When work is play
The Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (IGI), housed in an old building in Vikas Puri’s residential area, has on the rolls some very talented sportspersons. The faculty also comprises former international players. However, the career paths of many students have led to academic institutes and not justthe sporting arena. Jobs as sports instructors or trainers in Delhi’s prominent schools and colleges are a popular choice.
“Even though I’ve got a Master’s from the CCS University, Meerut, I got a job as a physical education teacher in the GD Goenka School, 
Rohini, only because I did my BPEd from here, ,” says Javed Akhtar of the 2007 batch. He also anchors a show, Khel Ke Maidan, on All India Radio.
Former student Meenakshi Pahuja, now an assistant professor in the physical education department of Lady Sri Ram College, says, “Conventionally, bright students were not known to take up physical education as a career but now the trend is changing and IGI is able to attract the best of students for BPEd from Delhi University’s premier colleges (including St Stephen’s).” The DU-tag and state government patronage have made this institute a force to reckon with. Nationally, it is second only to the Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior.
Famous for: Being the only college in Delhi University and probably the only good one in north India focusing on physical education alone.
Programmes: BSc in physical education, health education and sports; Bachelor’s/Masters’s of physical education and PhD.
Extra-curricular activities: When extra curricular becomes curricular, there is little scope to go beyond that. The college doesn’t organise any festival or cultural events.
Infrastructure: Not satisfactory by any standards. The college has a 200-metre track where an ideal one should have been double that length. It doesn’t have a swimming pool or dedicated playgrounds for various games. Students also complain of the lack of proper washrooms. The college plans to set up a 17-acre campus in Rohini, but plans are yet to firm up.
Found on campus: “This college is considered the best in Delhi and the second best in India, after Laxmi Bai (institute of physical education) in Gwalior. I was a national level player in boxing, which is why I got interested in sports as a career. Being in Delhi, this was my first and last choice. Getting admission here is no mean task.
“There were, in 2007, more than 1,000 applicants for 70 seats. Those who get shortlisted are usually national level sportspersons,” says Pradeep Sharma, a final-year BSc student.
Author: Vimal Chander Joshi
Date: 11th Feb., 2010
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