Centenary event of Shimla ice skating club to be a tame affair

Bhanu P Lohumi

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Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 18

The centenary year of Shimla Ice Skating Club, established in 1920, is destined to be a tame affair as Covid 19 pandemic has cast its shadow on the eagerly awaited mega event, forcing the club to skip even the routine annual events Carnival and Gymkhana.

The skating session commenced yesterday at Asia’s biggest natural ice skating rink with just a dozen skaters who ventured to slide on thin layer of ice but the number swelled today. The skating season is likely to linger this year as MeT office has predicted scanty rains during the next three weeks as clear weather is essential for freezing of ice but skaters are upset over cancellation of centenary celebrations.

Ice skating session is a major winter attraction of Shimla, the “Queen of Hills”, and the session has been started taking care of Covid 19 pandemic guidelines. Only 50 skaters would be allowed in the rink at one time. Thermal scanning, wearing mask, use of sanitizers and social distancing norms would be mandatory, said Secretary, Shimla Ice Skating Club Bhuvnesh Banga.

Extremely low temperatures staying below 3 degree during the past two days created conducive conditions for thick layer of ice to freeze and the organizers decided to start regular session after conducting the trial yesterday.

There were around 300 regular members of the club and no new member has been added this year. Skating season would be a lackluster affair as people are wary of sending their kids due to fast-spreading Covid 19 virus. Earlier, the minimum number of 12 sessions of ice skating were held in 1972 while the maximum 118 sessions were held in 1996-97.

Interestingly, a red balloon hangs atop on a pole atop the Town Hall building, signallling that skating session is on. In case the balloon is not there, enthusiasts come to know that there is no skating. The balloon is visible from most parts of the central town and guides the skaters.

History of Ice Skating Rink

The Shimla Ice skating Club was established in 1920 by an Englishman, Blessington, who found water taps and even trickles of water frozen in the vicinity of his tennis courts and converted the courts into an ice skating rink during the winter of 1920. It is the first club to be established in India and one of its kind in the whole of South East Asia.