Thursday, August 28, 2008

chillin out

on a different front; I have been chillin out, i love working out so spend high quality time at the gym with weights. And when i am in fitness mode, which incidentally i had been for a good year and half since 2005, i eat healthy and actually eat about 7-8 meals a day ha ha. I had been off weights for a long time due to the exhausting preparation for Olympics, I am happy that i have time now for some indulgence. I now weigh 84 kgs with 13% body fat (I am 6.2 feet), my target is to be 90 kgs with 10% body fat. which means an increase of approx 7 kgs of muscle mass, wow, that might look nice.

I have just come back from attending a military function at Pathankot. It was great to be back to the simple fauji life. The soldiers, with whom i had operated in anti terrorist operations in kashmir, dressed in combat uniforms, had made a little paradise of the wilderness. We sat, eat and competed together in various games to re-live the old camaraderie. Sometimes these simple pleasures of life bring us lots of happiness which lasts a much longer time. Incidentally, very close by, in Jammu city, the nation was witnessing a hostage crises where some of my military friends were combating the anti-national elements at the risk of their lives. Everybody has fear but only a few overcome it.

I am taking this time off and looking at life from another perspective. I am sure, it will give me some insight as to what i really want in life and start with re-newed energy. To all those who are pursuing a dream; if you believe in yourself and you want it more then anything else in your life, then YOU WILL LIVE YOUR DREAM.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

your support; a life line for us

Hi Friends,

I wish to thank all those who have supported me during the preparations and after the Games. I have read all the comments that you have posted. In simple words, you guys are great, very sporting and am proud to have fellow Indians like yourselves. Your support is very important for us, especially the Olympic Sportsmen, as we usually get very little of it.. ha ha.

Am sure what you say will play an important part in whatever I do ahead. It reminds of the line," why do we fall- So that we can learn to pick up ourselves".

Wish you guys all the best.

The Writting On The Wall

Aptly put by a journalist, I truly feel like an Alchemist turning silver into gold and now hopefully more then 1 gold (with Vijender, our boxer in the semi finals). I have off course been with the shooters and seen the resolve of Abhinav, Gagan (watch out for him) and others but as i see some of the Indian Team members, I see so much of myself before I won the Silver. I Can see the fire burning in their belly. I feel proud as a person who provided the spark to the explosive potential that I have always believed and expressed that all Indians possess.

When i won, there was cynicism not only outside but within India on an Indian winning at the Olympic level. Only I know how I overcame the hurdles that were put in front of me at each and every stage and I had nothing to fall back on. Contrary to what people believe, way back in year 2000, I had already accepted an adverse career in the armed forces so as to pursue with my belief that India will win Olympic Medals and I wanted to prove that myself. Now when I see the TV channels, the Magazines and see the press writing so hopefully and positively about the new Indian attitude, I have 2 kinds of feelings, one, that wow, this is my India and two, this is what I always believed when few others did.

Prior to Athens, there was not a single corporate backing the Olympic sports and post Athens Olympics 2004 there are Hero Honda, Sahara, Mittal Steel, the Mission Gold through Geet sethi and Prakash Padukone. They all needed a belief and India's Silver at Athens gave it to them. I am sure the involvement of corporates will only increase now. I dream of a fund that allows us to nurture select talent amongst juniors/promising youngsters, a fund that allows us to provide contemporary training facilities to our medal hopes, to have access to best medicinal/nutritional supplementation. We cannot really depend on the government which has other basic and primary issues to fulfill. I dream of Indian corporates ready to pitch in their might into a single fund managed by sportsmen and sports administrators to give hope to the young India, their help will provide mortar to build a new India, a bold India. And the new confident attitude will be visible in all walks of life. At the end its India that will stand tall.


I believe this will come true.