One step into the stadium and your mind was magically transported into a simpler time where sports and glory were all that mattered. Almost like in the days of childhood, where all one cared about was to be the fastest bowler, the dashing goal scorer; the best of the best whatever be the sport. Where victory meant glory, where sport was played for the love of sport, and not to impress the fair maiden.

This article showcases two instances of sporting excellence etched in my memory.

Rearguard Chivalry (Football)

The match against MDI was a must win game in order to advance to the finals. MDI being the local team (and the slightly more in-form team) kicked the game off on an attacking note. This note opened up what became a symphony of attacking football that would make IIM C’s exit only a matter of time. However, cometh the hour cometh the man – Captain Rakesh Pai beefed up the midfield and commanded a sterling performance from the defence. The defence resembled a scene from a war movie, braving attack after attack, determined to hold out till the very end.

Dusk brought with it the crescendo of a penalty shootout. 5 valiant men stepped up from each team. Seasoned penalty taker Akshat Patil (who put in a defensive masterclass) graciously let the juniors take centre-stage.  The determination to win shone bright, the calmness uncanny. The battle was won when goalkeeper Abhishek Singh saved a penalty and converted the final penalty to bring the MDI army to its knees.

Domination (Basketball)

If the previous one was a tale of determined defiance, the basketball campaign screamed of unabashed brilliance. Given that the team was not at full strength, the domination that it displayed was simply a joy to behold. In the words of the rambunctious rajah of the rebound – Anurag Nair –  “We were playing at a level higher than their reach. We shifted into a gear that they didn’t know of”. Needless to say, Nair individually scored higher than the total points that the opponents scored in every match. Ardent sledging was replaced by meek murmurs of consolation.

It was unfortunate that Badminton and athletics could not be accommodated into the schedule though.  However, the FMS test doesn’t fall shy of drawing the gambit for the upcoming ABCL meet. To our opponents : The die has been cast. The gauntlet has been thrown, you have been warned

*Joint Winners                                                                                                                                                                                    For JokaTimes,

Gregory Ipe

Updated Results  :

1)Mohit Bharti – 1st 800 m

2)Akshat A. Patil – 2nd Discus Throw, 3rd Shotput

3)Avantika Tomar – 2nd 400m

4)Nikhil Singh – 3rd Javelin Throw

5)Shashank Bajaj – 1st Online Gaming (Fifa’08)

6)Ankit Kapoor – 1st Online Gaming(AOE)

7)IIM Calcutta also swept the carrom (both Men’s and Women’s)  with Mohd. Kashif and Rohit Mehta winning their singles games easily. Bhavna Gaule played an epic game to win her maiden carrom crown.

The 2009 edition of the tournament was the 3^rd edition of this futsal tournament. The past 2 editions have had their fair share of memorable moments. This year was no different with over 50 football enthusiasts participating in the tournament. The reason for this event generating so much buzz is ‘footer volley’. Every IIMCian worth his salt has experienced the game in one way or the other. Having either played it for hours or cheering and ‘sledging’ in the high intensity footer volley tournaments across the hostels. Hence the evolution of futsal on campus was a logical extension of this passion.

The 2009 edition of Joka Rimet Cup had 8 teams participating for the coveted crown. To make the event competitive, there was a restriction of the number of college football team players in every team. The venue for the event was the Basketball court under lights. It was an ideal setup since the court already had all the required markings and made my life (as the organizer and referee) easier. The red and green jerseys for the competing teams added ‘colour’ to the event. Not to mention, it helped in attracting greater attention by making every passer-by stop and watch the spectacle. The teams played their part by displaying some breathtaking skills on the court. Futsal is definitely one of those sports which test your team-skills. Five guys trying to build a game by passing the ball really fast on a small platform and all focussed on a single ‘Goal’. Well, that’s one management skills you won’t learn in the classroom.

The matches were played at a fast pace with the goals frequency increasing as the teams reached the serious end of the tournament. The semi-finalists were Joka Bonito, TeamWH, Fighters and my own team, Furious Reds. The Fighters literally had to fight it out to reach the semi-finals having eliminated another team on sudden death penalties as both the teams had equal number of points after league matches. Joka Bonito and Team WH played the Final with the former emerging as the Champions.  The winners had a potent strike force which lived up to its reputation by scoring the maximum number of goals scored by any team in the tournament.

The event had passion, elation as well as disappointment. On the whole it was an event that everyone enjoyed- the players as well as the spectators. Thanks to everyone involved for making it an event to cherish and special thanks to Rakesh Pai and Akhil Kulkarni for the help extended to organize the event and refereeing through the some high-tension matches.

For JokaTimes,

Sports Secretary Akshat Patil

Samhar 2009 has ended and the junta at IIMC has settled into the usual routine of rushing to classes, running against assignment deadlines, discussing cases, and making presentations. With the end-terms of the PGP2s going on, it is a slightly subdued time here at Joka. The JT team shall take this opportunity to look back and relive the Samhar experience.

Samhar, the annual sports meet between IIM C and IIM B, is one of the major events in the sporting calendars of both the institutes. This year, IIM B sent a 100-strong contingent to Joka to participate in Samhar. The entire campus had a festive atmosphere, with discussions galore about the different matches and people updating each other frequently about the outcomes of various matches. The Samhar ’09 twitter account had alumni and students eagerly enquiring about the results of various matches and following the goings on from around the world.

There were a lot of close matches, won and lost by a whisker, which had the crowd go from exhilaration to despondent in a minute.  Men’s Badminton was one such closely fought tournament. With IIMB winning the first singles match (Karan-IIMC vs Giri-IIMB), Karthik Bhaskaran of IIMC stormed the next match and won it 15-8,15-3 to equal scores. Next followed an extremely close doubles game that lasted for almost an hour, and  had the audience whooping and groaning continuously.  IIM B won it by a whisker, much to the chagrin of Jokaites and to the delight of the visitors. The score now stood at 2-1 in favor of IIM B. Jayant Yadav of IIM C played a brilliant match in the reverse singles to win the game and equal scores. The decider was another nail-biting affair which in the end went to Bangalore after a hard-fought game. IIMB won the Men’s Badminton 3-2.  The Men’s TT was another closely contested tournament, which finally went the C way.

IIM Bangalore won Samhar 9-7, but what most people remember about the tournament was the excitement, the anticipation, the fight, the hope and the exhilaration. On a dreary day in the middle of end-terms and endless assignments,  just thinking of those moments spent on a court, fighting one’s guts out, cheering hoarse, would be enough to bring back the adrenaline and raise one’s spirits.  Like Howard Cosell once said in one of his more reflective moods, sport is human life in microcosm, and Samhar 2009 witnessed all that and more!

For JokaTimes,
T.Samyukktha

-Richard.M.Nixon

Sport, spirit, slogans, support, victory, hard work, talent, skill, coordination, sweat, practice, stadium, jersey, equipment, teamwork, logistics, hospitality..! All come together and lay the stage for two of the best management schools in India to clash in the sports arena.  And what does the winner take away? An opportunity to ‘flaunt’ their supremacy over the other of course!

Welcome to Samhar’09!

Running for the third consecutive year, the sports meet between IIM Calcutta and IIM Bangalore spans two vigorous days, and is held alternatively in the two respective campuses. This year, Samhar ’09 will see sport enthusiasts from 16 events panting it out in IIM Calcutta. IIM Bangalore has won the Samhar crown for two years, but IIM Calcutta seems to be taking no chances this time.

The last few weeks at IIM Calcutta has seen the B-school students sweating it out on the fields – shouting, perspiring, jumping, screaming and playing their hearts out – all in a bid to win the Samhar title. Here is what some of the IIM Calcutta team captains have to say.

Athletics: After a dismal performance by girls last year, boys gave it away without even trying. Whoops! We have pledged for the spirit of Samhar, so no excuse would work this time around or alternatively men events should be scheduled ahead of women events. Lets hope Kolkata humidity gives our runners a home advantage.

Badminton: A thump for girls team as they squeezed in a point for us last time. They really came through for us. IIM Bangalore has a few strong players that could dampen our game. I wish that our strategy to win 3 out of 5 games works.

Basketball: Tigers ‘Boys’ are boasting for their better side this year. They’re relying upon home advantage after playing on a bizarre court last time in Bangalore. Girls have put in lot of effort. Their motto is ‘Never give up, never give in’.

Carrom: We had a close one last year and we lost. Our present Captain didn’t get a chance to be in the playing squad last year. And he is anxious as ever to play this time around and win for us.

Cricket: Like carrom, cricket was also a close encounter last year, but we eventually lost. A good pool of bowlers should help the team restrict the opponents to a minimal score. Lack of match practice and weather are going be major hurdles. The captain with god gifted talent, and a talkative vice captain are the biggest strengths of the team. The team wishes to play in Eden Gardens. Lets make it happen next time year!

Football: I have my bets on our football team this time. I have seen them playing and it looks like a good unit held together by the captain. All players seem to be swayed by international football and you will always spot them in jerseys of various football clubs. Above all, all smokers in the team have left smoking for a while so that the team doesn’t loose on stamina. Friends, please thump!

Hockey: We all should take some time out and watch their match as one doesn’t get a chance to visit a national stadium everyday. There are healthy signs as the captain is ensuring good strategic sessions for the training. When I asked him about the chances, he didn’t waste a moment to answer ‘Of course, we will win’.

Swimming: We did lose last year though the girls did us proud. This year, IIM B played damp squid by cancelling the girl’s event at the last moment. The men’s team is talented and it should prove to be an interesting battle.

Table Tennis: The team is lucky to have a very spiritual captain. I only came across words like spirit, motivation, enthusiasm and teamwork while talking to him. New talent is superb and again promises to be an engrossing event. It will be held in White Hostel Mess, and should be a crowd puller.

Throwball: Last year the team was spared for losing because of the misinterpretation of rules. Girls, you don’t have an option but to win. This is what your captain had to say ‘We will win or else I will break your legs’. Scary!

Though there is a lot of concern over the weather, the mood is positive. Both sides are waiting for the two days which will see the two sides clash in various sports arenas. With the IIM Calcutta home crowd ready to support its peers, the doors of sporting open today when the IIM Bangalore team arrives in Kolkata – and thus begins Samhar 09, a weekend promised to be filled with zeal, vigour, excitement, joy, bruises, cheers, and the spirit of excellence.

-  Mohit Handa and Soumitra Singh.

Yellow halogens flooded the area as the crowds cheered the arriving teams into the arena. Before you go off wondering which movie I am describing this scene I would like to clarify that this is not from any movie (from amongst the ones I know off) , ‘tis merely but a scene of the opening night of the OH Footer tournament, the patented sport of IIM Calcutta.

Each year, teams representing each level of all the guys’ wings take part for the coveted title of OH Footer champions. This year with a new batch of PGP1s adorning the scene, the tournament opened to a spectacular start. Lined up on the first day were the reigning champions H2 Top (aka MOT), with their ace player Nakul Singh Pangtey leading the attack with his precision high speed serves and Naresh Krishnaswamy with his killer headers from the net. Up against them were MOKK the team from H4 Bot comprising exclusively of PGP1s. The champions showed the stuff they were made of when the steam rolled their way through the first set winning 15-5.

The next set saw an initial fightback from MOKK, but alas it was not to be their day, as Nakul Pangtey had other plans lined up for them. Serving unreturnable serves he smashed through 10 serves in a row before MOKK could break the flow! But unfortunately they could not hold on to their serves and once MOT got the serve back they wrapped up the match in two sets. The scoreline read 15-5,15-5 a rather unfortunate result for MOKK but the scoreline belied the great performance by some members of MOKK, like the captain Gregory and Zubin.

The next match was that of KBS the team from H4 Mid, runners up last year take on the new entrants NOH, the kichidi put together from from Tata Hall & VLMP hostels. The first set was a blink and miss it affair with KBS going for a 5 member 2-3 attack as opposed to NOH’s 3-3 attack. NOH gave away 8 points before registering themselves on the scorecard, with team communication proving a big problem. First time captain Nikhil was not able to get his coordinations strategies right and NOH spent most of the time looking at each other after the ball had landed rather than the ball itself. KBS finished the match in less than 20 mins in an extremely professional manner leaving team NOH flabbergasted with the scoreline reading 15-2,15-1.

It is at this point that your truly remembered that he had a class the next day and rushed to dive into his bed. Thus ended my opening night, by no means the end, of the OH Footer Championships, the flagship event of Ramanujan Hostel.

Amrutanshu Mishra

Update: Underworld aka H2-Bot won their first match against HPaxx (H3 Bot) with a convincing scoreline of 15-5, 15-8. In the surprise of the day, MoKK learnt from their defeat earlier in the day to stun (a decidedly weakened) Chandini Bar (H3-Mid) with a scoreline of 15-12, 15-1! Captain Gregory, Keshav and Gunjan were inspirational as the team of PGP1s took last year’s semifinalists to cleaners. Chandini Bar captain Justin promised an improved showing in the next game… against smiling assassin Pangtey’s MOT.

Update2: As Rain Gods put paid to hopes of running a tournament on schedule, the New Hostel started its own footer Tournament, Flash Gordon, yesterday. We at JokaTimes have a source extremely close on the hand and will bring you updates from both footer tournaments as they progress. Time to leather some leather!

Question: Can you tell us more about the run?

JD: The run was about 5 KM (for boys) and 3.5 KM (for girls), which meant three rounds of the campus (from the New Teaching Block (NTB) via main gate via faculty quarters via Howrah bridge via auditorium and back to NTB) for boys and two rounds for girls. To qualify, boys had to finish the race within 35 minutes and girls had to do the same in 25 minutes.

Question: That sounds like some distance! What kind of response did the race elicit?

JD: To say the least, it was overwhelming! There were 71 students who took part in the race, including two girls. The fastest recorded timing was 23 minutes 30 seconds by Saurabh Sharma. Overall, more than 90% of the participants completed the race, and 49 boys finished the race within the qualifying time of 35 minutes, which is a more than 100% increase over the last year’s figure.

Question: That’s a huge number! But then, going forward do you think it would be possible to increase the number of girls participating in the race? What would you recommend?

JD: To increase the participation from girls, we are exploring the possibility of increasing the visibility of the club through weekly campus jogs or similar events. One more way could be to encourage girls to participate in the club activities such as treks which are going to happen over next two terms. Also, if we are able to see an increase in girl participation for the current PGP1 batch, we can rely on them to pass on their experiences to incoming batch, i.e. ‘Word-of-mouth’ strategy in marketing parlance!

Question: But with the overall number of participants going up significantly, I am sure this is a positive sign?

JD: Indeed, this is a very encouraging sign for the club, and also for me. With more number of participants we will be able to choose the right people for the club in sufficient numbers. This will surely have positive impact on all future club activities.

Question: Also, JD could you throw some light on the activities planned for Adventure Club in the coming year?

JD: We are yet to finalize this year’s plan for club, reason being we actually wanted the incoming PGP1 members to actively participate in the planning process, and incorporate their ideas before finalizing our plans. But then broadly speaking, we will continue to organize treks and trips, especially in the north-eastern region of India. Apart from this we are also planning to have a biking trip for the members. We are also looking at the feasibility of organizing programs in collaboration with some professional institute. This would help to train members of the club in trekking and other related activities. And of-course, Tour-de-Joka will be there and it will be bigger than ever before!

For Jokatimes

Mayank Jain

Positioned, almost concealed in a corner behind the tennis courts, just opposite one of the seven lakes on campus, the gymnasium here at IIM Calcutta houses some world class equipment. From treadmills, to cycles, to full fledged body exercisers, to chest press apparatus, to weights, the gym has it all! Besides, it also boasts of a badminton court. Undoubtedly, an absolute paradise for the fitness freaks and the health conscious!

Now, again the kind of people who visit the gym can easily be classified into various categories. There is this one category of people who will frequent the gym at all times around the year, irrespective of the other activities on campus, and are the true ‘hardcore gymmers’. There is another genre of those who have an on-off relationship with the gym, and can be spotted every now and then, and whose visits to the gym follow no fixed pattern as such. There is yet another remarkable variety of the ones who will make a once in a life time appearance at some point of time, but will never show up again! Last, but not the least, there is this variety, and quite an interesting one (I presume only males fall in this category, though no confirmation from females has been taken!) who will surface only when the gym is crowded with creatures of the opposite sex! They might all have different reasons to hit the gym, but, as long as the gym is running and the ‘gymmers’ are active, no one is complaining!

Besides surprising you by taking you to your limits in terms of physical exertion, the gym can be shocking in other ways too. A few days back, this is what one of our colleagues (Arun Paliwal, PGDM, Batch of 2010), experienced at the gym

“The other day, I saw a middle aged gentleman in the Gym, walking past the various equipments. Soon he approached me, offering some help related to certain exercises. I accepted the offer with glee. He was characteristically proficient in the way he went about explaining the routines and I must admit had a rather fit body for his age. Thoroughly impressed, I decided to question him

“Sorry sir, but I haven’t seen you before!” I said.
“Yes, I am your new gym instructor….” he replied in a as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

To say the least, it was motivating to see someone from a senior generation (He seemed to be in his early 40’s), to be in a profession which required sustained amount of dedication. I decided to probe further.

“That’s great sir! But isn’t it a little difficult to manage all this at your age?” I quipped.
“Son, it’s a habit, I have been doing this for almost half a century now!” he grinned.

Half a century?? I wondered whether his physical fitness had taken a toll on his mental setup.

“I am sorry, half a century?” I asked.

At this point, he took out his driving license, and put his finger next to the place where it indicated his date of birth. The year clearly read “1945”. I said no more, he said no more, we just exchanged smiles. The old gentleman had conveyed enough even without opening his mouth. At an age, when most people would be battling with ailments and looking to live out the last parts of their lives, this man was simply fighting fit! It gave me sufficient food for thought and motivation enough to keep coming back to the gym day after day!”

In short, the gym is a place that deserves a run up to sometime. So, all you people out there, who haven’t yet had a brush with this institution, do check it out while you are here at IIM Calcutta!

For Jokatimes
Mayank Jain

This news has of course come as a big disappointment to not only the sporting teams from both sides, but also the student community in general. Akshat Patil, the IIM Calcutta Sports Secretary and the main organiser behind the event has issued a statement saying

The president and I are in talks with their council and our Placereps/PGP Reps to work on a feasible date for the meet. We will be putting up a poll to check availability of our students on a later date. We are extremely sorry for any inconvenience caused to our students.[...] 

 I hope the spirit of the meet lingers on for a little longer as we will try hard to make this meet happen.

However despite the assurance, finding a future date might be difficult, given the packed schedules at IIMC and XLRI. “It is of course very disappointing. We have been working hard on practising for the meet – and we were looking forward to hosting the XL junta on campus” said Jayant Yadav, a member of IIM Calcutta’s football team.

Despite all the bad news, there is still a possibility of a resolution and Jokatimes has heard that the organisers are considering the 6th-8th of March as possible dates for the event. In any case, stay tuned to Jokatimes for all updates!

For Jokatimes
Abhishek Nagaraj

The Setting

The night of 7th January saw the grand finale of Concrete Bowl: the inter wing footer volley tournament of Ramanujan Hostel, popular as the Old Hostel for very uncreative reasons. It was quite a bit into the next day when the champions of OH were finally crowned and bragging rights for yet another season of footer was firmly secured. Both the OH teams were in the finals of the inter hostel footer tournament, and comfortably at that, and all along the league stages and semi finals there had been flashes reminding the fact. But it all came to head in a grand finale, which if anything, lived to up to everyone’s expectations too well.

The match was between MoT (Men on Top, H2 2nd floor) and KBS (Kahin\Kabhi\Kaise Bhi Shuru, H4 1st floor). The two teams had coincidentally been drawn in the same mini league during the eliminations and had followed identical paths to the finals by trashing fancied opponents in the semis. The league match between the two teams was a cracker, the best of the lot till the finals, going all the way till deuce into the third set. It set the backdrop of the final beautifully, with people opining that if the match was played to a first to 51 sets game, a 101st set would be required. It was decided by his holy highness and elected OH Representative, Kushal Kumar Manupati, in consultation with both the teams that the match would be played to a first to 3 sets game, with the usual first to 15 points rule per set.

The Teams

A little bit about the teams themselves. MoT, which had won the league meeting between the two teams, was spearheaded by Nakul Singh Pangtey, possibly the finest all round footer player in the college. It also boasted the talents of football team member and OH footer captain Siddarth Majumdar and the able Rishikesh Patkar. While these 3 formed the crux of the team, they were ably supported by Ruchir Aswal and Krishnan Ramani, the latter of whom earned the complimentary nickname “The Wall” during the course of the final.

Arrayed against them, in a friendly fashion, were KBS led by Rahul Meena. A cheerful forward player with superb reflexes and invention, Meena, or KaMeena as he likes to be called, was buttressed by Rahul Bhawal, Swayam “Khilu” Khialani and Praveen “Pubya” Umredkar. The serious and focused Shouvik “ShouvikDa” Chakraborty finished the lineup.

The teams had differing styles. KBS liked to build from the back, letting Meena and ShouvikDa play the final ball, while MoT essentially lived off the versatility and immense improvisation of the Kungfu Panda (Nakul) and Chotu (Sid). At the outset, it appeared that the playing styles would mean a longer match would favour KBS, since Nakul and Sid ran around so much, trying to be ubiquitous in the other team.

The teams were pretty well matched: Nakul & Rishi more or less matched the ball retrievals of Pubya, Khilu and Bhawal at the back, while Meena and ShouvikDa’s angles and acrobatics were more than competently repelled and replied by Nakul and Sid in the front. If you have been reading carefully, you’d note that Nakul really was everywhere, and his accurate yet unpredictable serves had tipped the balance in the league game between the two teams.

The Final

KBS won the toss and chose to send MoT to ply their trade with MohanDa, the OH stores owner, behind their back. The set scores were irrelevant, as each point was hard fought for, and even a set which finished 15 – 2 or thereabouts was very very close in terms of how the points were won or lost. The rallies were lengthy, atypical to OH’s general play, and repeatedly, seeming winners were plucked out of the vortex of the court and kept in play. MohanDa was a lucky charm as the team playing from his side, and the teams kept changing sides every set, kept winning. Four sets gone and it stood 2-2 and very few realized that the fourth set had been kept at 14-13 to KBS for 10 serve changes and 20 minutes. Or indeed that Rahul Bhawal had won his team 11 points on his serve, missing only once, in the set which lasted for an hour.

The final set saw a bit of the inevitable controversy. Changing sides, as can be inferred became an important advantage, even if only psychological, and there was confusion regarding how best to carry it out in the final set. MoT however clinched the set, having made points first when they were on the lucky side, seen a fightback when they had to play from the other side, finally winning it when they got to go back to MohanDa’s comforts.

And In Summary…

There were several genuinely unforgettable moments during the game. Krishnan’s wall like stoic presentation of his underbelly to every ball Meena hit purposefully in his direction, ShouvikDa’s reaction and retrieval of plays Meena had almost lost hope in once he didn’t get it across the net, Nakul’s booming serves, Pubya’s defiant and brave defense of his court, the banter between other residents of MoT and Swayam, the tabla of the KBS cheering team, the confiscation of the Nimbu Pani meant for the players by one honest referee… okay, may be not the last one.

The man of the match had to be Nakul for doing absolutely everything that could be expected of two men, including having the presence of mind to remind the referee of the side change at the fag end of the fifth set. While KBS tired and saw their shoulders droop during the fifth set, Nakul and Sid were running themselves into the ground with a smile. It was their camaraderie and understanding of the game and its players that stood out in the ending and defined the course of the right to be called the undisputed champion of OH Footer Volley. Coming, rather unsurprisingly from the Old Hostel, your correspondent can warn the other hostels about a real fight on their hands to prevent an OH team from winning the inter hostel footer this year.

On a final note, I would like to state that my own team came third in the pool that contained the two finalists. Now if only the two had been separated and had met in the semi finals… I guess the finals would have been over pretty quickly if we reached it. Having said that, I wonder who would win if MoT and KBS played away a game for one set and one set only… Hmm.

Oh and by the way, the next time, I plan to write about the Footer Match between the first and second year girls that took place just before this particular final… now that was worth watching

G. Sriram