It only takes a few to turn the tables

What had casually initiated with bare minimum resources as a means to maintain fitness after a hectic day at the office, Green Table Tennis centre slowly emerged, in less than a decade, into one of the most well-equipped table tennis training platforms in the country without any peripheral assistance.

It was back in 2013 when the seed had germinated. Pia Afreena Huq, owner of Green Table Tennis (GTT), recalled how two players-- one of whom happens to be her husband-- and a single playing board had set things into orbit for a set-up, which grew as big as a two-storied facility with as many as six tables.

Pia describes her establishment as 'A Social Entity', a place where people of all ages could show up to hone their skills or just play the game for purely physical exercise and recreational purposes.

However, GTT's journey was not smooth at all, as it is the case with most unorthodox projects.

"Starting with just two, the number of people gradually went up," Pia recalled. "All the expenses were carried by me and my husband. But making our efforts sustainable was very difficult."

Understandably, ping-pong enthusiasts of all ages were drawn to the rare environment, and thus the expansion of the facility was in demand. In 2017, a second playing board was introduced. Pia revisited how she and her husband found the pivotal solution next.

"So we came up with the concept of 'pay and play' for the first time in the TT [Table Tennis] arena. We started to charge a nominal fee and we had segmented it. One had the option to apply for a membership and pay monthly, or someone could just pay and play on arrival," she informed.

This new initiative did face resistance though. Pia further informed that people were not willing to pay money initially, but it had to be done to keep the establishment functioning at optimum mode. Other necessities such as a snack bar came to fruition as well.

At the GTT, children can socialise while developing their similar interests, service holders gather here after office hours, and elderly people, now enjoying a retired life, also come here to play and stay healthy in the process.

"Green Table Tennis is one of my favourite places. It feels more like home," said Aparesh Chandra Saha, a 64-year-old retired teacher of Viqarunnisa School and College.

Aparesh further said, "I used to play this game when I was younger, but couldn't continue when I started working. Now I started playing again after my retirement. The people here are very welcoming and friendly.

"As long as I'm alive and healthy, I look forward to playing this game with all my heart."

Mr. Anand, an Indian who came to Bangladesh for work purposes, also enrolled himself to GTT to keep his physical and mental health in tune.

"Ever since I came to Bangladesh, I've been looking for a place where I can entertain myself alongside improving my physical fitness," he mentioned.

 "Green Table Tennis is a very well facilitated table tennis arena. I've found a lot of professional players and freelancers who come here and practice this game. Also, I try to participate in the tournaments."

The centre also managed to draw national table tennis players who, apart from refining their game, could train young players from scratch to an advanced level. Apparently, federation set-up aside, there is no other entity in the country which is comparable to GTT, according to some national players.

National table tennis player Javed Ahmed said, "I haven't seen such a great facility anywhere else in Dhaka. You can find all sorts of equipment and gears and that helps everyone.

"The children who come here to learn, I try to pass the knowledge that I gathered from my coaches in the federation. And to witness someone winning a tournament in school after training from here becomes my biggest achievement."

And the fact that several corporate and amateur tournaments have been held regularly here- does helps the community develop further.

"Corporate groups rent our place to host their TT tournaments because you need a space big enough and some special logistics to conduct such tournaments. And we provide all of that," the owner of GTT said while adding that they look to serve society through passion and endeavour.

"Our goal is not to make a commercial table tennis organisation but to become a prominent social entity where anyone who loves table tennis can come here and have a great time. I believe that is our core responsibility towards society."