Bow and Arrows were the main weapons of hunting and war in ancient times.

With time, the sport of hunting animals with arrows or shooting at inanimate targets gradually evolved which is now called Archery. Archery has been prevalent in India ever since and still practised in interior region by the tribal who have not been affected by modern civilization. Archery is directly linked with our glorious past and national prestige; the very mention of archery instils a sense of pride among the Indians. One can easily see the importance of bow and arrow in India in the great epics- Ramayana and Mahabharata. The national awards related to excellence in sport and sports coaching are also named after the masters in archery Arjuna and his guru Dronacharya.

The Federation International de Tir a`lArc (FITA) is the International governing body for the sports of Archery. The governing body of Archery in India is called Archery Association of India (AAI). It has the responsibility of uplifting the sport in India. They promote, encourage and organise the sport. Currently the sport is not that popular in India as other sports. The AAI organises Talent search programmes, conducts championships at different levels from sub-junior to national. It also conducts National Archery coaching camps and monitors the progress of each individual. Generally it does anything related to the sport in India.

The sport in India is not that popular because of many reasons. 1. It is dangerous if not played under proper coaching and guidance. 2. One cannot find the equipment related to the sport that easily as it is not that popular and it can also cause harm. 3. It is not just pulling of arrow and bow. Physics laws are applied. 4. It needs to be played in archery range only, which are not very common.

5. In a country crazy for cricket, ancient games like these are forgotten. 6. No famous sports person in this sport. 7. No celebrity/ famous personality connected to this sport.

In order to perform well in the sport, all the facilities provided by the association should be of world class level. But for this there should be proper funding from the Government of India. States like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, NorthEastern states where there are more tribal population will have the raw talent needed to excel in the sport. One needs to search for the raw talent and give them full facilities, nurture the talent to excel at the world stage. Talent like Deepika Kumari who has made the nation proud by becoming world no. 1 in womens archery are still not popular as media remains focused on sports like cricket. Awareness among the public is very less regarding the sport. People still perceive archery has use of bow and arrows to hunt for prey and only used by tribes. Parents also dont promote such sports among their children as they dont see any career in it. In our country parents mostly focus on the children to study hard and get good jobs.

In archery, the archer should have skill and mental power. One needs to be focussed only on the aim. State like Jharkhand are really helping in making the sport renowned in India by nurturing talent in various coaching centres across the state. The wife of CM Arjun Munda has opened an archery academy to promote the sport. There is also the Tata Archery Academy where young talents are nurtured. For any sport to grow it needs the help of media. By telecasting matches, conducting interviews and other news related to the sport, they can publicize the sport. This will help immensely in increasing the popularity of the sport. In todays world the AAI should also focus on direct/digital marketing, Public relations and advertising/branding. This help the sports gain importance. The focus should be on social media as more and more people are being connected via internet and it really helps the sport or any news gets viral in very short period of time. Having forums on which there are discussions about the sport, the rules, and

the players help the game become better as this also helps in spreading awareness about the sport. Creating interactive games will also help in increasing the interest among the children.

Currently one gets to see the matches only during CWG, Asian games or the Olympics. There should be proper broadcasting. If someone is not able to see a match, generally the interest in the sport decreases. Especially for sports like archery, kabaddi which are popular only in the rural part of the country and dont get any media attention even after winning gold medals for their country. Broadcasting will help increase the TV audience and also generate the enthusiasm for the sport. There should be sponsors for the game to increase its viewership as well as interest in it. In India children are rarely allowed to follow their passion in sport if one cannot make a living out of it. The sponsorships will help in removing that fear. Great sportsperson from any other field can also play a big role in increasing the fan base. For example, In Jharkhand M.S Dhoni can play a big role in increasing the sports fan-following.

Social media should be used in following ways: 1. Fan participation- Offer fans the highest level of engagement next to being there. 2. Media/marketing integration 3. News distribution

Sportspersons performing well during events like CWG, Asian Games and of course the Olympics can really increase the fan following of not only of the person but also the sport. For example after Beijing Olympics bronze medals, people suddenly became taking interest in wrestling and boxing. Having a prominent celebrity associated with the sport can really boost up the sports fan base. It is really important to keep on growing the fan loyalty.