MUMBAI, Feb. 2 -- In an initiative aimed at widening access to sailing, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in collaboration with the Army Yachting Node (AYN), has launched a sailing training school for students from BMC-run schools at Girgaum Chowpatty. As part of the programme, the Malabar Hill Club has provided access to its swimming pool to help train the children in swimming, a mandatory requirement for sailing. Thirty students aged between eight and 12 have been selected for professional sailing training in the first batch. The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the BMC and the Army Yachting Node, under which the Army will train municipal school students and groom them for participation in national- and international-level sailing competitions. In the long term, some students may also be eligible for induction into the Army under the sports quota. Manish Valanju, assistant commissioner of D Ward, said the initiative took shape after the Army Yachting Node approached the BMC seeking space at Girgaum Chowpatty for national-level sailing practice. "Girgaum Chowpatty is an ideal location for sailing. The BMC agreed to extend support on the condition that the Army would train students from BMC schools," Valanju said. "This is the first time a batch of 30 students in the eight-to-12 age group has been selected for structured sailing training. Sailing has traditionally been seen as an elite sport, and the Army is keen to develop it at the grassroots level," he added. To ensure regular attendance, the BMC has arranged weekday bus services to ferry students from their homes to Girgaum Chowpatty for training sessions. The project was first proposed by the Army Yachting Node during meetings of the high-powered committee for Girgaum Chowpatty in 2019. It was subsequently formalised through the MoU. Valanju said Indrani Malkani, a member of the High Court-appointed monitoring committee for Girgaum Chowpatty, has instituted a trophy in memory of her late husband, Ashok Malkani, a master mariner closely associated with sailing. Although he later moved ashore to work in the shipping industry, Malkani continued to sail and was an active member of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. He passed away in September 2024. Speaking about the initiative, Indrani Malkani said, "His love for the sea was matched by his desire to give children from all walks of life the chance to experience sailing. He would often say, 'We are surrounded by water in this city, but how many of our children get the opportunity to sail?'" "Today, he would have been overjoyed to see the BMC joining hands with the Indian Army's Yachting Node to set up the BMC-AYN sailing school for municipal school children," she added. The Ashok H Malkani Inspirational Trophy for Young Talent has been instituted to encourage children, regardless of their background, to take up sailing and train under the Army Yachting Node. The students were initially shortlisted from 12 BMC schools in D Ward and underwent physical fitness assessments. While the pilot project has begun in D Ward, the civic body plans to eventually extend the programme to schools across all 25 wards. A key challenge in the early stages was that many of the children did not know how to swim. With no BMC swimming pool available, the D ward approached Malabar Hill Club after which they agreed. "While the pool was made available, there was initially no swimming coach. Shishir Joshi from Project Mumbai helped arrange a coach. The Army is also providing nutritional support to the students," Valanju said....