By Nihar Ranjan Beura
Gone are the days when residents of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, had either to fly Kolkata or Hyderabad for Go-Karting, ATV Biking and horse riding. People nurturing a dream to drive racing cars like Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel or Lewis Hamilton would obviously try their luck on small racing machines like these vehicles.
Their long wait ended in 2015 when Jhoom Sports Club was launched in the capital city by well-known sportswoman and entrepreneur Ruchika Mohanty. Equipped with facilities like Go Karting, ATV Biking, Horse Riding, Swimming and a number of other indoor and outdoor spots, the Club has carved a niche for the sports lovers.
Inaugurated on September 11, 2015, the Club has sophisticated and hi-tech sports vehicles. Spread over a sprawling 2 acres of land and located close to the Infocity Special Economic Zone, the Club is considered as a knight in shining armor for corporate officials, tourists and the city denizens as well.
“The Club stands out on several grounds. As far as sporting facilities are concerned, it could be dubbed as the only club in Eastern India with a plethora of sporting activities,” Anupam Nayak, Manager of the Club said.
The Go Karting vehicles the Club owns are branded and provided to people for gaming at a very low cost. “We have Go-Karting vehicles of ‘Nebula’ brand which is very advanced in technology with no overturning chance,” Nayak informed.
The single seated vehicle used by the club cost around Rs 2.1 lakh whereas the double seated costs Rs 2.5 lakh. These vehicles are provided to visitors at a low cost of Rs 300 for five laps. Riders can virtually float on the racing tracks made inside the club at a speed up to 90 kmph with these vehicles.
While there is no chance of accident while driving these vehicles, the club administration, however, keeps First-Aid and other medical facility to meet any eventuality. But the Manager said since the inception of the Club no such incident has happened.
Apart from Go-Karting, the Club is equipped with a set of all-terrain vehicle bikes. Popularly known among sports lovers as ATV bikes, these special bikes are made to run on any kind of surface and used to experience jerky and bumpy rides. Being of ‘Nebula’ brand these vehicles has a little chance of overturning and the club takes precautionary measures for that. These bikes can be driven at a speed of 60 kmph and costs around Rs 2 lakh each.
“While our nearest metro cities like Kolkata and Hyderabad have several sports clubs operational since long, none of them are having Go Karting, ATV Biking, Horse Riding activities under one roof. Moreover, the cost is high in other cities also. We provide ‘help ride’ of horse at a cost as low as Rs 300 for 10 minutes. If one chooses to go for self ride it goes up to Rs 500 for 20 minutes,” ,” Nayak pointed out.
Nayak also said the ‘help ride’ is immensely helpful for laymen, senior citizens, children and first timers who have a curiosity. While the owner Ruchika Mohanty herself is a skilled and award winning equestrian, the training is provided under her expert advice and administration. But apart from that there are other trainers also. The club also provides professional horse riding courses in sub junior, junior and senior categories for different age groups. Basic, Advance and Professional Horse Riding courses are imparted in this club. Children can enroll at the age of 11 in the Sub Junior category and the Basic Horse Riding course is 4 months. The trainee has to spend Rs 16,000 for the basic course.
Asked about the popularity of the club, Nayak said during peak winter season, around 300 customers visit the club daily. The club remains open from 11am to 9.30 pm. One has to wait in a queue before his/her turn comes which speaks the volume of the demand the Club has.
Though mostly the young mass and college-goers visit the club, corporate groups, families and senior citizens also get their thirst for the sports appeased over here.
“We visit the club as taking part in sports activity is healthy and these people provide it at a very nominal cost. Moreover, the safety factor is pretty good over here and the club administration takes all care of each member,” said Amit Kumar Sahani, a club visitor in his fifties. “I come here to play table tennis”, he added.
Similarly, two college students Sahil and Anita, said, “We love horse riding. Though we are not professional still we feel a great amount of thrill in the sport and visit the club regularly”. “As far as the cost factor is concerned, it seldom matters for us”, they noted.
The club which also provides table tennis, Automatic Bowling (Cricket), and Badminton in addition to Go-Karting, ATV Biking and Horse Riding, has plans to add swimming shortly to its list for more fun for the denizens.
So what are you waiting for? Take your chance today.
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