England Kho-Kho player Nikunj Depala in an exclusive interview

 

                         (Nikunj Depala)

Kho-Kho is growing whether it's Asia, Africa or Europe. Kho-Kho once played put its impact as Kho-Kho is the game of highly explosive nature these things create interest among nations across the globe to adapt this game. Kho-Kho is known for its action in a short time and overall benefits over the mind and body of the player. After India, Kenya, Srilanka, Ghana, Uganda, Senegal etc. Voice of International Player team reached England to Cover Kho-Kho as England is Known for Soccer and Cricket. Now it's time for Kho-Kho to flourish as already KKFE done tremendous job to popularise Kho-Kho there. Ms.Neha Duggal Columnist caught up with Nikunj Depala of London, England in sole conservation as he cast off a breath on Kho-Kho.

 

Q1. What inspires you to start Kho-Kho?

Ans.

I came across Kho-Kho initially when I was young. At my community sports competition, I had no idea what this sport was and how it was played. It looked fun and so I started to play it. My community team won many trophies and I wanted to be part of that. I then started to play the sport more regularly for our community team and then for my University Team. This is what inspired me to take up the sport

 Q2. As in England Cricket is the most popular one. What you say about Kho-Kho in comparison with Cricket.

Ans. In England, cricket and football are the main sports. I ask someone on the street what is Kho-Kho, they would have no idea. Kho-Kho is not played at school or taught at a young age such as India. Many communities that originate from South Asia play the sport and it is passed down from there. 

There is also the big difference between media coverage of the sports, there is little coverage of Kho-Kho in England. It is not televised. Although we hope that will change in the future with more media engagements, tournaments and increased popularity of Kho-Kho.

Q3. When you started Kho-Kho?

Ans.

I started Kho-Kho when I was 12 years old at my local community club. However, this was a different version of Kho-Kho. This version was played by most clubs in the UK. It was only in 2016 when KKFE president Brij Haldania introduced us to proper Kho-Kho rules and regulations. So you can say I'm very new to Kho-Kho and only have been playing international rules for 4 years.

Q4. How Kho-Kho tournaments are organised in England?

Ans. There are many inter organisations games organised through individual committees. Compared to India there are not many competitions. This is due to many reasons such as weather, infrastructure and player availability. 

KKFE are doing a tremendous job in trying to organise regular competitions through the year. It ensures there is at least 1 annual championship competition a year. 

There are also regular University competitions throughout the year which helps promote the sport. This has helped coverage through the UK a lot. KKFE also had planned a Kho-Kho league however due to COVID this has been delayed.

Q5. How players are motivated towards Kho-Kho in your country? 

Ans.

The players now are very motivated in playing Kho-Kho. The tours of India have helped raised the statutes of the sport and more people are motivated to play the sport and represent the national team. The Ultimate Kho-Kho league and various coaching camps that have been organised by KKFI have also increased the motivation of English players to take part in the Ultimate Kho-Kho league. The popularity of the sport is growing and there are a lot more resources now then there was before, this has helped the sports coverage and help player motivation. This will only improve and so will the motivation to play Kho-Kho.

Q6. What do you say the fitness of Kho-Kho Player in comparison to other games?

Ans. 

Kho-Kho is a game that requires players to be top of there fitness. Not only does the game requires players to have speed, agility, stamina and power but players must maintain this for 9 minutes. Very different to cricket and football where there are periods in the game where it is not intense. You can tell the difference between teams that have good fitness and those who do not.

Q7. In which city or districts Kho-Kho is played in England? Is there any club system?

Ans. We can say there is Kho-Kho played in many regions of the UK now. KKFE have done an excellent job to promote the game throughout the UK and are continuing to push it even more. In England, there are currently around 20+ teams registered with KKFE and this continues to grow.

Q8. What are the near-future plans of England Federation for Kho-Kho?

Ans. 

Due to COVID-19, many exciting plans had to be put on hold at present. The KKFE team I'm sure are working hard to organise international tournaments and national tournaments. There has been talking of creating England's own Kho-Kho league between universities and clubs. Again all of this will help promote Kho-Kho and make it even more popular.

Q9. Kho-Kho is a game of real Discipline. What do you say about this? 

Ans. 

Kho-Kho requires a lot of discipline, making correct decisions at correct times and this is achieved with disciplined practice. It's only with this you can achieve results in Kho-Kho. This also means being disciplined off the field. The discipline of practising and keeping fit and learning from others is very important to maintain and learn the skills needed in Kho-Kho.

Q10. What are the best moments in your planning career?

Ans. There are a few best moments. I do treasure being voted best player twice by KKFE. I also think our first international tour against India is something no England player will ever forget and was a pivotal point for Kho-Kho being an international game.

Q11. How u would like to connect more with other players and what's is ur though on promoting this beautiful game?

Ans.

I would love to connect with more Kho-Kho players as essentially we are one big family. I follow a few Kho-Kho players on Instagram and Facebook and we keep in touch. It would be nice if more international tournaments and camps are organised so players can meet. I also think the introduction of Ultimate Kho-Kho league will allow more players to mix, learn about others and allow the promotion of Kho-Kho to an international audience. 

We can already see the promotion of Kho-Kho in Africa and other countries and hats of to the people spreading the game. I'm sure a world championship is not far away and this will further promote the game.

Q12. Do you hear about Voice of International player world popular Kho-Kho promoter with presence in more than 30 countries? Any words for it.

Ans. I think its a great blog and a platform to promote Kho-Kho around the globe. It's a platform which brings the world of Kho-Kho in one place. Doing a great job and hopefully, it will continue to grow.

        Featured Columnist Neha Duggal(India)

Coordinated by:

Pankaj Malhotra( India)

(Voice of International Player)

Supported By:

 Anuj Khajuria(North Carolina, U.S.A)

#KhoKho, #Team India, #Captain Indian Kho-Kho Team, #KhoKho player, #Top Kho-Kho Player, #KhoKho Rules, #KhoKho Ground, #KhoKho India, #KhoKho Management Rules, #KhoKho lovers, #International Kho-Kho, #National Kho-Kho, #KhoKho Afrika, #Asian Kho-Kho Championship, #Pankaj Malhotra, #Voice of International Player