I first visited Guwahati, India, in 2001. Returning almost 10 years later, I am surprised to find that the city of now 1 million people has undergone so much change. Obviously, there are more flyovers and shopping malls, and more cars on the streets.
Pantaloon is probably the only shopping mall in Guwahati that offers gambling facilities. We went to see what the bowling alley was like there. The mall was modest in size and the arcade was not very large. We changed our shoes and went straight to the rails. There were three alleys and the weight of the balls ranged from 9 to 14 pounds. I used the 14 lbs.
My first pitch was a strike! It was lucky? Maybe. But I consider myself a good player. I’m not ruling out luck, but bowling has more to do with physics than some kind of cosmic influence. If I play well, it means that I have made good use of the angle, weight, energy, momentum, friction and the condition of the court.
I’m more used to oiled lanes and couldn’t do well on a dry lane. However, before I got to 10 pitches, I was accused.
Bowling is still not that popular in India. It seems that everyone loves Cricket. Of course, I have some friends who hate Cricket. However, in the larger cities, bowling is catching up with the young. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, many shopping malls also have bowling alleys. Guwahati has now started to catch up.
There were only a few boys and girls playing when we got there. The reason was probably the price. Tickets cost more on weekends than on weekdays. People want to save money. To popularize the game in the city, it will be a good idea to offer discounted bowling pins and bowling accessories.
One of the things the Bowling Center could do is have its own in-house bowling teams that can draw people to the game. And why not offer bowling shirts, bowling shoes, balls, etc. With discount. There are many ways to popularize bowling. It just takes a little imagination and creativity.
Custom made bowling jerseys will be a big draw. Get some fancy and fun bowling team names, organize a league, get the boys and girls bowling. The idea is to draw the crowds, let them have fun. I’m going back home to Arizona now, and I hope to have some more fun at Pantaloon when I get back.