SINDHU’S SILVER : A message for her peers

The euphoria over the Olympic Silver will take a few more days to rest. The country didn’t regret the loss of Gold, as it witnessed a golden opportunity for a young Indian girl to demonstrate her grit and courage at her maiden performance at Rio final. It was a moment of pride for the entire womanhood of India, which had remained subdued for centuries, thanks to the oppressive social dynamics which always considered them as a slender gender, oftentimes stealing their opportunities just to tell the whole society who the boss was. While it is the right time to get them their due, acknowledging the multi-faceted growth profile of the young female population of the country, it is also important to sustain an emotional balance – not to take an offensive predominance which could result in deviant attitudes.

Coming to the game, after I witnessed the event – which appeared like a photo finish of a Derby race – I was left with a few questions about the ‘simple’ girl- that is how her father described her – “Was she a tigress?- she was aggressive; Was she an eagle?- her posture like the well spread wings of the eagle, with a sharp focus on the bird in the court;  Was she a soldier in a battlefield?- her articulated power display and flexibility of the body, ready to face the next aggression.”

What drove her to that kind of a performance? Patriotism- well, it is better not to comment on delicate issues! Hunger for victory – certainly, both as a feast for the ego at the personal level; a driver for social recognition to prove that she can rise to any challenging call- the metal she is made of.

But, she did leave a number of lessons to her peers- young, energetic, ambitious, futuristic, enterprising….

1. Look at her eyes – One wondered whether she was playing or preying?.. Just focused, yet roving (eagle like) - nothing less than a hindered percent. The emotional drama of her countrymen outside did not really put pressure on her, she never looked aside.. the ball, the place and the speed.. My young countrymen, both genders, need to learn .. that one needs to stay focused when they are at work: how successful they are, is secondary.

2. Her body language – amazing – the entire body was in full harmony with her mind- the mind was in harmony with her actions – I think the kind of synergy one witnessed was another lesson to learn. Many of our youngters with excellent competencies lack this kind of synergy, harmony- which in turn leads to the kind of professionalism one needs in whatever they do !

3. Her composure – What a combination of aggression and calmness! At play, she was aggressive; a few shrieks now and then, enabled to let the steam off – to convey the right kind of the message both to her challenger and the people who have put their trust in her. At the same time, she never lost her cool unnecessarily- helping the self to conserve the much needed energy. While ‘the killer spirit’ was subdued, her response levels were aggressive, sometimes brutal. It is a message for the young and productive – to bring the right emotional balance in action, in work and in productivity.

4. Her spirit – The winning of the first game did not add much value. One could hardly find whether she was happy or not. The equanimity in her mind just indicated – that she wanted to give the best shot – not to be unnerved by what was to follow. Even in the last fighting shots, she showed the spirit of the sportsperson. She lost, but moved ahead to hug the winner and help her to get back.. a warm hug .. that showed her acceptance of the status ..her willingness to reach out !

5. And the discipline – That she was deprived of ice-creams, mobile phones and the delicacies for the last three months – that she had to get to her practice at four in the morning (her father said..).. the clear message that one has to prepare the self for the pursuit through effective conditioning. In a world where distraction is becoming a second culture, her ‘preparedness’ is lesson to learn.

And finally, sitting in that corner- was Drona, the guru, the mentor – who was equally calm, composed with a right body language.

I recall the famous words of Plato – “when the student is ready, the teacher arrives.”  The student was ready and the teacher arrived.