Manasvi and Bhaarath, P.O Box 18–19, Memory Lane, NIT - Trichy
A Leap into the Train of Passion!
While the sound of a volleyball being thrown around could mean no more than mere background noises for some as they cycle past the court, to the players, it’s the only sound they hear- the one that speaks to their soul and echoes through their minds. When they play, everything beyond the court seems unnecessary.
This kind of dedicated passion and love for the sport, traces back to a point in their lives that they didn’t think was crucial at all. Little did they know what destiny had in store for them.
Bhaarath and Manasvi, the captains of NIT-T’s Volleyball team, recall their stories as they narrate how exactly their lives drifted to take the u-turn that would change them forever:
I don’t know what exactly drew me to the sport. I didn’t know much about volleyball before coming to college,except playing the sport for fun in school. I was driven to volleyball because I was getting to learn it from scratch and there were people to teach me. Volleyball gave me solace at a time when I felt completely out of place — Manasvi.
I didn’t know that volleyball would one day become such an important part of my life. After all, I started playing it in class 10, just to bunk some classes. The love for the game only increased in the next years of my school life and later in college — Bhaarath.
Having developed your passion, it’s the dedication and the desire to become better that keeps you in the race. Regardless of the inextinguishable fire inside, one can’t shine to their maximum glory until handed a torch to display it. Manasvi too had to stand out admist a large number of inductees, most of them with the same desire to be a part of this iconic sport team.
“ To tell about how my inductions went during my first year, I have to talk about my Orientation. As a part of Orientation, we were required to play a sport every evening. A coach used to come to teach us everyday. I simply went because I enjoyed the sport. And then came the time for inductions, the team came to our hostels to brief us about the same. I wanted to make it into the team real bad but had no clue what to expect. I went to the inductions and saw how the then present team was playing and thought, “Will I ever play like that?” I knew clearly that there were people in my batch who played better than me and had no clue how many people were they going to induct. I was nervous about getting in and was eagerly waiting for the results. From what I understand, it was when the captain asked the coach about whom to take in, that he mentioned my name among a few others, because I had been regular and was very interested in the sport. That is how I made it into the team,” she says.
Bhaarath on the other hand had to take a different path to get into the team. “I joined NIT-T a month after my batchmates did and hence didn’t get a chance to participate in the orientation or the selection trials. I was introduced to the team by one of my friends. Even though I was confident, I was just overwhelmed by the skill level of my seniors. It was Arjun “cheta” and Clinton (the then final year students) who helped me ease my nerves and welcomed me into the team.”
This drawback of joining the team late didn’t affect his progress apart from unnerving him slightly in the beginning. Learning from his seniors was the key.
“During the initial times, as we were first years, we had to wait for our turns to play inside the court. But that has also been a part of the learning curve for me as I learnt more by just watching them play and this also forced me to up my game quickly,” he adds.
Manasvi had to impress her seniors as well to get enough play-time and opportunities.
“Even though no one would do it on purpose, the sense of being left out sets in. But I knew that I was just learning the sport and had to be patient as I had a lot more to learn to become worthy. I used to be very conscious as to how I was playing when the seniors were around. There was this one time I clearly remember when the then captain Pratibha Roy said that I was playing well- I went back smiling to hostel that day.”
All of us, at some point, are sort of stranded in a platform, fidgeting in our lifestyle because we feel out of place, as if we are misplaced. And then this train passes by, and it’s up to you whether or not to take it. Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith. And when you’re in the right train with all the people who have jumped in to find solace in the same path as you have, the memories made are eternal and irreplaceable. Once settled into the team, both our captains were fortunate to meet people who share the same interest and desire for volleyball giving them an opportunity to connect with one another. Memories made throughout this journey will be cherished and treasured for the rest of their lives.
“I got close to the team during my first tournament Spardha ’16 hosted by IIT BHU. The tournament started off with pranks and jokes and at the end of four years I have an entire family- a second home. The 2018 batch was instrumental to my game; I looked up to them. The captains in my second and third years -Monica Stella and Keerthana Ganesan - were the seniors I was closest to. From third year, I was the only person in my batch, which got me all the more closer to them. They were the perfect duo of ‘good cop’ and ‘bad cop’, and the team improved the most under their captaincies. It is the efforts of the boys team which help us whenever in need of advice, which never let us realize the absence of a coach. Be it workouts, drills or strategy, they were always there to help and support us. Under the captaincy of Stella akka and Hariram anna we started referring to the team as ‘our team’ from your team or my team both literally and figuratively. Kiccha anna was the driving force behind me wanting to be better in my position of setter, always ready to help and perfectly down to earth,” recounts Manasvi.
“Right from my fresher year, there were seniors who inspired me. Everyone had a special skill in the game and that made our team special. It was my first captain Arjun cheta who was my favorite player. I took up his jersey number once he left. I couldn’t imagine how my college life would’ve been if not for joining the team. It was with them that I spent most of my days and the number of team trips and tournaments were just never enough. The train journeys, the mafia and poker nights and of course the tournament times will always be cherished,” chips in Bhaarath.
Their consistency, talent and devotion to the game lands them the opportunity to inspire and lead others to achieve more for the team. Now handed the torch that gleams with passion, the captains lead their team with utmost glory. However they do not forget the torches that first ignited their spark.
Bhaarath idolizes his second year captain Hariram for his captaincy skills. “When I think of it now, every captain had their own style of leading the team. But the wellness of the team was one constant thing that always remained at the forefront of any decision. It was my second year captain Hariram whom I looked up to the most when it came to leading the team. He taught how important the team bonding outside the court was, to make the team better.”
Manasvi talks about her experience as a captain- “My captaincy started with seven seniors passing out which meant more than half the team leaving, I was terrified as to where the team was gonna stand. We initially struggled, we were good individually, but had to come together as a team which could only be achieved with practice. Failure in the quarters in IIT BHU against IIT Delhi and against Karunya in PITS and Sastra posed as the stepping stone for Inter-NIT’19 that was yet to come. It wasn’t gonna be easy being the defending champions and hosting the tournament. We practiced tirelessly to come together as a team. We had a coach for a short while which helped us a lot before Inter-NIT. And Prince anna, alumni and former volleyball boys captain mentored us during IIT BHU and Inter-NIT ’19. All the hardwork and support paid off during the tournament and we emerged as champions second time in a row in Inter-NIT. I would like to specially mention the efforts taken by the Core team of Inter-NIT that conducted the tournament smoothly and put no burden whatsoever on us so that we could solely concentrate on playing the game. I’d also like to credit Bhaarath, my co-captain and Hariram Anna who helped me with my captaincy and gave the team crucial inputs whenever in a dilemma.”
Relentless hard work rightfully pays off. The Volleyball teams of NITT are high achieving teams with extraordinary records. Both the captains express immense gratitude and claim to be fortunate for having been a part of this exceptional journey and proudly flaunt their achievements:
“We have been the Inter-NIT champions for the last three years in a row and it was in our college that we made it a hat -trick in February this year. That is my most favorite moment of college life. We won bronze in IIT Kanpur and IIT BHU in the last two years. But, it was a victory in the open tournaments (IITs and Sastra) that eluded us everytime.”- Bhaarath.
“During my time in the team, I feel Inter-NIT ’17 held in Surathkal was the turning point for the team. We lost by narrow margins in the quarters but we got a new hope that we had what it takes to win. There was no looking back from there. We went on to win Bronze in Udghosh ’17 IIT kanpur, Gold in Inter-NIT ’18 held in Kurukshetra, Inter-NIT ’19 held in NITT and Silver in Collosseum 2018 & 19 and Sportiva 2017&18, which adds up to 2 golds, 4 silvers and 1 bronze.”- Manasvi.
Every journey has to come to an end. We could perhaps say, our captains have reached their platforms and so will have to step off the train. But the memories made in that train compartment, the lessons learnt, the injuries suffered, the tears shed, the trophies lifted, the occasional practices that they slacked off during, the passion shared… all of it will live on forever.
Both of our captains did everything they could for the emblem they represented all these years, and they swore to keep an eye and assist their team after they leave.
Signing off with a message from both the captains to their juniors:
Manasvi — My message to the upcoming team would be that it’s not gonna be a piece of cake, you will have to fight to make time for the game, you will be pushed out of your comfort zone but volleyball will teach you lessons for life, give you memories you’ll forever cherish and at the end of the day it’s all going to be worth it.
Bhaarath — Hope that the current team will be able to lift the championship in open tournaments this year. Just learn to love the game and put your heart into it every time you step on the court. All the very best guys.
