From unknowns to India’s own: Bridge contingent keeps the tricolour flying at the Asian Games

On the night of August 26, 67-year-old Kiran Nadar picked up the phone and called home. The Indian bridge team at the Asian Games – the sport is being introduced for the first time at the quadrennial event – had just secured bronze medals in both the men’s and the mixed team events.

The tiny tot on the other end said in an innocent voice, “Oh Nani, you lost? I am sad!” Ms Nadar couldn’t help but smile.

The magnitude of what these teams had achieved might have been lost on Nadar’s little grandson. Nadar says she couldn’t sleep the entire night thinking how they had lost out an opportunity to pick up a gold or a silver. But the news of a bronze was well received and acknowledgment by the country, who lauded the bridge contingent’s achievement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first ones to send a personal message to them and their commendable act was discussed on Twitter as well.

The twin medals are a first for the sport in a multi-discipline tournament, having initially won gold medals at the Commonwealth Bridge Championship at Gold Coast in February this year.

An unlikely team

This team is made up of grannies, a few industrialists, businessmen, an art collector, an architect, and even a retired school teacher.

The youngest women in the team, Himani Khandelwal, is 47 while the eldest is 79-year-old Rita Choksi. Also the eldest member of the Indian contingent at the Asian Games, she has been playing the sport since the 1970s and is among the most experienced players in the country.

Ask them about their efforts at the Asian Games and almost all of them say the same thing, “We are not really happy with our bronze medals. We definitely could have done better.”

“We could have got a silver or a gold. What we have achieved is way less than what we are capable of,” said Nadar. “Bridge is a game of the mind, the intellect. It is like the chess and other mind games. In the semi-finals, we were really this close and the loss margin was minuscule. We could have easily won, had it been a little here and there. Not just my grandson but I too was very sad and couldn’t sleep the entire night after the loss in the semi-final. We could have done better.

“Overall, we are proud that this is our first medal at the Asian Games and for the country. It is an incredible feat, a great high. Representing the country and the tricolor is wonderful and we hope that this can give a fillip to the game in the country,” she added, saying that she wants to continue playing the sport for a long time.

What is bridge?

Bridge is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. One of the players deals all of the cards, 13 to each player, in clockwise rotation, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer.

The game is played with four players divided into teams of two people each. The teams are also called “pairs”. The players sitting across from each other at the same table form partnerships as North‑South and East‑West.

Suits are ranked upwards — clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades and no trumps.

If they achieve the number of tricks agreed at auction they win, the game but if not, they lose. The team with the highest number of games in their account, wins.

This bridge team were also happy to stay at the Athletes’ Village, where they mingled with other sportspersons. Among those they met and spoke to were PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, Dipika Pallikal, Joshua Chinappa, athletics legend PT Usha, squash players and , among many others.

“It was quite an experience to be among all of them and feel a part of the big India family,”Himani Khandelwal said, “We clicked pictures with all of them and greeted them too. They were keen to know about our sport and we also asked them questions. After this medal, they know a little more about us and now even we are being sought for pictures.”

“But yes, sometimes a lot of them did think that we are coaches and officials given our ages. No one could imagine that we are athletes!” she added with a hearty laugh.

Young person’s domain

Khandelwal took up the game as she used to get “bored” on trips while her husband Rajeev played bridge. The couple retired in their 40s and now travel the world taking part in bridge competitions.

Sport is always considered a young person’s domain, but most members of the Indian bridge contingent are in their second innings of life. For some, their career began at the age of 40 plus while a few are already in their 70s and handling their careers and families with equal zeal.

“This game doesn’t require the same level of physical fitness as other sports,” says Nadar. “It is like the chess which has been made so famous by Viswanathan Anand. One can play bridge at any age and in any kind of physical condition. That is the beauty of this sport.”

“Bridge is not very easy to learn and has very specific rules. There are four sections: Lead, defence, hand-play and bidding. These are the certain major rules and you need to have a good understanding with your partner to excel. One requires a lot of concentration and focus and you need to have a coach if you wish to progress,” added Deora.

The team members, 24 in total, are an intriguing mix. Flinton Lewis is a cancer survivor, Hema Deora has studied architecture, the Khandelwals had a steel factory and took up early retirement to follow their passion for bridge, the Nadars own HCL and Nadar is an art collector, while B Satyanarayana is a former IITan.

Deora, wife of the late former petroleum minister Murli Deora, said she was “very unhappy” as she was only left to serve tea and snacks every Sunday as her husband and his friends would gather for a game of bridge at their residence.

Also read: Bridge to glory: How Hema Deora went from hosting husband’s playing group to making Asian Games team

“I come from a family where card games were taboo. My father did not allow for the cards to come to the house. We are supposed to play a lot of outdoor games. I used to play badminton and also studied architecture.

“Then I got married and I noticed that come rain, storm or anything, my husband and his friends would get together every weekend and play bridge. Nothing could stop them and I would just wonder what is it so intriguing about this sport that they cannot stop,” Deora added.

“I would make delicious snacks and tea or coffee. One day I asked my husband how did he like the snacks that I had prepared and he said, ‘I didn’t notice. I was too busy with my game. What was it that you made?’ I thought it was ungrateful behaviour!

“Initially, I was busy raising my children as I wanted quality education for them and once they were into universities I turned the focus to myself.

“Then I began to learn bridge but they would not let me play with them. Soon, I became better than all of them and you can say I took my revenge. After that, they would invite me to play with them but I would say not now, as now I am better than you and need better playing partners,” she recounted.

And how are her family and friends reacting now as she is an Asian Games medallist?

“Now, I have a medal to show and I am a champion. They are all very happy for me. I got a message from all the friends and I am so thrilled that the tables have turned,” she says with a smile.

Bridge is a sport of the mind, much like the chess, but unlike other indoor games, it is also about partnership and teamwork. Make no mistake, things can get very aggressive here.

Nadar reveals she “often scolds” her partner after a poor outing.

“I cannot bottle up my feelings, I have to take them out. So, I am very upfront and tell them if things are going wrong,” she said. “I can get aggressive. It’s a team sport and we have to back up each other and also point out things to each other. After all, we are here to win,” she said, adding that the team looks to do well at the pairing events now.

Nirmal Rajagopalan, manager of the team and the honorary treasurer of the Bridge Federation of India, said “These two medals have built a lot of curiosity and awareness among people in India.

“Yesterday, we got a huge response, from the Prime Minister’s office to the Sports Ministry and if the support and funding keeps coming, it would do wonders for the sport.

“I fact we would love to see more young people take up the sport and next time on, Himani Khandelwal (aged 47) might not be the youngest in the bridge squad. We would also lobby for the sport to be included in the Commonwealth Games,” he said.