E50 - Nitin Kumar - India - Beyond Bound Technologies - Epsilon Creative Agency

Nitin Kumar from India joins the show to share his story on how he fell in love with the sport of hockey . Hockey is growing rapidly in India . Hopefully hockey equipment suppliers will hear this podcast and can help Nitin and the rest of India with access to hockey equipment. 

https://www.instagram.com/thenitinn/ 

https://www.instagram.com/beyondboundindia/

https://www.instagram.com/epsiloncreativeagency/

Edited & Produced by Daisie Media 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to the Trevor Buck Podcast, episode 50. And I'm really excited to have this conversation with uh help me pronounce your name. Is it Nitan? Ninton?

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Yes, it's Nitin.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Nitin from India.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Yes. Thank you very much, Trevor. I appreciate being here.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

This is this is amazing. And what part of India do you live in?

SPEAKER_02 0:35

So I live in Gurgaon, which is nearby to the capital of uh India, which is New Delhi.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

So I live around 20 minutes away.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Okay. And and I uh I uh discovered you on social media, of course, and and you were playing hockey. And uh and there was something about your uh your videos that uh you look like you're having a good time when you're playing hockey or skating. Tell tell me how how did how did you get into hockey?

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Well, it's a very intro very interesting story. So I was uh on a business trip to Russia, I was in Moscow, and it was um the end of uh December. So it was uh uh not end of December, but early January. It was after Christmas and after New Year. So we were uh um right across the cathedral and I saw an open ice skating rink. Then this was the first time that I was uh that I saw an open ice skating rink. Uh it was in 2024, so I thought I should go and try to skate and see how it feels like because ice to me, see, India has all the regions, it has desert, it has it has tropical regions, it has mountains, and it has Himalayas, which is you know very which has snow all the time. Yeah, so I in my vacations always used to go to the snowy areas, so I was a fan of snow, so I thought I should just go and hit the ice. Yeah, I went and I f I skated miserably. I fell too many times, but I liked it. I like the feeling of you know touching the uh touching the ice when I uh when I fall and you know trying and trying again. There were a few helpful Russians who helped me um pick up uh uh faster. They told me what to do, what not to do. But I skated horribly. You can see that as see those in my videos. So that was the first time that I discovered ice, and then I started, I'm gonna go back because I have uh ice rink in my city, so I thought I'll just go back and uh go there consistently.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Okay, okay. So so you have an ice rink in in your city?

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

So how how far away from where you live to the ice rink?

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Uh from where I live, it's around uh 30 minutes, but from where I work, it's around 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Okay, that is that's amazing. Okay, so when you went back to the rank, were you just skating or did you have a stick in your hand?

SPEAKER_02 3:00

No, I was just skating. Okay. I was just skating for about a month and a half. Okay. Then I pick, then I got a stick and then I started with hockey.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Okay, so do you have uh what we call here in the the United States like uh we call it drop-in, or maybe you're not you're not playing uh an organized game, but just to learn how to use the stick and the puck, do you have that there that you were able to uh yeah precisely.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

We we had uh these Friday games, okay, which uh were for everybody of you know um all Asian groups to just be there and enjoy whatever. So uh we have a lot of folks from the US, the Canada, and the Russian embassy who come and play with us in the Hawk Knight because as as I told you, I live in nearby the Capitol, so these embassies are in the Capitol. So all of these people they come over and we play together. Okay, so yeah, yeah, that helped me become better actually because I am a person who try to learn always and always, so I never hesitate in asking a question, and they helped me for sure.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Okay, and and you've you've gotten really good. I mean, you skate really well, you skate really well. So so now it looks like there are some uh you in the US we might call it men's leagues, or you play in some uh some team, some teams there.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

So I um joined, I gave my trials for the state team. See, uh people always uh put uh drop in my comment and say, it's so uh, you know, bro, you're a dust because the selections over there are nothing. It's uh it's so easier to get into a national team or it's et cetera. But see, it is easier for sure. I'm not gonna deny that because the uh competition is very low, but it's you know, uh nobody can achieve it uh in the span of time that I did because of the four to five hours of daily skating and hockey consistency that I had in my life for about a year. Then I joined a team in which I didn't get a chance to play for almost uh six months. Then I started to, you know, I mean I was usually in the last line, but then I started to uh play better and then eventually got through the second line to play center forward.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

I am I am very, very proud of you. And if you don't mind me asking, how how old are you?

SPEAKER_02 5:23

Uh right now I'm 26, I'll be 20 27 in uh in a month or two.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Okay, so I I want people to uh that are listening to this all over the world, if you discover ice like Natin. Natin? Yes, uh and and you go give it a try, get on the ice, it's amazing. And and look at where you are now. This is this is an absolutely incredible story.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Absolutely. I mean, it's all about see, uh, I have uh we all have heard about the stories of how KFC first founded, right? The guy was in his 50s or 60s when he started KFC. Look at KFC today. Yeah, so it's uh I uh always thought if I want to do something, I will do it, but it was not gonna be ice skating for sure or ice hockey for sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Right, but it became I am I am I am very this is this is such a neat story. So, what do you do uh for a profession? Like what do you do for uh your career?

SPEAKER_02 6:26

So I run uh game development and a 3D animation company. Okay. I started it in uh 2020 in COVID time. We have a lot of clients from the US and Canada. We make mobile games as well as 3D animated videos. So this is what I do, except when I'm not playing hockey.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Okay, so uh so so how many hours a week are you skating and playing hockey?

SPEAKER_02 6:48

So I on a regular basis I play and uh practice hockey for around four to five hours daily.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

That is incredible.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

I have never missed a single day. So uh during my initial days, yeah, uh the inside of our feet, if you know, because I was using rental skates for uh almost about 20 uh you can say a month. So it during the initial days I got a bad uh cut on my inside of the uh what we call it feet, yeah, and it it became worse and worse day after day.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

So I just asked the so in the rink we have this medical room as well. I asked the person to just you know put a band-aid on and um just cover it up so that it doesn't hurt me. And he was like, bro, you should wait and uh you know you should let it heal because recovery is in it is important and it is, but I was very big and I thought if I leave today, I'm not gonna be, you know, coming back to the ring for sure. So I did it and it did not heal for about two, three months, but later it became perfectly fine.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Okay. And uh do you have um easy access to uh to gear or equipment over there, or is that mostly imported from uh other places, or is there is there hockey shops, or if you need a new stick, what do you do?

SPEAKER_02 8:16

So there is no accessibility of hockey equipment, nothing at all. We so uh the northern part of the extreme north I live in the north, but the extreme north part of India uh there are there is one place called Ladakh, to which all the people from US and Canada they come, they play hockey, they you know help people um get some equipment, put up some shop. So there they have very few equipment. They used to have very few equipment on a uh limited size range. I was but I was uh you know, I was smart enough to buy my own from Russia when I was there, so I did not face that challenge at all. I come back, I came back with my own skates and uh not hockey equipment, hockey equipment. I so I go to I went to the city uh often, so I went there again, I got my equipment purchased again because if I was gonna order it from here, it was gonna be twice the amount of price, and uh who knows if it would fit me correctly or not. Correct. So I thought I will just go and you know buy my own. So so we need it is a difficulty.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

We we we need to work on getting some hockey equipment into India. Yeah, we should we should open the uh a hockey shop there.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

Yeah, I I actually tried to uh you know uh I emailed Bauer about it, but I never got a reply back. Uh this was in the very initial times.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

Right.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Because see, I'll tell you, India has a big India has a big market.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

Right? And in the last two years, we have opened two uh uh IIHF rings, one in Dhiralun and one in Ladakh. Yep. So the and then we have the third one in my city, and then we have three more coming up uh in the next uh two years. Really?

SPEAKER_00 10:07

This is incredible. So it's it's really growing.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

It's really growing because the winter sport was uh never usually be India's forte, but now the government has decided some things to do with it and they have put on sub budget, so it is being utilized.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

So this is this is really neat. Yes, I really like this.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

I'll tell you a very interesting fact, actually. Okay most of the people on my team did not uh play ice hockey, or I should say just hockey, did not play hockey uh on ice for almost to the time of a tournament. They were inline hockey players.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Okay, yep.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Yes, sure, sure. They transitioned to ice in the very uh you know last days and then went on the ice and play.

SPEAKER_00 10:59

Yeah, that's great. You know, I I wanna I want to share a story with you. Um tell me there was an inline uh hockey team from Hawaii, from Maui, Hawaii, and they traveled up to Alaska in the US to play at ice hockey tournament, and they had never been on ice before. And you know that inline team, they won the tournament.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Whoa.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Yep, yep, that that that's a really cool story because you're when you the inline players are very technical.

SPEAKER_02 11:30

They are they're very technical. Their stick handling is so, so majestic, or I would say magnetic.

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Yes, that's so I I do have some uh contacts with some uh equipment suppliers. So one of them, and we gotta put you in touch with is this company called Chirpsticks, and they're from uh Minnesota in the United States. We gotta get them to Minnesota. We gotta get them to start selling uh chirp sticks in India.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

Absolutely. See, you know, yesterday I get so many calls. See, now that I am involved with uh uh this Instagram thing, people generally call me and hit me up with a few questions there if you can arrange this for us. But uh I say key uh I say that I have a few known guys who are now who were into inline and who have now started trading hockey equipment as well. But then again, it's uh the I personally don't like the quality.

SPEAKER_01 12:28

I have never purchased from them.

SPEAKER_02 12:31

There's this friend of mine who um is from Japan who works in India. So whenever he goes to visit his family, I ask him to bring uh some things for me. He has gotten all my new things who have you know, my the sticks that I have been broken. I always ask him to get me the sticks.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

So what what are you doing the original store will will be really good?

SPEAKER_00 12:51

What what what is your uh preferred uh like stick or brand or what what brand skates are you using?

SPEAKER_02 12:58

So I currently am using uh CCM FT 870.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Okay, yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Yeah, yeah, and I like I like them very much.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

I'll soon I'll be getting the flylights.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Okay, okay. Those are nice, those are very nice.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Yeah, those are very nice. I thought I should get my hands on those. Somebody from the United States is coming, so I thought I, you know, it'll be the right time to get those.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

That is great. So I want to ask you this. Growing up, what what sports, what are the bigger sports in India? Obviously, maybe hockey is not number one, but what what are the sports that are like national sports that people are into in India?

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Hockey is one of the most prominent sports in India.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Hockey. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

Yes, field hockey, India has won uh India has been uh the almost you know all the medal tallies of hockey since uh probably won gold the most times in field hockey.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Okay, but yes, so so field hockey is a big sport in India.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Very big sport.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

I didn't I did not know that.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

But the biggest one is cricket.

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Okay, yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Yeah. So me, uh growing up, I always played cricket.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Yep. And after all, the bat is just like the stick that we're handling.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:21

No, that's funny enough, that the when I first picked the the stick, I um you know put up put it up like a bat in my hand. Right. So have you ever played cricket?

SPEAKER_00 14:32

I have never. No, I I've watched it and I respect it, but I have never played cricket. Okay, it looks fun.

SPEAKER_02 14:39

Yeah, it's pretty fast.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

It looks hard. And and fast.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

It has a few techniques, yeah. The yeah, the technicalities are there, but not faster than uh hockey for shorts.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Okay, okay. And and and I gotta ask you this because I I'm I'm a hockey player and and I love hockey, and I love the aspect of hockey when it gets to be uh rough or physical, but I've seen some of your videos. You guys get into some uh some fights over there.

SPEAKER_02 15:12

So see, everybody loves that loves that.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

That's that's what makes hockey great. You can fight.

SPEAKER_02 15:22

There is no hockey without a fight in it. So you gotta hockey without a fight is not hockey. It's just a style's play.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

Oh, that is so is is that uh is that pretty common when you're playing in your your game?

SPEAKER_02 15:37

It's common uh with some teams. Ours is one of them. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

So you have you have enforcers on your team. Yes, and it works, it works, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

It works, and we're we're not the beginners, but we are we know we are the ones we give the answers more better than the other ones.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

We uh we always get in a brawl with this other team called ITVP, which is uh a police force, it's a team of the police force.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

Oh, this is awesome! I love it. So uh so how often are your games, the organized games?

SPEAKER_02 16:17

Uh so currently we have this India Ice League that has been running from the last uh two and a half months. It is gonna conclude in another 15-20 days. So in in during these three months, this is was the first uh league that was started. Okay, is yeah, it is actively running, so almost every uh two, three days we have a game.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

Organized games. Okay, otherwise, we have national championships in June. We have Kalo India Winter Games in January of every year.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Okay. And and I want to ask you this in the US to skate for me is very expensive. So when you're skating and training, is it is it very expensive there to go price? It very still in in India. It's expensive. It is very expensive. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

It is I should not compare it with uh I should not convert it into USD, but it is in um terms of the Indian money, it is very expensive.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

Okay, okay, yeah, that's so that's and I don't know what can be done about that because that's a problem worldwide as far as uh getting new people to play hockey, but uh unless you live in a I have been doing some uh good things about it personally.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

My company, we try to sponsor as much as we can. Okay. So we sponsored our team as well, the team of the state. So because if accessibility is there and affordability comes into the picture as well, then it would definitely and definitely grow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

So so I I want you to shout out your company and give it your your website. How do people uh find you or so find your company?

SPEAKER_02 18:01

It's by the name of Beyond Bound Technologies, but our website, it's the website is bbt.group, but we currently are under maintenance. Another five-10 days it'll be up.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

That's awesome. I'm I'm very very very happy.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

So I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Absolutely. So have you uh have you have you traveled to Canada or to the US?

SPEAKER_02 18:24

No, I have personally never.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

We we gotta get you out to one of these uh states that just uh pure hockey like Minnesota or Michigan or Minnesota.

SPEAKER_02 18:32

I'd love to come to Minnesota. I you know I want to go to those uh uh um the mighty the mighty ducks things, yeah, restaurants and everything that there are in Minnesota. I want to go there.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Oh, that is great. So uh are you single? Are you married? You have a family? Like what's your uh your your personal life?

SPEAKER_02 18:55

I mean, I'm in a relationship, but I am not married.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

Okay, sure, sure.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

Yes, I have a family, I have a mother, I have a father, I have a elder brother.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Yep. What what uh what it what do they think about you playing hockey?

SPEAKER_02 19:09

They don't like it at all. They try to stop me all the time, honestly. They say I should focus on my work. They my mom never lets me, you know, go to a Friday night game because it is too late. It starts around 11 p.m. I come back around 2 a.m. Right. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Okay, so okay, so you you have that over we have that here too. These late night games, they're tough. Yeah, yeah. That's that that is tough. So oh that that is so interesting. So the the the the cult the culture injury i in India is similar to the US. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Yes, yep. It's uh mostly uh there's a reason for that to uh to be like that over here is because the rink in my city is uh a private rink and they do public sessions throughout the day. Yeah. After 11 p.m. they stop the public sessions and then they you know give to the hockey players.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

So are there any youth programs over there for for hockey?

SPEAKER_02 20:11

Not currently, not right now.

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Okay. So so that's that that I think is what uh is important for growing the the sport you know in any area is youth, youth getting youth involved.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

Yep. So we gotta get your company to start uh supporting a youth hockey day.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Um I'm figuring out a few things, but you know, uh I've already spent a fortune and I yeah, I would uh yeah, I would need a lot of support to the stuff.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Yes, of course, of course, of course, of course, yes. It is it is very expensive, and we need all the support we can get. But uh but but it it is a fun sport, and uh there's something about hockey players that uh are uh it it brings people together. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

What about you, Trevor? I want to know more about your hockey life as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Well, so so actually, so uh I am on the the Trevor Buck podcast, but uh Trevor Trevor actually dropped out of the podcast, so I'm actually John. Oh so so so I'm John. I grew up in Washington State, and uh I uh occasionally I was able to play outdoors here. We used to get cold weather in the winter. Uh-huh. So the ponds would freeze, I would skate outside. One year we had an outdoor rink at my own home, and uh me and my brothers played outside. But but but now we we haven't had that cold of weather to play outside for for some years. And then and then I started playing with uh with friends and families, and it was always uh just uh fun, you know, um like we Called drop-in or pickup hockey. It was never I never played um organized or competitive. Um so that that was uh and then Trevor, who originally was on the podcast with me, and he's still my buddy, and he's still in the background, but he grew up in what they call the upper peninsula of Michigan, and that's where they they skate outside your you know all all winter long. Um and uh that's that that's how that got started. So that's that's my hockey story.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

So what age did you um first use the skates?

SPEAKER_00 22:37

Oh, I bet I first started skating when I was probably eight years old.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

Oh, fair, yeah, fairly young.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

Yeah, yeah, fair, fairly young. And then you know, as uh a teenager, you know, grown up, but but like right now, I'm uh I'm in the process of uh building a home for myself, so I've been kind of busy. But uh but when when things settle down, like I can play, I usually will I I like to play twice, at least twice or three times a week right now.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

Interesting. When I'm gonna be there, we're gonna play together.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Let's do it. I can't wait. I I would I would love to play with you because there's something about your videos, and and I can truly tell that hockey brings you happiness.

SPEAKER_02 23:23

Oh, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

And and there's people that I play with. There's some people that it they come play hockey, but then they're like they're like uh aggressive or they're like angry. And it's like that's that's not that's not fun to me at my age. And it's like if you're gonna come play hockey, have fun, because that's fun.

SPEAKER_02 23:43

Have fun.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

And and I can tell that you love playing hockey.

SPEAKER_02 23:48

I'm gonna ask you, John. Yes, when you're on the ice, do you feel like some part of you is being elevated to you know feel more relaxed and joyful than it happened with you as well?

SPEAKER_00 24:01

Absolutely. I don't think about nothing else. And that's and that's the best thing. And I want to share a story with you. There's a friend of mine who plays plays goalie, and and he's in a position that uh his his life is uh he has certain um uh how do I want to say this responsibilities or or stresses. And he said he said when he's in goalie, he forgets about everything else other than he's just playing hockey. Everything else goes away.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Absolutely. Yep. Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

And one thing I like about playing hockey is it's it's very good exercise, but but it doesn't fit it doesn't feel like you know, going for a run. It's it's it's it's it's it's good, it's good for the body to go for a run, but but it's not always so fun.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Yes, of course. But see, there's this uh I can run in the rink for hours and hours, but I you know I've tried running on the on the you know track, but yeah, on the track I can't. I mean I can I have attained endurance on the ring, but off the rink it's completely gone.

SPEAKER_00 25:25

And and that's even like there's different times where we'll have uh these little pickup games where where fathers will bring their their kids and kids kids love playing hockey, kids love skating because it doesn't feel like it's something fun, but it's exercise. But there's something about the skates and the stick and the puck that you forget about everything else.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Everything else.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Yes, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 25:52

I mean the the it's it's it's it's probably because of the uh such uh the the environment is so cold that you know we're thinking more about uh or you know, it just calms the mind. Like we say we should always have cold water bath. So it's you know it could be therapeutic.

SPEAKER_01 26:10

Yep, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Um just the the just the presence of you being on the ice.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Yep. I love it. So um uh what what's uh what's what's do you have plans for a future growth for for your area with with the leagues or the hockey or what you're doing? I see you're an ambassador for somebody here.

SPEAKER_02 26:31

Uh yeah, Blade Tech.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

Okay, yes. Tell what's Blade Tech? Tell me about Blade Tech.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Uh Blade Tech is a company from Canada. They are very nice. I messaged them some time ago and they were very uh interested to collaborate with me to uh uh because uh I I I knew somebody who had Blade Tech blades. Okay, and uh yeah, I loved the golden style of them, and I asked them and they said, yeah, Nathan, we'd love to have you as our ambassador in in India. We discuss on a few things, but um things are not on a very active state with them. It's uh just that they have uh I've put up their um what do I call it? Profile mention.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

Uh-huh. Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

And yeah, they offered me blades.

SPEAKER_00 27:17

Right, that's awesome. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:20

That's great. So what are um so it's it's Sunday morning there. What are you doing the rest of the day today? You is this uh do you have weekends? You you're off today? What are you doing for the rest of the day?

SPEAKER_02 27:31

I usually uh have off today. Okay, but yeah, some some Sundays I have to prepare for the work on Monday. Okay, I'm gonna yeah, I'm gonna be in the afternoon. I'll probably head back to uh my office and uh do a little bit of settlement for tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

Okay, how many people are with your company?

SPEAKER_02 27:54

We currently have a team of 14 guys.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Okay, so that that's a big that's a big company.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

Uh not as big, but yeah, we're certainly gonna be bigger the next time we talk.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

That is great. So okay, so I don't have anything else. Do you have anything else you would like to ask about?

SPEAKER_02 28:11

Uh I want to uh you know, through your podcast, I want to uh reach out to the audience to support the growing ice hockey culture in India, or I would say just say the hockey culture in India. And uh, you know, like I appreciated genuinely when you asked Chirpstick to you know open a shop or you know uh open a franchise with somebody in India. So India is a very stable and a growing economy in such um times of war as well. So people who are running such hockey equipment companies or even the construction side of the rings as well, I could be the bridge to your uh thing from the US to the Indian side. And I would certainly love the sport to grow. Any or any uh support that you want to do to you know build up such infrastructures of uh accessibility of the equipment and of the rings will be dearly appreciated. So that's the message that I want to give at the end.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Thank you for sharing that. And there is a company that I'm really thinking of that I want to get in touch with. Um the owner came from Michigan, he currently lives in California and he has a company. I don't want to give out any free ads, but I do want to get in touch with them. But let's get some equipment manufacturers behind this this effort because what you're doing is amazing, and I really appreciate you saying that.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

Likewise, likewise.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

Okay, well, let's let's stay in touch. And this episode was edited and produced by Daisy Media, and you can follow, like, subscribe on Apple and Spotify. And this was been amazing. Thank you, Nittin.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Wonderful, John. And uh thank you for um taking your time out and inviting me to the travel book podcast.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

And and we'll be in touch and have a great day, and I'm I'm going to bed. Good night.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

Good night.