• About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
Monday, June 16, 2025
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Asom Barta
  • Home
  • Glimpses
  • Newsletter Download
    • Current Issue
      • Asom Barta-English
      • Asom Barta-Assamese
      • Asom Barta-Hindi
    • Last Issue
      • Asom Barta-English
      • Asom Barta-Assamese
      • Asom Barta-Hindi
  • Archive
    • Asom Barta-English
    • Asom Barta-Assamese
    • Asom Barta-Hindi
    • Asom Barta – English
    • Asom Barta – Assamese
    • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Asom Barta – English
    • Asom Barta – Assamese
    • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Year – 2024
      • December 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • October 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • September 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • August 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • JULY 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • March 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • February 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • January 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Year – 2023
      • December 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • November 2023
        • Asom Barta- English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom barta – Hindi
      • October 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • September 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • August 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • July 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • June 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • May 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • April 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • March 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • February 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta- Hindi
      • January 2023
        • Asom Barta -English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta -Hindi
    • Year – 2022
      • December 2022
        • Asom Barta -English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta -Hindi
      • November 2022
        • Asom Barta -English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • October 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • September 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • August 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • July 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
        • June 2022
          • Asom Barta – English
          • Asom Barta – Assamese
          • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • May 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
  • Editorial Board
  • Language
    • Assamese Edition
    • Hindi Edition
  • About
  • Home
  • Glimpses
  • Newsletter Download
    • Current Issue
      • Asom Barta-English
      • Asom Barta-Assamese
      • Asom Barta-Hindi
    • Last Issue
      • Asom Barta-English
      • Asom Barta-Assamese
      • Asom Barta-Hindi
  • Archive
    • Asom Barta-English
    • Asom Barta-Assamese
    • Asom Barta-Hindi
    • Asom Barta – English
    • Asom Barta – Assamese
    • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Asom Barta – English
    • Asom Barta – Assamese
    • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Year – 2024
      • December 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • October 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • September 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • August 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • JULY 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • March 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • February 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • January 2024
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Year – 2023
      • December 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • November 2023
        • Asom Barta- English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom barta – Hindi
      • October 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • September 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • August 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • July 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • June 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • May 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • April 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • March 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • February 2023
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta- Hindi
      • January 2023
        • Asom Barta -English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta -Hindi
    • Year – 2022
      • December 2022
        • Asom Barta -English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta -Hindi
      • November 2022
        • Asom Barta -English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • October 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • September 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • August 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • July 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
        • June 2022
          • Asom Barta – English
          • Asom Barta – Assamese
          • Asom Barta – Hindi
      • May 2022
        • Asom Barta – English
        • Asom Barta – Assamese
        • Asom Barta – Hindi
  • Editorial Board
  • Language
    • Assamese Edition
    • Hindi Edition
  • About
No Result
View All Result
Asom Barta
No Result
View All Result
Home News From The State

In a League of His Own 

AB Bureau by AB Bureau
September 1, 2022
in English Edition, News From The State
0
0
In a League of His Own 

Dr. Dibyajyoti Bhagawati, a State Government volleyball coach assigned to Sonitpur district, had envisioned the presence of at least one Assamese in the Indian national team. He worked on an ingenious way to scout for talents. He would visit shops selling shoes to look for those who required shoe sizes of 10 and above. This hunt led him to a young Abhijeet Bhattacharya who would not only fulfil his coach’s dream by representing India between 1996 to 2006 but will also go on to captain the national team from 2003 to 2005.

During his early days, the coach convinced the Bhattacharya family to let Abhijeet switch from badminton to volleyball. The rest as they say is history. Hitherto, he remains the only player from Assam to have played for the Indian national team. A record he wants to do everything to change.

Post-retirement, Abhijeet has gone about his goal like a professional. He wants to give back to the game that had given him everything. He wants children from Assam to experience the joy and thrill of the sport.

“The sport is a low investment one, easy to learn and play and can be very entertaining for audiences to watch live. This makes it ideal for rural settings,” he says.

His current vision of Volleyball Mission 100 to hunt for Abhijits from 100 villages in the State is a product of happenstance. During the Covid-19 induced lockdown, he conducted online coaching classes for aspiring players across Assam. During a visit to a village near his hometown, he came across children playing volleyball sans proper equipment. There and then he taught them to make volleyballs with hand towels. This experience left a deep impression on him. He then made it a mission to get them volleyballs and to collect resources for training many others.

When queries began seeping in from all quarters, he organised an online underhand volleyball league to sustain their interest. These simple steps gave rise to the idea of Brahmaputra Volleyball League (BVL), an initiative that has led to a spurt in interest in the sport across Assam. The first edition of BVL had 400 players from 49 teams (33 Men, 16 Women). To overcome fund crunch, he reached out to his peers and friends by asking them to own a team for as low as ₹ 12,000.

Now, BVF has teams adopted by former India volleyball captain Vaishali Phadtare (Dagiapara), former badminton player and Arjuna awardee Aparna Popat (Pub-Nalbari VCC during 1st season, Dhulimar Women’s Volleyball team from Dhemaji), former KKR director Joy Bhattacharya (Bapuji Club VCC), US-based NGO Fass International (Hazarikapara), NRI Debojit Bora (Chaturanga VCC) to name a few.

The League saw better participation during its second season: 2,200 players across 209 teams. It is expecting 300 teams in the third edition. For the record, 116 villages have registered already for the October event. 

Speaking to Asom Barta, the spiker expressed satisfaction at the initial success of his initiative.

“Assam has hidden talents. What these talents need is a sporting environment. BVL aims to be the catalyst to drive this change to empower sportspersons from rural areas. Beginning Season 2, we started live streaming these matches through our Facebook page. This I believe is providing them the much-needed exposure,” he says.

Beyond playing volleyball for the first time, these children are getting the opportunity to participate in an organised competition. This means donning a team jersey with their names on it, travelling outside their villages, and experiencing new things. “All these small things”, he says, “spark passion, motivation and joy among the children.”

Furthermore, villages where the BVL is played, host the children and others with joy. People donate vegetables, cook and serve meals for the players, and create a micro-system of support to encourage them.  

His sheer grit and determination have helped him to instil hope and build an ecosystem of support while enabling these talents to be in a league of their own.

ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

Fall in MMR
Editorial

Fall in MMR

June 6, 2025
9
NLC-APDCL JV on renewable energy
News From The State

NLC-APDCL JV on renewable energy

June 6, 2025
1
Scindia meets CM, hails Assam’s growth
News From The State

Scindia meets CM, hails Assam’s growth

June 6, 2025
1
Mohanbari Airport renamed after Dr Bhupen Hazarika
News From The State

Mohanbari Airport renamed after Dr Bhupen Hazarika

June 6, 2025
10
Fekamari Block’s health laurel
News From The State

Fekamari Block’s health laurel

June 6, 2025
2
Culture: The sector that rocked
Assam on the Move

Culture: The sector that rocked

June 6, 2025
8
Load More

By Categories

  • Anniversary Special
  • Assam Budget Special
  • Assam on the Move
  • Border Vibes
  • Centre Connects
  • Changemaker
  • Citizen Corner
  • Economy & Finance
  • Editorial
  • English Edition
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Glimpses
  • Hindi Edition
  • INTERVIEW
  • LACHIT DIWAS SPECIAL
  • Lead Story
  • Miscellaneous
  • MLA's SPEAK
  • Musings of a Chief Minister
  • News From The State
  • Perspective
  • Special Article
  • Special Feature
  • Wind of change
  • असम प्रगति के पथ पर
  • असम बजट विशेष
  • आमुख कथा
  • उद्यमिता
  • कानून व्यवस्था
  • केंद्रीय पहल
  • खबरें राज्य से जुड़ीं
  • जनसंपर्क
  • झलकियां
  • नज़रिया
  • परिवर्तक
  • बिधायक की राय
  • मुख्यमंत्री के विचार
  • राज्यों की बेहतरीन पहल
  • लाचित दिवस विशेष
  • वर्षगांठ विशेषांक
  • वित्त एवं अर्थ व्यवस्था
  • विशेष आलेख
  • विशेष लेख
  • संपादकीय
  • सीमा विवादः पटाक्षेप का प्रयास
  • অনিৰুদ্ধ অসম
  • অন্যান্য ৰাজ্যৰ বাৰ্তা
  • অসম বাজেট বিশেষ
  • অসমীয়া
  • ইতিবাচক পৰিৱৰ্তন
  • উদ্যমিতা
  • কেন্দ্ৰ-ৰাজ্য সংবাদ
  • জনসম্পৰ্ক
  • জিলিঙনি
  • দৃষ্টিভংগী
  • প্ৰথম পৃষ্ঠা
  • প্ৰথম বাৰ্তা
  • বৰ্ষপূৰণ বিশেষ
  • বাটকটীয়া
  • বিত্ত আৰু অৰ্থনীতি
  • বিধায়কৰ বাৰ্তা
  • বিশেষ নিবন্ধ
  • বিশেষ বতৰা
  • বিশেষ বাৰ্তা
  • মুখ্যমন্ত্ৰীৰ বাৰ্তা
  • লাচিত দিৱস বিশেষ
  • সম্পাদকীয়
  • সাক্ষাৎকাৰ
  • সীমান্ত বাৰ্তা
Asom Barta

Asom Barta is Published and Distributed by Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Govt of Assam

Important Links

  • G20
  • National Portal of India
  • Assam State Portal
  • North Eastern Council
  • Aspire Portal

Our Social Media

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe to Newsletter

© 2022-2023 Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Govt of Assam

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Glimpses
  • Newsletter Download
    • Current Issue
      • Asom Barta-English
      • Asom Barta-Assamese
      • Asom Barta-Hindi
    • Last Issue
      • Asom Barta-English
      • Asom Barta-Assamese
      • Asom Barta-Hindi
  • Archive
    • Asom Barta-English
    • Asom Barta-Assamese
    • Asom Barta-Hindi
    • Asom Barta – English
    • Asom Barta – Assamese
    • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Asom Barta – English
    • Asom Barta – Assamese
    • Asom Barta – Hindi
    • Year – 2024
      • December 2024
      • October 2024
      • September 2024
      • August 2024
      • JULY 2024
      • March 2024
      • February 2024
      • January 2024
    • Year – 2023
      • December 2023
      • November 2023
      • October 2023
      • September 2023
      • August 2023
      • July 2023
      • June 2023
      • May 2023
      • April 2023
      • March 2023
      • February 2023
      • January 2023
    • Year – 2022
      • December 2022
      • November 2022
      • October 2022
      • September 2022
      • August 2022
      • July 2022
      • May 2022
  • Editorial Board
  • Language
    • Assamese Edition
    • Hindi Edition
  • About

© 2022-2023 Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Govt of Assam