Anjali Bhagwat lends an element of fun to shooting with Fundook Premium
The Hindu
Anjali Bhagwat lends an element of fun to shooting with Fundook. Anjali Bhagwat is a pioneer in Indian shooting. By reaching the Olympic final in Sydney in air rifle in 2000, on a “hardship quota”, Anjali made the whole country take note of the sport. She went on to win a bunch of medals in the global arena. At her best, she was the “Champion of Champions” among the elite men and women. Even as she has been guiding youngsters in the Olympic sport, Anjali, with her husband Mandar Bhagwat and a battery of engineers, has been able to design and develop Fundook, a laser-based shooting system for rifle and pistol.
Anjali Bhagwat is a pioneer in Indian shooting. By reaching the Olympic final in Sydney in air rifle in 2000, on a “hardship quota”, Anjali made the whole country take note of the sport. She went on to win a bunch of medals in the global arena. At her best, she was the “Champion of Champions” among the elite men and women.
Even as she has been guiding youngsters in the Olympic sport, Anjali, with her husband Mandar Bhagwat and a battery of engineers, has been able to design and develop Fundook, a laser-based shooting system for rifle and pistol.
It is a pellet-less shooting sport, played at a distance of five metres, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), that is safe, accessible, cost-effective with zero maintenance and recurring cost.
“We have Fundook Purple, developed in collaboration with EnAble India and Medallion Foundation. It uses advanced sensors on an electronic target and a patented technology that offers real time, sound-based feedback through a wireless app. This enables visually impaired athletes to aim and shoot with Olympic level accuracy, providing them an opportunity to compete and pursue their passion for the sport,” explained Mandar.
While Anjali is a co-founder and brand ambassador, Mandar and team have been able to set up Fundook shooting ranges in Pune, Ahmedabad and Jalandhar. The Fundook arena can easily be set up in homes, offices, schools, colleges and clubs, helping everyone enjoy safe shooting in familiar environments.
“We will soon be launching new ranges in Bengaluru and Hyderabad apart from establishing a bigger set-up in Pune,” said Mandar, who has been working diligently to develop the sport and take it across the country, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Even though it is being introduced as a recreational activity for all, Fundook could be a nice way to start in shooting sport before graduating to the 10, 25 and 50-metre ranges with real rifles and pistols.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.