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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Popular means people pay (good money) to watch, like in IPL, EPL' – Bhutan Archery league, urges higher ticket prices
India's enthusiastic initiation into the Archery Premier League is long awaited, and its start coinciding with Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti, is looking at riffing off traditional cultural and mythological tropes. But a neighbouring country which has been running an Archery league for a few years, held some wise learnings. Bhutan, the beautiful hilly nation known for its high happiness meter, has been running the Druk Premier League for some time now. Archery, or khuru, as it is called, attracts large crowds at the Changlimethang Archery Stadium. Fans reckon 'archery is in our blood', and throng the competition each season. However an appeal went out on its official Fb page that urged fans to part with more than Nu 50 (1 Ngultrum = 1 Rupee) when being regaled by the exciting competition. The Druk social media account said, 'It's time to start paying more than 50 Nu to watch Archery matches. Many people still expect everything to be free. What they fail to see is the entertainment and excitement this sport brings. The resistance to pay even Nu 50 to watch the game reflects overall attitude towards sport in Bhutan.' Like in India, those who ask for free passes to cricket games are looked down on, in Bhutan, those not willing to pay to enjoy archery are being told off. The hill nation, with beautiful vistas, serene nature trails, lovely people and exquisite cuisine, is known as the happiest place on earth, mostly because they don't poke noses in others' business and lead content lives. Sports are smaller in scale, but passionately practiced and followed. Archery, however, enjoys a deeper connect and offers wholesome entertainment at the National Stadium. The clucking over paying a mere Nu 50 has however faced resistance, unmindful of struggles of athletes in the Druk. 'It shows we still have a long way to go before we develop and professionalise the sport. Look at how IPL or Premier League (football) became popular. People pay to watch and in return players perform because they are paid professionals,' the post said. Archery has been part of Bhutanese culture since 1961, yet it remains stagnant in many ways, the post added. 'One reason is people enjoy watching but are not willing to contribute to its growth. How can it grow without resources? Archery equipment itself is very expensive and despite low value, prizes compared to expenses incurred players continue to participate,' the Druk post added. 'Prizes nowhere near enough to cover costs players bear during the game. So even small contribution of 50 Ngultrum can make a meaningful difference. It supports organisers and players,' It said. While a source of great joy for fans, the sport had gotten into a pickle recently when some archers donned the yellow sashes called 'areyy' that are exclusive to the Armed Forces. An order was passed forbidding civilian archers from strapping on the military sash while turning up at Archery events.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jab they met, in the Met Gala wash room!
Radhika has been writing since her college days and has contributed short witty articles to magazines and regional English newspapers. She is a humour blogger and has just published her first e-book of humorous short stories. She is a Piscean which puts her in league with Daniel Craig, and others. Like most Pisceans she is amiable, imaginative and a dreamer - that probably explains the Daniel Craig bit. She could go on about herself forever but she prefers her writing to do the talking. LESS ... MORE Now that the much-talked about Met gala event is done and dusted with and all who attended it are out of their outlandish outfits and back in their comfortable old night gowns, let me share my 2 cents on it. And why should I not? My Fb feed has been bombarded for the past month or so, with unwanted information on exactly how our own SRK has been preparing for it and why should I suffer alone? For the uninitiated, the Met Gala is an annual gathering of the who's who of celebrities from various walks of life, who converge on the red carpet in Manhattan, in bizarre outfits, one more bizarre than the next. It is touted as the world's most glamourous event, after my son's wedding, that is! Fine, fine, after the Ambani wedding, ok! Happy? Invitations to this fashion's biggest night are highly sought after and you and I will never get one anyway, so let's just have fun bitching about it. This year India's fashion and glamour world went into a tizzy with the debut appearance of King Khan on the red carpet, and thanks to my FB feed, I am up to date with the tiniest teeniest detail on SRK's iconic look designed by no less a personage than the celebrity dresser Sabyasachi Mukherjee himself. SRK owned the red carpet, according to reliable sources. Owned as in, he rocked it, and not that he brought his own carpet from his house. Just clarifying! Apparently, the Khan was clothed in an all-black ensemble – consisting of a floor length coat made from Tasmanian superfine wool paired with a black silk shirt and black tailored trousers. He axes … asaxx … uff tauba, let me start over, he accessorized it with a layered talisman, a crystal studded 'K' pendant, a diamond brooch and an 18 K gold cane … wait, was it chain? No, cane it is – a gold Bengal tiger-head cane! Hmmm … add a black eye patch and he would have nailed the pirate look, in my opinion. Eyewitnesses report that his Rs 21 crore watch had its own fan following at the show. Complication watch, indeed. Arre baba … according to me, the entire outfit seemed to be a complication. But who am I to comment? If Ms Anna Vincour approves, then there's nothing more to be said! Now, you may well ask, who might this Vincour female be? Well, Mama Vincour is the grande dame of the magazine Vogue, and she's in charge of orchestrating the whole event. According to reports, it's all in her hands as to who enters the event on which side of the red carpet and when; who will sit where and next to whom and so on. And if you think one can simply hop onto a plane and land directly on the carpet, think again. The entry ticket for this Met Gala event is a whopping 75,000 US dollars, excluding GST, and chai-paani too, I guess. Now, you will obviously ask, and so you should, what is this glamour-shamour tamasha for … what is it in aid of. Well, it's a … hold your breath folks, it's a fund raiser in aid of … hold your breath one more time, dears … it's in aid of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. Don't tell me you've never heard of this Institute. Well, join the club, I never heard of it either, until now. Meanwhile, a fun fact – the event has a no-selfie rule and to counter this some celeb regulars have started the annual tradition of taking a selfie in the Metropolitan bathroom, yes you heard it right, the wash room, the WC, the His and Hers part of the museum and believe it or not, it's a prestigious thing, to be seen in that selfie! Now we know why we cannot have a gala event in our country. Can you imagine our celebs posing for a selfie in any of our stinking, blocked, wet, hell-hole of a wash room in India? We dare not pee in one, forget taking a selfie! Hah! Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
