Hyderabad: A shuttler from the forming years of Hyderabad badminton, C.H. Deepthi, aka Deepthi Chapala, is a 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. It was this multi-games event that marked Pullela Gopichand's meteoric rise. A star of Indian badminton, Gopichand is now an established coach in Hyderabad and undoubtedly the most famous among all the coaches who have been working for the development of the sport in the city.
And then there is Deepthi, a lesser-known name, struggling at Hyderabad's iconic Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium to save a precious legacy from becoming history. Deepthi has become a coach upon her retirement from badminton. By doing so, she has become the first female badminton coach in Hyderabad's bustling badminton circle.
A former trainee of legendary India coach Syed Mohammed Arif, Deepthi, is now rendering her service to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Indoor Stadium, the venue which has the distinction of producing 33 international shuttlers.
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LB Indoor Stadium is where she trained and learnt badminton from the former Chief National Badminton Coach of India SM Arif. She was among those famous players who were instrumental in making Hyderabad a force to reckon with in Indian badminton and establishing the coaching centre as the country's badminton hub.
"It was a really good experience for me. Winning the bronze medal and getting to play with senior Indian players like Aparna Popat, Manjusha Kanwar, Madhumita Bisht and Pullela Gopichand made me very happy. I was the junior-most member of the Indian badminton contingent. I learnt a lot from them. It is a good memory for me being among such legends of the game," Deepthi, 41, told Etv Bharat.
"In the Commonwealth Games, it was a team event in which we secured a bronze medal. In that event, I played the women's doubles match. We lost the match. But it was a good experience as senior players were there. It was a nice team," she added.
Started under late coach Nani Prasad at Sports Authority of India, Andhra Pradesh, Deepthi, a singles specialist who also played women's doubles, moved to LB Indoor Stadium to train under Dronacharya Award recipient SM Arif. She learnt the ropes of badminton from him and became a professional shuttler.
"I started my career at LB Stadium. Right now I am working here as a coach. That is a big transformation for me," said Deepthi, who is now a NIS certified coach.
More aggressive, more attractive
Asked how she sees the difference between the time when she played and the present-day Indian badminton, the 2002 national championship silver medallist said, "When we played the emphasis was more on the rally, there was service over also. But right now the game has become faster. In present-day badminton, new metrics like speed and power have taken over the game. There is more aggression and intensity involved in the game since the old point system has been modified. Right now anybody can score a point, it doesn't matter who is serving. The time when we used to play and how children are playing today are totally different. There is a huge change in playing style, endurance level is also high among today's players. It made modern badminton more attractive."
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Meanwhile, talking about her experience of training under Arif, Deepthi gave a vivid description of the time when she and her fellow players had to cope with rudimentary facilities at the LB Indoor Stadium. Despite facing such problems Arif, thanks to his persuasive skills, managed to give India the maximum number of international players from the venue.
"When we used to play the stadium was often allotted for different purposes like marriage ceremony, political event, and moreover during the election time, it will be closed for more than two months. We could do nothing but faced the problem. At that time, we didn't have many shuttlecocks as well. But Arif sir managed us very well," Deepthi recalled.
Living with hard times
"Though we faced such hurdles, we still brought many laurels to the country. Arif sir has the distinction of producing the maximum number of international players which stands at 33. Till today nobody has been able to break that record. Arif sir was so committed to his task and so responsible as a coach that we imbibed his every advice and tried to give our best despite facing many difficulties. Sometimes prior to a tournament, the stadium was given for other events. So, our practice used to suffer. Even in such situations, we won many tournaments," she further added.
Lost Legacy
"The sad part is that the stadium still remains the same. Nothing has changed. Even today the stadium is allotted to host non-badminton events. We don't have an alternative. So, those who are training under me have been suffering from the same problem that troubled us back then. On many occasions, we were forced to do training outside," Deepthi, who is now a state government-appointed coach, underlined the deeply rooted problem at the LB Stadium's indoor facility.
In 2006, she bid goodbye to her playing career and joined Arif at the stadium in late 2015. She learnt the nuances of coaching from Arif before taking over coaching from her former coach at LB Indoor Stadium.
Though the venue has lost its sheen today with the arrival of state-of-art academies like Pullela Gopichand Academy and Jwalla Gutta Academy of Excellence, LB Stadium's role in the spectacular rise of Indian badminton cannot be forgotten.
Arif Sir, My Guru
To keep LB Stadium's badminton legacy alive, Deepthi took the odd task in her hand and continues to train 30 professional players. Though she has been facing a mountainous challenge, she didn't give up under pressure.
Till the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, Deepthi was training emerging players under Arif, but now she is the head coach at the Sports Authority of Telangana run coaching centre.
"I am very lucky that I had the privilege to train under Arif sir also as a coach. I learnt the basics of coaching from him. Earlier I trained under him as a player. But there was something different in training as a player and as a coach. I am grateful to Arif sir for helping me out also in my pursuit to become a coach. He is my guru," said Deepthi, who is incidentally the only woman coach in Hyderabad badminton circle.
As no sponsor is coming forward to save LB Stadium's badminton legacy, trainees have to pay INR 700 every month and bring their own shuttlecocks to train at the academy. Earlier, it was a different scenario. When Deepthi was a player, she couldn't manage a shuttle, so she and her fellow players had to play with a shared shuttle.
Modern Maniac
Deepthi has been coaching for six years now, and she, as a coach, has been confronting a new challenge that is parents' sky-high expectations from their children.
"Parents are now always eager. They are spending a lot on their children, unlike our time. That is a good thing," Deepthi said.
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"But they don't have patience. They are expecting an immediate result. When we played, our parents left us free. But today's parents stay glued to their children when they train. Parents should not come when their children train because they feel the pressure of their presence. There is no shortcut for success. The result doesn't come overnight. Good results come with time. But, nowadays, parents don't understand this. They are putting unnecessary pressure on both trainees and coaches. That is why coaches are also not happy. Parents have money, so if they don't get immediate results, they keep shifting centres which is not good for any budding players," Deepthi opined.
Shuttling between family and court
On being asked how important is the role of a female coach in badminton, Deepthi said, "Female coaches are equally talented and qualified. Moreover, female coaches can play an important role in training women's players because they understand their psychology better. And according to their mindset, we can work with players, motivate them and improve their game. That way, the role of a female coach becomes very important in badminton."
Talking about challenges that a female coach faces both on and off the court, she said, "We have to manage a lot of things. Apart from training players, a woman coach also has to look after their family and children and at the same time having a coaching session also makes us exhausted. Here time management is a really tricky thing. But by god's grace, I manage everything. Such sort of challenges is always there for a woman to be in the field. When I was a player I didn't have a family, but when I became a coach I was married. I have a family and children to look after. So such challenges are always there. During outstation tournaments, I have to travel with my players, so that time it becomes a little difficult for me. In a nutshell, the job of a woman coach is very challenging, but I enjoy coaching."
-- By Sudipta Biswas
