Tundla Junction

Favourites Kerala yesterday hammered favourites Pondicherry 21-3 to firmly establish their authority on the on-going 23rd National Sub-junior Tennikoit Competition (girls). The game ended when one of the Kerala girls glared at the referee to remind him of the rules.

The match was telecast live on DD Sports in the prime Sunday-morning slot, as part of their drive to promote sports that no one knows about. We believe they were very successful in their attempt, as the telecast only clashed with the live coverage of the India-England cricket series, South Africa’s record breaking run-chase at Perth and English Premier League highlights on competing channels. “Our research had shown clearly that there was a niche market out there for Tennikoit. We believe this particular game was seen by a highly influential gentleman in Alwarpet,” said DD sports consultant Vijay Kumar.

Tundlajunction reached out to the said gentleman who said “I was thoroughly glued to the TV set. One must commend DD Sports on their targetted programming.”

“There are a number of benefits of such targetted programming. For instance, our sponsors know exactly what they are getting,” said Vijay Kumar. “In this case, the main sponsor, Velammal Insitute of Technology have received a confirmation from the gentleman in Alwarpet that his 3 month old son has expressed a strong desire to study at Velammal when he grows up.”

Thanks to the efforts of DD Sports, Liya (Ker), Parvathy (Ker), Anusuya (Pon) and Aarthi (Pon) are now household names in their respective households. “I was very impressed with Anusuya’s patience and self-control every time Aarthi came in the way when it was not her turn,” said Anusuya’s elder brother. “It was a very exciting match with all four players showing agression at the net, unlike the defensive base-line play of other teams.”

With the popularity of Tennikoit clearly on the rise, the Tennikoit Federation of India is lobbying for the inclusion of the sport at the next Olympics. “This will substantially increase India’s chances of winning a medal,” reasons Nagarajan, President. “The first steps towards this have been taken. We can now confirm that six countries will take part in the first World Tennikoit Championships at Velammal International School, Panchetti, Chennai.”

Tundlabytes: What is Tennikoit?

Tennikoit is an obscure Indian sport with 5000 registered players and a history of 29 annual championships. The sport broadly involves throwing a rubber ring across what resembles a badminton net on to the other side of what resembles a badminton court. The opposing player catches the ring with one hand and throws the ring back on to the other side – this process goes on till someone drops the ring or the ring lands outside the court. Beyond that, the rules are shrouded in mystery, at least from the perspective of this journalist.

Related Links:

Rules of Tennikoit

The concept of Tennikoit

Tennikoit tournament news

Photo courtesy: Shlokie