at the mercy of nature, so the next best thing is to turn to skiing.
Nearly 50% of the families in the region earn their living from leisure activity and sport. Kiosks dotting the mountain road rent out ski gear and blades to tourists and provide them with guides, while ski instructors help them learn the rudiments.
While some are happy earning a living on the slopes of Solang, others have moved out. “Nearly 90% of the households in Palchan have seen someone or the other either competing or going as coaches abroad.
It’s an irony, then, that the region continues to be promoted only as a tourist destination by the state and the bigger picture — of making it a premier winter sports academy and competitive international destination—is being missed.