A second year college student and an actor, Ark is pursuing his graduation from Mumbai. He started playing badminton at the age of eight under the guidance of his father at Luv Kush Indoor Stadium. He is a national level badminton player and has been a state champion twice in 2022 and 2023. He also made his debut in the movie ‘Love All’ as the main lead.
The Initiation
Ark was inspired to play badminton by his father, a player himself, and he began playing at the age of eight. His father taught him how to play badminton for the first two years of his life, and then he enrolled in an academy. He started out at Udaipur's Luv Kush Indoor Stadium before moving to Delhi for professional training. In terms of acting, he claims that because the film ‘Love All’ is centered on badminton, the director of the film shortlisted national level players when he went for his nationals in 2017. After that, the 20–30 chosen applicants attended a workshop in Indore where they were taught acting, and that is where his acting career began.
Gurus & Role Models
At Luv Kush Indoor Stadium, Ark first began playing badminton under his father's tutelage. He used to follow Lin Dan's videos on YouTube and gained a lot of knowledge from him, viewing him as a role model. Subsequently, he enrolled in a professional training institution located in Delhi. Following that, he returned to Udaipur at the time of Covid and became a member of Dyumani Sports Academy. He underwent training in acting from the Shaktimaan fame actor Lalit Parimoo. He looks up to Virat Kohli as a role model and is also greatly inspired by him.
The Talent
According to Ark, badminton is the quickest sport in the world as quick decisions are required in it. Playing badminton requires extreme attention and speed, which helps him focus on his academics as well.
Achievements
Ark has won ten separate district level tournaments in badminton and is rated in doubles for India level tournaments. Additionally, he won the state championship for two years in a row. He won three medals in 2022 and placed first in the boys doubles under-19 competition, second in the mixed doubles under-19 competition, and third in the under-19 singles competition. He won the under-19 mixed doubles state competition in 2023.
A Bit More
Ark explains that he balances his academics and sports as he attends college in Mumbai and practices in the evenings or on Saturdays and Sundays when classes are not in session. He tells the kids to keep practicing and not get too caught up in little accomplishments. Strive to set lofty goals, maintain concentration, and move towards accomplishing them. He finds great inspiration and motivation in the proverb, "The winner never quits and the quitter never wins." The song by Rahgir "Kaccha Ghada" is one of his go-to songs since it inspires him a lot.
