JOIN USFame comes at a price, literally here
In their enthusiasm to get exposure for their son, parents of skater Rohan Kokane agreed to foot the bill for the production of a documentary by a Korean firm. After shooting the exploits of the eight-year-old Rohan, they left Belgaum, collecting money spent on the whole exercise. But nothing has been heard after the team's departure.
When Rohan's father Ajit, contacted the coordinator who had worked out the details, he only got a reply that the team has left for Korea and that he had no details.
Action replay
The boy had to go re-enact all the sequences, now for another team, which claims to be producing programmes for US and UK media houses. The team refuses to give details, citing a secrecy clause. The team has videographed the whole proceedings and the boy had to be goaded to repeat some of his shots despite suffering minor injuries, all for camera.
Fortunately, the Delhi-based company has not asked money from the parents this time.
Ajit, who runs an electrical shop, feels that he has been cheated by the earlier team. "I want exposure for my child, hence I have to face problems", he stated. He spends nearly Rs 1,000 every month on his child. The expenses go up when the boy has to participate in tournaments. In recent years, skating has caught up here and the only skating rink in the premises of the Rotary-Corporation Swimming Pool is always occupied.
Rohan's limbo skating record has been acknowledged by World Records Academy and recently by Record Holders Republic from the United Kingdom. Rohan has skated under 5.70 inch bars in forward mode and 6.50 inch in reverse mode, blindfolded, at Hubli. The boy has participated in social awareness rallies including Suvarna Karnataka rally when he skated with other skaters from Belgaum to Bangalore.