Billiards in India

In a cricket-obsessed country like India, cue sports like billiards have had to toil hard to gain mass acceptance. This, despite the fact that over the years India has been a force to reckon with in world billiards competitions. An impressive assembly of great champions like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira and Geet Sethi has underlined the powerhouse status of the country.

In India, the progress of biliards has been stymied by the popular notion that the game is elitist in nature and is the prerogative of the affluent class. Because of such a mindset, bravura performances of our champions have failed to spur the youngsters to follow a career in billiards and snooker.

But, of late, billiards has been able to catch the fancy of the masses courtesy the dazzling performances of prodigies like Pankaj Advani. The media too, for a change, has started to provide substantial coverage to billiards and other cue sports. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, the apex body, needs to play a proactive role in popularizing the game.