Archery: a sport behind veils

I was turning down the pages of a renowned year book and to my utter disappointment I could not find a glimpse of the word archery in sports section. The world has entirely set to the grandiose sports like cricket, lawn tennis, formula one, chess, etc. Such games have grabbed the attention of sports enthusiasts and have been hyped by the media which turns archery and swimming into a wide goose chase institution. Since hockey is India’s national game and football is getting popular these days with the increase in the influence of English Premier League (EPL), many among us have taken initiatives to raise our voice for such sports.

Archery has its footprints from the heydays of the kings and rulers in India. Arjuna and Karna are the most significant archers in Hindu mythology. Historically this sport has been of great significance. But now it needs to be given proper attention at national level. This game which won World Championships in 2007 gets “step motherly treatment” as said by Vijay Kumar Malhotra, president of Archery Association of India, who raised his voice against the government and media, which have ignored other sports in order to promote cricket.



Archery, a game that involves bow and arrow, is the national game of the kingdom of Bhutan and can also be called as indigenous game of Meghalaya, as the festivals of the state are incomplete without practicing archery. This very game dates back to the late Paleolithic or early Mesolithic age. Many archers have been deities or heroes in various mythologies that include Greek God Apollo, Roman Cupid, Babylonian Marduk and Indian Arjuna.

‘Antalya’- the archery grand slam is coming to its closure. How many of us know about it? On the sideways of IPL, World Championship was taking place as well, but most of us bothered to focus on IPL as it helps in filling the coffers out of commercialization.

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