JOIN USFinding time in a busy city like Bengaluru is a task. Meeting someone who is free at the same time as you is worse. That’s where ‘Crazzyy Shuttlers’ come into play, quite literally. The badminton group was started in 2014 by Avinash Kumbhat and Charchita Pramanik. Their main aim was to give players a chance to come and play whenever they want and never worry about who will play with them.
Avinash explains, “Before we started the club, we realised that a lot of people find it difficult to find partners to play with them. We are bridging that gap and giving an opportunity to players to pursue their hobby. We also take charge of the booking of the court and other expenses that one wouldn’t have to worry about on a daily basis.”
A club of 2,500 members, they see about 30 players on a daily basis. They’ve booked court slots in areas like Indiranagar, Bellandur, Sarjapur, Marathahalli and JP Nagar. The members come in during morning and evening hours. “We see more players come in the evening after work. It’s a great workout regime and many can club in their free time with it,” adds Avinash.
Charchita, a software marketing professional and the co-founder of the club, says, “The club is something that we look forward to after work. The facilities provided for the players are great and anyone who loves the sport can come to play.”
Apart from just playing the sport, the members also go through a training process.
Avinash explains, “We have slots allocated for beginners, intermediate and advanced players. After an hour, the players are interchanged, giving them the experience level that can take them a step further. This helps us determine who is a good candidate to represent us during tournaments.”
Dev Borah, the owner of ‘Retail View’, has been a part of the club for the last eight months. Sharing his experience, he says, “I’ve been playing badminton for the last six to seven years and it was becoming difficult to find a partner to play with. Thanks to the club, we don’t have to worry about that as there’s always someone else to play with you. I go to the Indiranagar court at least six days a week. I also like that the founders are very caring and passionate about the sport.”
The members participate in a tournament at least once a month. Varun Chellam, a hardware technician, says, “I’ve been a part of this group since the start of the year. My skills have improved a lot since I joined. It’s interesting that you can practice with players of different levels. Recently, I won the silver medal for the Corporate Olympics that was held in Chennai.”
For Diya Mores, a digital planner, the club has given her a chance to bring back childhood memories. She explains, “Badminton was the game that kept me motivated to study when I was in school. I started playing the sport once again after 10 years and I couldn’t have been happier.”
Rohit Venugopal, an HR product specialist, talks about his journey with the club as well. “It’s a great way to stay fit as you have to use your entire body to play the game. Going to the court has become a daily routine for me and I am hooked.”
Ask them about their future plans and Avinash says, “We are hosting the ‘Play for Pink’ tournament next month to show our support for breast cancer. It’ll be held in both Bengaluru and Hyderabad. We hope to expand to other cities as well and bring more badminton players together. There are many tournaments that take place which we would like to be a part of.”
Apart from showing their love for badminton, they also get together for lunch and dinner parties along with social service endeavours at old- age homes.
(The club can be contacted at 9845547616).