[caption id="attachment_210571" align="alignleft" width="320"]
Vimetsul Basil Tase[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 4 (EMN): Thirty-three-year-old Vimetsul Basil Tase, a sub inspector in Nagaland Police was a part of the 15-member India squad that clinched gold in Men’s Team Event at the 33rd King’s Cup Sepaktakraw World Championship held recently in Thailand from Sep. 23-30. India defeated France in straight sets to lift the gold on Sep. 29. More than 35 countries participated in the tournament.
Tase, the only Naga to have been selected for the Indian men’s team, returned to Nagaland on Oct. 3. On Thursday,
Eastern Mirror caught up with him for an interview.
“I feel at peace (after winning the gold). My ultimate dream was to represent the country and win a medal for it as well as for our state at an international level,” Tase said.
The cop, who plays the setter/supplier position, has come a long way since he went against his family’s wishes and chose sports over academics. Born in 1985 to farmer parents, Tase said he always had interest in sports but was raised to give more attention to studies. His attention was drawn to sepaktakraw in 2004 when he was introduced to the game by his seniors. In 2005, he participated in the 9th Junior Sepaktakraw National Championship at Sonipat in Haryana and won a bronze medal. From then on, there was no stopping the grit and passion he felt towards the game.
He recalled being good in academics too – he cleared the joint entrance examination for professional studies on merit. However, Tase said his interest in sports overrode the will to continue his studies from the 12th standard, a choice which he describes to have left his family devastated, particularly his father.
“Well, eventually, they let go of the idea that I should study to become a doctor or an engineer and told me to follow my dreams,” he said. He recalled that his father had been very depressed with his decision and went to the extent of asking him to return all the money spent on his education. But the father and son had long since reconciled, and it is learnt that they have good laughs over it now.
In 2006, Tase was selected to train at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Dimapur, from where he simultaneously completed his bachelor studies at Salt Christian College.
Since then, he went on to win eight national medals including gold, silver and bronze, and five (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 gold) at state level as well being a recipient of Nagaland Youth Resources and Sports bronze award in 2010, 2013 and 2016. Tase had also represented India last year at an international championship in Malaysia.
Besides his professional career in the sport, Tase is an ABSI currently posted with the 1st Nagaland Armed Police battalion at Chumukedima. He said he was apprehensive of a secure future as the state did not have a robust sports policy and many sportspersons were given attention only when they win medals. Therefore, when a state police departmental exam for recruitment was announced in 2011, he decided to give it a try and was selected to the post of ABSI. Just because he chose sports over studies did not mean Tase was completely detached from academics. He holds a masters degree in History and he is a winner of the North Eastern Police Academy sports quiz held on National Sports Day 2012.
As a police officer, Tase has served as a ring-round commander and pilot commander in 2014-15 to the then chief minister and then as PSO to the speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2017.
Queried about his view on the scenario of sports in the state, he underscored the need for a serious sports policy and strict implementation. He felt that the lack of such a policy was one of the main reasons why Naga parents do not encourage their children to pursue a career in sports.
On sepaktakraw, he said this was one discipline where Nagas were excelling He remarked that the game was growing rapidly and the state really needs an indoor stadium for sepaktakraw.
At present, Nagaland is said to have only two sports centres for sepaktakraw: SAI training centre Dimapur where boys are given hostel facility and girls train as day scholars only; and the state academy at Half Nagarjan in Dimapur.
On the absence of training facility in Kohima, Tase candidly shared his view that sepaktakraw should be included at the sports academy at IG Stadium in Kohima. He also said it would be helpful for sportspersons if a specific period were set to facilitate incentives for players (medallists).
Meanwhile, Tase said he was grateful to the police department for allowing him to compete at various national and international events, his family, wife, the church, village elders and the Nagaland Sepaktakraw association for their constant prayers and support.
“My mother always taught me to be humble...I give all glory to God for everything,” Tase said.
