WITH HIS FLUENT ground strokes and sharp volleys, Nikshep B.R. (16) is the newest sensation on Bangalore’s jumping tennis scene. Last October, this early teen was crowned Under-16 national tennis champion at the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championships 2013 of the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association. Nor is this the only trophy on his family’s mantelpiece. Thus far, this promising teenager has bagged 80 titles.
The elder of two siblings of B.K. Ravikumar, a self-employed civil engineer, and homemaker B.G. Shobha, Nikshep is a class XI commerce student at Bangalore’s Surana College. “As I train in Delhi and also travel to play tournaments across the country, the college management has considerately waived my attendance and allowed me to write exams. Class notes and updates are routinely mailed to me while I am on tour,” he acknowledges.
Nikshep’s interest in tennis was aroused at age six when he watched the men’s final of the televised French Open in 2004. Under the discerning eye of coaches Joseph and Subhash Das of the Bangalore-based Subhash’s Tennis Academy, he played his first state tournament at age nine in 2007 and won his maiden Karnataka Under-10 title. Subsequently, he won the national Under-10 (2008), Under-12 (2010) and Under-14 (2012) titles.
Since 2012, Nikshep has been training under coach Aditya Sachdeva at the top-ranked Team Tennis Academy, New Delhi. However spiraling costs of coaching and training — which often rise to as high as Rs.50,000 per month — are a cloud on this young ace’s horizon. “I am very grateful to GoSports Foundation which covers some of my expenses and the Austria-based sportswear company Head which pays for my equipment and apparel,” says Nikshep.
This year he is determined to break into the International Tennis Federation (ITF)-100 junior rankings. “I am already in the Indian Junior Davis Cup team and hope to raise my game in preparation for several junior Grand Slams in 2015-16,” he enthuses.
Sock it to ’em, Bro!
Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)
Taksheel Buddhadeo
THE LATEST HONOUR bestowed upon the seven-year-old music prodigy Taksheel Buddhadeo, is an entry into the India Book of Records for participation in 200 on-air broadcast (radio, television) programmes — the highest number by any school student in India.
Taksheel has been practicing Indian classical music and the harmonium from the time he was three. Continuous practice, training and devotion to music have endowed him with a deep understanding of sargam, taal, tarana and bandish in different ragas. Two years ago, he topped the Indian classical music (instrumental) exam conducted by the Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. A regular vocalist on All India Radio, Taksheel has already made a film debut in a 30-minute documentary spotlighting his musical talent which was broadcast on Lok Sabha television last year.
The older of two children of Prafullakumar Buddhadeo, an engineer employed with Bechtel Corporation, Gurgaon, and Bhavisha, a homemaker, Taksheel has inherited his passion for music from his mother, whom he closely observed while she prepared for her final-year sangeet visharad exam (equivalent to a bachelors degree in music). At age seven he already has a stage presence with nine shows on Doordarshan, AIR, FM Gold, Radio City, and 17 other stage and live events.
“I believe Taksheel’s achievements are the outcome of a well-designed curriculum at Amity International School, Gurgaon where he is a class III student, and the support and encouragement of his class teachers,” says father Prafullakumar.
Although learning and practicing music is this young maestro’s prime interest, it’s not his only focus. He has a sporty side too, with interest in roller skating, taekwondo, and chess. Furthermore, awareness of the need to care for the environment and ecology has dawned early upon this precocious pre-teen who makes it a point to weave these issues into his radio and television programmes.
Wind beneath your wings!
Garima Upadhyay (Delhi)