The commitment to standardisation, and the eradication of chance has seen bowling becoming a recognised sport, something a card game like bridge has not been able to manage. The Bowling Federation of India (BFI) received recognition from the Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) in March this year, which will enable BFI to send teams for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, where bowling is a medal sport.

The Olympics, however, is yet to make bowling a medal sport. But that has not stopped Always Means Fun (AMF), the world's largest bowling equipment manufacturer in the world, from setting shop in India.

``AMF operates 540 centres in the world. We sponsor the Nationalbowling tournaments and have been instrumental to a great extent in making bowling a recognised sport with the government,'' said Deep Kalra, Managing Director, AMF Bowling India Pvt Ltd in an interview to Express Newsline.

Kalra adds proudly that AMF India held 65 percent of the market share in the Indian bowling industry. ``We have already set up approximately 175 bowling lanes in about 17 centres all over the country.''

Interestingly, the first bowling alley in India was launched 20 years ago at Hotel Qutub in Delhi. It had manually operated lanes. India's first completely modern bowling centre was launched at The 32nd Milestone in Gurgaon near Delhi. In Mumbai, AMF have three installations -- at Superdrome, Mumbai Central, The Club in Andheri and The Bowling Company in Parel.

``We're planning 500 lanes all over India by the end of 2000,'' says Kalra, ``and we intend to double that by the end of 2001.''

All equipment supplied by AMF India is imported from Virginia, United States. ``In no wayis India a dumping ground for outdated equipment. In fact some of the software and animation used in the centres here are the latest and is even newer than ones used in the US,'' Kalra says in reply to a question.

Each bowling lane has an all-inclusive price tag of approximately Rs 20 lakh. Maintenance is not a major expense and accounts for only 2-4 % of total revenue. ``Yet bowling is much cheaper than other sports like golf and is everyone's sport,'' adds Kalra.

AMF is also taking bowling to schools. ``Six centres in Delhi are working in tandem with four schools each, whereby the students come and bowl during school hours as part of their sporting activity,'' explains Kalra. ``We have also been organising national tournaments for the last 3-4 years for age categories. The winners in open category at the Nationals are sponsored by AMF to participate in the World Bowling Tournament.''

``We want to introduce bowling as an alternative social option with our target segment being the young generationincluding college kids who while away their time just hanging out and doing nothing,'' Kalra states, adding, ``we are trying to give them an opportunity to have more meaningful evening.''