Road cyclists in Arunachal are rarer than hen’s teeth and understandably so. One, road cycling is hardly a sport that matches traditional powerhouse sports like cricket, football, hockey or even basketball. Two, in a state which is famous for its mountains, road cycling is an afterthought, if at all. Three, road cycling is an expensive option, and not everyone can buy their teenage children such expensive products in the hope that they pick the sport up and become good at it.
All this makes Arunachal Pradesh’s Ginjing Tari’s story all the more inspiring. And he is only 12 years old.
It is not often that just before an event, a participant accepts that he may not be the best. But that is the first impression Tari gives when he says “Sir, is baar medal ana thoda mushkil hai,” disassembling his Fuji track bike. He has just finished a few practice laps ahead of the National Cycling Track Championship at the Velodrome of the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), situated around 30 km from the state capital.
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Tari recently moved to Hyderabad, where he is getting used to the rigours of the sport at the competitive level under the watchful eyes of 11-time national track cycling champion Maxwell Trevor at the academy named after the 59-year-old veteran.
But what coach lets his player feel down and out? In his chaste Hyderabadi Hindi accent, he says, “Kyo nehi hoga? Koi pressure nehi hai, tu bas tera timing improve kar, wohi jeet hoga mera (Don’t worry, focus on improving your timing, that will be a win for me).”
After all, according to Trevor, Tari has been around for a month and a half now, and he is one of the most improved prospects from the academy. “His timing has improved, and his skills are worth watching, just that he’s learning to assemble his brand new cycle now,” Trevor quips with a wink.
Tari, who hails from remote Pangkeng village, located 5.5km from sub-district headquarters Jomlo Mobuk, in West Siang district, didn’t have any inkling about the sport until his school teacher ordered him to represent his school at a district rally last year.
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With no other option, a hesitant Tari, the school captain, got his first taste of a bicycle ride, albeit without any proper riding gear, and training to say the least.
“After that first ride, I started taking interest in cycling and often used to ride for 12 km in various district-level rallies, Sunday Rides, before the first big break came in the form of the 4th MTB Tawang Challenge earlier this year. I am grateful to the Arunachal state association secretary Taka Tamut for referring me to the Hyderabad academy,” Tari shares with EastMojo in a candid conversation ahead of his first-ever Nationals.
“I was expecting the same kind of bikes at the Hyderabad academy, but it was different from the ones used in mountain biking. Those bikes have flat, long handlebars while in track cycling, we have drop handlebars, and the tyres are also thin, so it took some time to get a feel of it,” he adds.
Tamut, a recipient of the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in 2019, has been instrumental in spotting young Tari and a few other cyclists from the state, before sending them to the talent identification programme conducted by the Maxwell Trevor Cycling Welfare Association (MTCWA) in Hyderabad.
Elaborating on the programme, the association’s founder Trevor says, “I was at the MTB event as part of the Cycling Federation of India’s (CFI) talent hunt team in Tawang, where Tamuk spoke to me about these kids. Every year on August 21, we (MTCWA) conduct a talent identification competition in which we invite children between the age group of 5 to 16 years, and in 2021 we identified around 40 out of 650 kids to train for a few months, and 8 out of those 40 represented Telangana at the national level.”
“On August 21, 2022, we got 1,282 entries, including 15-20 from other states, and, we selected another 40, and among those around 12 are in the Telangana team, and another six-seven are representing their respective states of Bihar, Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh. They are very good medal prospects for their respective states,” Trevor explains.
Although he has been in Hyderabad for less than two months, Tari is eager to return to base after competing at the junior nationals, slated to start on Sunday. Back in the NorthEast for the first time after October, Tari is not homesick.
“No sir (on plans of a brief visit to Arunachal). I have been in a hostel for five or six years before moving to Hyderabad. Abhi ghar to Hyderabad hi ho Gaya (Hyderabad feels like home), it is more comfortable there in Hyderabad. Taka sir asked me if I wanted to travel home, but I declined the offer.” His words break the monotony of the moment, as the whole bunch of the academy shares a hearty laugh, with the coach, adding, “I also didn’t know about that, I thought he will be interested to go home for a few days.”
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Tari acknowledged the initial struggles of coping with the lifestyle in the southern city, especially the language and food habits, but claimed he has already made a lot of friends in his adopted city. “It was initially difficult adjusting to the food, which is a bit spicy. We are used to eating boiled food, including green vegetables back home, but things have gradually settled down. Sir is taking great care of our dietary requirements,” he says.
Ailing father’s support
Tari’s father ,Takar Tari, is yet to regain clarity in his voice and enough strength to stroll out of his home after suffering a stroke some four years ago. He was lucky to have survived the stroke despite lying unconscious and thankfully held on by a rock on the roadside.
“He was lucky to have survived the accident, it could have been a fatal one if he had fallen off the road. He was lying unconscious there and when he woke up, his right side was completely paralysed. When we rushed him to the hospital, we found out that he had a stroke,” Tari describes.
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Despite that, Tari’s father is supportive of his youngest son’s choice, and managed Rs 3 lakh from the support of his society to fund Tari’s bicycle. “My family paid Rs 1.5 lakh for the cycle, but when I went to the shop, I found it was double the amount. Society wasn’t very interested, and many said it was a waste, but somehow, my parents convinced them and collected the rest of the amount for my cycle. I want to give it back to them and my parents for the support,” he says, displaying his prized possession to this scribe before joining his team for another practice ride.
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While Tari is busy focusing on his cycling career, his coach, however, has another puzzle to solve. Trevor is in search of a school in Hyderabad for young Tari, a student of Class 8, to complete his school education. However, there’s a catch, Telugu is compulsory across all schools in Telangana.
Only time will tell if Tari grabs the language at an equal pace like cycling.
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