Mithlesh Kumar Singh

Mithlesh Kumar Singh ....The Man in the true sense.

“ When we are in problem, Mithlesh is an one man call center for us, ” expressed a friend of his. Call him on a freezing winter morning or on a hot summer afternoon he will be the first person to reach you during emergency. Many people who have known him for long, says with pride “If you have a friend like Mithlesh, you are among the fortunate people of this world”.

                                        Mithlesh 

Born in Padari, a remote village in the district of Mau, Mithlesh was a  “Buffalo Soldier” during his childhood. Till the age of 10 his only work and passion was to take the family buffalos to the field. Things changed when his eldest brother Brijesh Kr Singh, arrives home on leave. Over lunch Brijesh bhai asked his brother, “Selection trails deba” (Will you be interested   in attending volleyball selection trials for Government Sports College). More than his interest in sports, it was the chance of visiting Lucknow, which inspired him to say ‘yes’. The same evening they boarded a train to Lucknow. There was no bus connectivity from his village to Mau. They used to first catch a Tanga  to go up to Ranipur  and from there they wait for  hours to get a bus for Mau.

    Brijesh bhai with son Shivendra Vikram 

At the selection trials, the selectors were least interested in a boy who had never touched a volleyball in his life. But, it was Ms Santosh Yadav, who believed that this skinny boy could one day become an asset to the state. During the 90’s Ms Yadav had the reputation of preparing the best volleyball players of the state and Mithlesh was lucky enough to catch her attention. Within a month Mithlesh joined the Gorukhpur Sports College.

 For the next four years Mithlesh was either sweating it out in the ground or was at the receiving end of Santos Ma’am danda. Mithlesh can’t recall the number of times he had been whipped by Madam. But now he happily confess “Agar madam nahi hoti tu hum kavi v player nahi bantay”.  It is at Gorukhpur he first met Anuvir Singh, who later went on to become one of his best friend and critic. As the years went by their friendship became eternal and the pair became popular across Uttar Pradesh. They both displayed ferocious  fighting spirit on the volleyball ground. Anuvir was a setter and Mithlesh an attacker, which made a lethal combination for the team.

     With Anuvir 

His friend Anuvir was far more aggressive than him. Staying with Anuvir made him become more inclined towards the game. When they were not playing, either they used to discuss about Sunny Deol next release or talk about Uncle Ji. At the sports hostel every alternate boy talk about Uncle Ji. Mithlesh had never met this universal Uncle and he was surprised that irrespective of the boys being Jat or Brahmin they have the same Uncle.

Finally, there was a day when Uncle Ji was supposed to visit hostel. It was a special day, when Mithlesh finally met Uncle ji. He was a former international volleyball player and had a super pleasing personality. His name was Rameshwar Dutt Sharma. Mithlesh become fascinated seeing the respect Uncle ji command among the players and coaches. From the next day he too become a devotee of Mr Sharma and started calling him Uncle ji. He developed a special liking for Shri R D Sharma and started thinking, that one day he too would like to become like Uncle ji.

    With childhood idol Late R D Sharma

Next came the years of triumph and jubilation. In 1997 for the first time Mithlesh got an opportunity to represent the state team in the Sub-Junior Nationals at Haldia, where UP team return backed with a Bronze medal. Unsatisfied with the 3^rd position Mithlesh started working harder along with his other team mates. Getting selection in the UP was a tough task, leave aside winning a medal at the nationals. But Mithlish was ever determined to become the National Champion. His never say die attitude helped the team to emerge Champion at the next edition of Sub- Junior Nationals at Chikbalapur in 1997. Mithlesh was declared as the best player of the tournament.

For a boy, who was happy taking Buffalo’s to the field becoming the best volleyball player of the country in the Sub-Junior category was like a dream come true. It was a big achievement for a boy from Mau. His brother who always wanted to be a volleyball player was more than happy. Had it not for his decision to bring his brother for selection trials 5 years ago, Mithlesh would still have remained in the village. Two years later when Mithlesh was again declared the best player at the Youth National in Nagaon (Assam), Volleyball fraternity of India took notice of this upcoming talent.

Mithlesh was slowly making a mark across the country with his sharp attacking technique and aggressive playing style. This was the time he become close with Uncle ji, who was then the coach of ONGC Volleyball team. In a senior level All India Invitation Tournament at Shimla, when few of the ONGC players were on leave Mithlesh and Anuvir got a break to play for the seasoned ONGC team. There for the first time they got an opportunity to play alongside the great Y Subba Rao. The Shimla tournament was a big exposer for him and both the youngsters played to their heart content. This was the time when he succeeded in impressing the ONGC team management with his superior back court spiking.

                        With love of his life Pooja and Prishu

As the boy was growing up, he fell in love with Pooja. It was never a love at first sight but a rare kind of love story. His girlfriend from Maharaj Ganj was chosen by his brother. It so happened that Brijesh bhai while posted at Maharaj Ganj developed a special friendship with Pooja’s father and like all Hindi movies of those days, decided a matrimonial alliance. While Mithlesh was away playing tournaments across the country their love story continued through postal letters and long distance phone calls.

Indian team came calling for Mithlesh in the year 2000, when he first attended a Junior National camp at Kolkotta. Within a year he made it to the Indian Junior team to participate in the Youth Asian Championship at Iran. His association with the Indian team continued. In 2002 he represented the India Junior team at tournaments in Egypt and Tunasia. From Bullock cart, Mithlesh finally reached the aircraft. Back home in his village people would gather in huge number to listen to the stories of International airport and Egyptians Pyramids.

  

Around the same time in 2001 Mithlesh joined NE Railways at Gorukhpur at a basic pay of Rs 3050/- . But he did not stayed for long as he finally got a job offer from his dream company ONGC in 2002. At ONGC his dream run continued, when he became the Senior National Champion at Chautala in the same year. It was a dream comes true for him. At ONGC he made some of his best of friends. He developed a special friendship with one of his senior from Assam which grew stronger with passage of time.

    With the Champion ONGC team

During his initially days at ONGC he got to meet his childhood idol more frequently. Within 3 years of joining ONGC Mithlesh brought his first car, it was a black Maruti Alto. At ONGC he owned the heart of all the players for his ready nature to help people. His house always had a steady flow of guest. He attended to all with ease and never missed any practice session. His extraordinary fighting spirit helped ONGC win numerous tournaments from the hills of Himachal Pradesh to down south.

During the years preceding his marriage to Pooja, their long distance phone calls sometimes goes up to hours and once he had the record of paying close to Rs 25K mobile bill. It was the time when mobile operators used to charge huge fee for long distance roaming calls and he was not fully aware of the rates. Finally their love story came to a happy ending in 2005 when they tied the knot.

Mithlesh always had a liking towards politics. But his main motive is always towards social welfare rather than power. He took active part in Gaon Panchayat election and helped his father win the panchayats election in the year 2005. This was the time he got an opportunity to build a rapport with the villagers. The way Mithlesh mingles with the people irrespective of their cast and religion, speaks volume about his amicable nature. The relationship which he developed with the local people in 2005 are still strong which helped his Bhabi win the Panchayat election in the year 2015.

Back at Dehradun, he equally excelled in sports as well as studies. He did his MA and then finally completed his MBA. His academic performance helped him in getting merit promotion at ONGC. He became a class I officer in the No.1 Oil and Gas Exploration Company of the country. Around the same time he also purchased a house in Dehardun. In the new house Pooja gave Mithlesh the most precious gift of his life. It was in October 2009, their sweetest prettiest little daughter Prishu was born. It was the happiest day his life more than any number of best player award put together.

Then came the biggest shock of his life when his role model and idol R D Sharma suddenly expired in 2011. That was the lowest phase of his life. Late R D Sharma left behind his wife, three daughters and a son. Mithlesh like a trusted lieutenant stayed behind the family during those though time and took best possible care. He  continued in the foot step of his Uncle Ji. Few years prior to his death, Uncle ji started a Club at his home village in Pur Mafi and used to organized Volleyball tournament. The young boys of Pur Mafi lost hope after Sharma ji’s sudden demise but Mithlesh took the lead from the front and never allowed Sharma ji’s dream to die down.

He went all the way out to make sure that the Club founded by Sharma ji’s stay united. He mobilized the young players and organized a tournament in name of Late R D Sharma. Before the final match of the tournament was played, people shed tears listing to Mithlesh speech. A boy from eastern Uttar Pradesh village winning heart of a Western Uttar Pradesh village is un -doubtfully a remarkable feat in a state like UP.

Mithlesh received the second biggest shock of his life, when his elder brother Brijesh bhai lost both his leg in a train accident. It was a time when he was completely shattered feeling dejected and directionless. But, the spirit and boldness with  which Brijesh bhai approached the setback infused confidence in Mithlesh. The family came together during this rough phase and took all care of their elder brother, who always stood as a strong pillar for the entire family.It was  Brijesh Bhai’s son Shivendra Vikram Singh who finally brought an end to all their sorrows when he finally  represented the Junior Indian team.

                                         With Bhabi and Bhaiya after wining the Panchayat election

Around the same time Mithlesh took charge of the ONGC Volleyball team of the country. The team was at its transition phase with few senior players retiring and new players joining the team. Under the leadership of Mithlish, ONGC volleyball team for the first time qualified to participate in the Asian Club championship. For two consecutive years the team won the National League Championship and also the PSPB Championship. Mithlesh finally relinquished his duty as Games Coordinator of ONGC Volleyball team in the year 2015.

Now, Mithlesh spend most of his time working for the people he respect the most. Like, Late R D Sharma, he too has slowly became a messiah for the young sportsmen of his state. No matter how busy he remains, one will always find him during their difficult time. Some of the people who have left his side during his tough time may regret later for losing a friend like Mithlesh. But for the fortunate few who are still his friend, Mithlesh is an oasis in the desert.

We at O’ Memories, wish you a very full filling life ahead.  

Sharad Kaushik

Sharad Kaushik.....

If He has to be described in one word, ‘Gentleman’ would be the word. The man with no complains and no regret is Delhi’s precious gift to Indian Volleyball. Tall, athletic and smart Kaushik was one of the most promising cricketer at the National Stadium. Legendary volleyball coach Gurbax Singh who spotted this young talent, succeeded in convincing him to leave the cricket pitch and join the volleyball court. The year was 1982. Soon, agile and energetic Sharad found more excitement in the dusty volleyball ground than the green cricket field.

Same year, Sharad performed the duty of a ball boy at the Delhi Asian Games. Watching the top volleyball players from Asia and India in action, Sharad started dreaming of playing for the national team one day. He used to wait for an opportunity to get autographs of celebrated  players like Dalel Singh, without knowing that 7 years later he would be part of the same Indian team with Dalel Singh as his setter.

Sharad’s father Shri K S Sharma, then an employee of civil aviation department and mother Smt Pupalata, never stopped him from playing volleyball. With their blessings, within one year of entering the volleyball court he was selected to represent Delhi team in the Senior National Volleyball Championship. He was one of the fastest learner of the game and in four years he earned a place in the Indian Junior team. Since then it has been no looking back for Sharad Kaushik, an Alumina of   Kendriya Vidyala, INA.

His extraordinary performance in the volleyball ground  lend him a job at Delhi Food Company soon after completing his 12^th Std. Sharad severed the company, for more than a year. In those days the basic salary of Rs 920/month  was too tempting for an 18 years old to resign. But Shard had other plans in mind. He wished to continue his studies and left the job to pursue B Com from Kirorimal College, the same college from where superstar Amitabh Bachchan graduated years earlier.

After successfully completing his B Com, Sharad accepted the job offer from Delhi Police. He joined  as Sub-Inspector in 1989. Later he resigned from Delhi Police in 1993 and finally joined Customs and Central Excise department as Inspector. By then he had already made a mark for himself in the Indian Volleyball arena. He became a regular player of the national team. Sharad helped India in winning many International medals including Gold medal in SAF Games and Shivanthi Gold Cup. Such was his need in the team that, once 4 days before the Senior Asian Championship in Thailand, Sharad twisted his ankle. His fitness became a big issue and there were serious doubt of his inclusion  in the team. But the Cuban Coach, then In charge of Indian team, took a strong stand in favour of Shard Kaushik. In four days Shard recovered completely and played in the tournament.

During his decade old association with the Indian Volleyball team Sharad had participated in numerous international tournaments in Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia and many other Asian countries.

While most of the time Kaushik was away playing for the national team in International tournament, back home his friends from Panther Club, would eagerly wait for him to participate in the local tournaments. Playing in the local tournaments in India is all together a different experience. The Panther club was one of the most famous club of North India and had the reputation of upsetting best department teams of the country .Whenever Sharad used to play in a local tournament, thousands of local spectators would gather around the ground, up on the roof tops, on tractors and tress to cheer for their favourite team. Sharad was the most ferocious Panther of the Panther club. People wold go crazy once Sharad hold the ball for the warm-up shots. But, Sharad always attributes all the craze created around him to his team mates, who were his constant source of support.

The aggression hidden behind this otherwise calm Panther still reflects in his attitude. Now, the temperament is more to do with mental toughness than physical vigor. Looking at the way Kaushik deals with the huge piles of file at his office, none would ever imagine that this Superintendent of Central Excise Department was once a star volleyball player.

When a player retires from active sports, he or she either get associate with the sport as coach, organizer and critics or join the regular office job. Sharad preferred the later. The transition from sports field to the office chair is the toughest part in a sportsmen life. After years of glories achievement and hero worshiping when sportsmen are forced to work on files from 9pm to 5pm, majority of the players goes through a phase of melancholy. But, Shard showed extraordinary perseverance. He never became part of the vast majority, instead he used his sporting determination to empower himself with new skills.

Once he had his eye on something, he will get it done come what may. After fulfilling all his sporting goals he started concentrating on his academics. While getting familiarise with  the office work he simultaneously completed his LLB. His qualification and excellent decision making power earned him respect among his colleague in the department. His top management appreciated his work and promoted him to the post of Superintendent. But, he is not a man to bask on his glory instead he raised his goal and started preparing for LLM.

With office work and family at home, cracking the entrance exam for LLM was not an easy task. It was even more difficult because there were only 60 seats in Delhi University. The admission process was one of the toughest, as thousands of students appear for the entrance exam. Sharad failed in the first attempt. A year later he tried again but missed the seat by 2 rank. But, Shard was not a person to give away.  On his third attempt Sharad's  name finally appeared in the list of 60 students who successfully qualified for admission in LLM. Sharad Kaushik is perhaps  the first international sportsmen  to have successfully earned a seat in LLM from Delhi University. Remember there is no sports quota for LLM admission, it is purely based on merit.

At home his wife Amita Kaushik has been a constant source of support for the last 19 years. She is a PGT teacher in Political Science and has always stand by all his decision. The couple is blessed with two beautiful daughters Pranika and Kashvi.

When asked of his moment of despair or depression. He said he had never gone through such anguishing time. After talking to him for more than an hour at his cosy office chamber in Delhi, Rajendra Nagar, we realized this man is a bundle of positive energy. Never, throughout our conversation had he spoken anything negative or bad about anybody. Probably his positive outlook may be the reason for all his achievement. Had we all people being like him, world would have been a better place to live, is what we felt after meeting Sharad Kaushik.

Abhijit Bhattacharya

Amir Singh

The farmer's son who tasted bread & jam for the first time in his life at a sports hostel, is today an owner of a luxury hotel chain. Now, he enjoys pampering his guests with delicious Mexican, Lebanese and Continental cuisine. In between his first encounter with brown bread and managing his hotel, Amir Singh had sweated 18 years of his life in the volleyball grounds of our country.

Introduce yourself as a volleyball player at the reception desk of Hotel Mandarin and you are sure to get a warm welcome. The feeling of being the personal guest of a CEO is always gratifying. After exchanging initial pleasantries Mr Singh took me to the top floor lounge bar with a view of the beautiful city of Chandigarh in the background. The conversation started from the days he bought is first pair of Nike shoes to resigning from HSIDC (Haryana Industrial Development Corporation) team, which he once founded.

Back in the late eighties Amir Singh would spend hours in the agriculture field while listening to cricket commentary on radio. He used to dream of becoming one among the legendry players. Accordingly, destiny opened the doors for him but not for cricket. It so happened that once Mr Vijendra, a pharmacist from his village accompanied a doctor to Bhiwani Sports Hostel. There he overheard two coaches discussing advantage of tall players in volleyball. Back in the village Vijendra ji persuaded Amir Singh’s father Shri Hawa Singh to send his youngest son to the sports hostel.

Amir’s father, was more than happy to send his child to a sports hostel. Upon reaching hostel, lanky Amir impressed the coaches with his reflexes but failed in the medical test due to colour blindness. He was supposed to return back home, but somewhere somebody “managed” the medical test and rest was history.

The diet of bread, butter, jam and eggs introduced Amir to the world of sports and tough training.  After learning the basics of the game from his first Coach Shri Mohan Singh Nagreta he felt confident of making it big. But, there were hurdles to be crossed. The first hurdle was the hostel team which was toughest with all the boys of same height and build. Amir knew very well, lots of extra effort need to be put on to prove his calibre.  That’s when a wild passion started growing in his belly. In order to qualify for the hostel main team he designed a strategy to perform better than his friends. So every night when all other players used to sleep Amir and his wrestler friend Manoj (presently posted with Indian railway) goes out for extra training every night. They slipped out from their bed at around midnight and exercise for two hours before returning back to bed. The mid night training adventure continued for months during in his first year at the hostel. At that point of time he never knew that in sports recover & rest is equally important as training. Years later he learned the importance of recovery and the secret formula of protein supplements from the personal doctor of legendry Brazilian football player Romario. To know more about his Romario connections continue reading!

Within one years of his mid night training sessions Amir Singh succeeded in taking a triple promotion. He not only got selection in the hostel and state team but succeeded in drawing the attention of national selector. He represented the Haryana state team and earned a place in the Indian Junior Camp in 1992. Initially being less weight (62 Kg ) coach considered him unfit for the game. Nevertheless he continued training hard with other players from across the nation. But due to his academic priority and ill health he returned back from the national camp.

A year later while playing a tournament in Hissar, Amir Singh was offered job by three departments - LIC, CRPF and Punjab Police. A week later two constable from Punjab Police landed at his home to take Amir to Jalandhar. During those days Mr Bhullar was DIG of Punjab Police. He was a sports lover to the core and appointed around 474 sportsmen in Punjab Police during his regime. On the day Amir landed in Jalandhar he was handed an offer letter to join as constable to which he objected. In the evening a fresh offer letter was issued for appointing him as Head Constable. Amir again opposed,  as he was assured the post of ASI. Finally, DIG Bhullar personally intervened and offered him the post of his choice.

A year later Amir was again in the Indian junior camp. This time he was well prepared, ready to take on all challenges. If hostel practice was not enough for Amir the training at Indian camp left him with no scope for extra practice. When the players goes to bed after 8 hours of rigorous training they sleep like dead man. Many a players’ surrender unable to cope with the tough training. After almost a year of laborious training in the Indian camp, finally a team was to be selected to participate in the GHAR International tournament at Iran.

On the day when selection list was declared, he waited for more than an hour in front of the only PCO booth at SAI Campus, Bangalore to convey the good news to his elder brother             Shri  Kuldeep Singh. His elder brother was his biggest inspiration.  A week later as the flight took off from Bangalore airport to Tehran two of his childhood dream came true, wearing the Indian tricolor jersey and flying in an aeroplane for the first time.

In the next couple of years travelling by flight became part of his life. In 1996, Indian team was playing in an international tournament at Pakistan. Before the final match Amir’s had a severe shoulder pain. The doctor who attended him gave an injection. Amir managed to play the final match but permanently damaged his shoulder. Till date Amir right shoulder is without any muscle. If one happen to  see his shoulder, they will keep wondering how can a sportsman without any shoulder muscle become the best spikier of the country. One need nerves of steel not muscle to become a champion is what Amir had proved to the world.

In the course of next two years Amir became the main attacker of Indian senior team. In the Senior Asian Championship at Qatar he played to his heart content but the Indian team could not make it to the top four. Feeling dejected Amir was sitting alone in the gallery to watch some Japanese players in action. A tall gentleman wearing an Arabic attire came and seat near Amir. He greeted Amir and complimented him for his extraordinary performance.  The happiness of players are always connected to winning matches and if one loses a hard fought match, he become like a wounded tiger. Same was the condition of Amir when the Arab Gentleman was trying to start a conversation with him. Initially Amir ignored him, without knowing that the man had come with a life changing offer for him. He wished to sign a contract with Amir to play for the Al Sadd Club in the professional Qatar league. It was an opportunity of a life time. Finally, Amir signed his first professional contract of his life for Rs 1.25 Lakh/ month for six month. 

Amir with his Son

Life started changing for the village boy from Rohtak. He bought his first car, a Maruti 800 in the year 1999. But, he preferred to keep away from all the luxury money had to offer, instead he focused more on his performance. In 1999 he captained the Indian team to victory in the Kathmandu SAF games.  His performance was being appreciated across the country. Young boys from interior villages of Haryana and Punjab started to hero worshiped Amir. Whenever Amir played in local tournaments, his supporters would come from far flung areas to watch him in action.  

At the same time he was also fighting a legal battle with Punjab Police. He wished to resign from the Punjab Police team as he preferred to join a department in his home state. Initially, his resignation was not accepted. Few allegations were framed against Amir. The case finally becomes one and one between DGP Bhullar Vs ASI Amir Singh. On the final day of hearing the Judge announcing the decision   in favour of Amir commenting “app log iss desh ki ek hoanhar khiladi ko accused kar rahay ho…..issay bada duk ki bat aur kya ho sakta hai”. (You people are trying to accused a talented sportsperson of this country ….what can be more painful than this). That was the legal fight but at heart Amir still salute the spirit of DGP Bhullar for his contribution towards volleyball. Along with Mr Bhullar Amir takes pride in naming his Indian team Guru Dronacharya Shri Shayam Sunder Rao as the two man who had immensely contributed towards growth of volleyball in our country.

By the year 2000 Amir was job less. However, his successful stunt with the Al Saad Club was continuing. At the same time Romario, the great football legend from Brazil was also playing for the same club. A team of 19 people was with Romario as support staff including a doctor named Lewis. There Amir for the first time understood the importance of systematic training, muscle dynamics and role of supplements is a sportsmen life. He developed a friendly relationship with Romario’s doctor. Language was the toughest hindrance between their friendships. Dr. Lewis spoke broken English and Amir hardly spoke English. To overcome the language barrier Amir bought a pocket oxford English dictionary. Every word Lewis spoke Amir would surf the dictionary and accordingly interpreted. In two months Amir had learned enough English to understand Lewis advice. From Lewis, he learned the secret formula of protein supplements. Even today he confess to have benefited the most from  feedback of Dr Lewis.

Back home Amir Singh badly needed a team to play. Due to his delay in the resignation process with Punjab Police his job offer from ONGC got lapsed. Finally, he and the only Dhayan Chand Awardee of Volleyball Shri Om Praksh meet Abhay Chautala. Mr Chautala was impressed to have met a player who was performing exceptionally well for the country. Mr Chautala expressed his desire to form a team in Haryana. He assigned Mr Singh and Mr Om Praksh the responsibility to  build a team which can regain the  lost glory of   Haryana in volleyball.

In the next couple of months Amir Singh along with Om Praksh went on a country wide talent hunt search to form a volleyball team. More than 12 post were created in Haryana Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) to appoint top class volleyball players. Young players across the nation both beginners and professional were given job offers and a strong outfit was formed. Not that they had a fairy tale start. Initially they lost many tournaments and faced humiliation. People abused and spoke badly about the team, many critics had even discarded the team as bunch of tall players without any neck for volleyball. Even during those time of frustration  Amir and Om kept the team united. In the next three years they moulded all those armature players into world class sportsmen and overcome all obstacle to become the National Champion. For five years the team displayed outstanding performance to win all the major titles of the country. Almost all the players of the HSIDC team went on to represent the Indian team. Few of them even became Captain of the National team.

In the meantime Amir was also leading the charge of Indian Volleyball in International tournaments. From South Asian Federation Games to Rashid International Championship in Dubai Amir had helped India win numerous medals. He was being equally respected in  India and abroad. In 2002 Government of India honoured him with the Arjun Award for his extraordinary contribution towards Indian Volleyball. On the day when the award was declared Amir was spearheading the Indian team to win the gold Medal in Shivanthi Gold Cup at Hyderabad. When the journalist asked him how he felt, he happily confess that “As a small village boy Haryana my only dream was to play for the nation and now to be chosen for  Arjun Award it  is a dream come true”.

In the year 2007 he was supposed to renew his contract with the Al Saad club for           Rs 20lakhs/month for total six month. But, at the same time his own HSIDC team was participating in a prestigious National Tournament. Shri Om Prakash requested him to play the tournament as his presence was important for winning the tournament. Such was the commitment of Amir towards his team that he finally sacrificed the lucrative offer of Rs 1.20 Cr for the sake of his state team. This is only one instance were Amir had sacrificed his personal benefits for teams gain, there are many more such examples.   

Amir Singh was always a man of discipline and hard work, which he had been following ever since the village pharmacist dropped him in the Bhiwani Sports Hostel. As the HSIDC team became successful, at times there were difference of opinion. Amir was very strict when it comes to disciple and training. There was a conflict of interest among the players. As he was a man of principle Amir finally resigned from the very team (HSIDC) he once founded.

But destiny had other plans for him. All these years he had sacrificed the luxuries of life and being a farmer’s son invested all his earning from the professional club on buying farm land. Even after resigning from the HSIDC team he continued his fitness and led a completely healthy lifestyle. Most of the sportsmen become directionless after retiring from active sports, but Amir channelized all his energy towards building his own company.

It require courage and conviction  to enter a completely new domain without any background. But then again everything boils down to your Will. Where there is will, there is a way. During the time when he was exploring all option he meet his now business partner Mr Kuldeep Garg. A new dream was conceived to build his own Hotel chain. When he entered into the business of establishing the Hotel only than he realized that sweating eight hours in the volleyball ground was much easier than getting a minor documents cleared through Government office. On every step there was struggle, but he was is no mood to give up.

 It was during these tough times that tragedy hit him. His wife of 12 years suffered a brain hemorrhage. With two young children at home life Amir went through the toughest phase of his life. Even with his wife at ICU he ensured that his children maintain their grades at school. All these years in sports, life had thought him to approach challenges on a positive note. After months of taking caring of his wife, she finally left Amir forever. Amir life was completely shattered.  He was at an all-time low. He felt like it was point of no return.

To keep himself aloof, he even decided to permanently shift to Australia. But his business partner consoled him and stood by him during those tough times. Like a true sportsmen Amir bounced back again, this time there was no stopping. Finally on a fine autumn afternoon Hotel Mandarin was open to guest in the main Panchkula- Zirakpur Highway.

It is a long journey for Amir from collecting fodder for the buffaloes to managing a star Hotel. His second hotel is coming up in the next couple of month. Amir has seen it all, he had achieved success and faced tough situation. Now, his only wish is  to make a mark as an honest human being in the real estate industry. Honesty is a rare quality in the real estate sector. But, Amir is confidence in the next couple of years people will respect his company M/s  A & K Enterprise for their commitment and honesty.  

The year 2014, has been lucky for Amir for the very reason that he met Deepika Singh, a professional medico who filled the void in Amir's  life. The children found their mother in her and Amir his soul mate.  

                                                           

Today, relaxing comfortably in his CEO chamber Amir attributes all his success to VOLLEYBALL.

(Abhijit Bhattacharya)

ongc.abhijit@gmail.com

Y Subba Rao

Being exceptionally tall, lanky and soft spoken, Subba Rao was always exposed to public’s bullying for the first 18 years of his life. But, since the day Pandit ji, spotted him in a West Delhi Inter School Athletics meet in 1994, life had taken a U turn for the youngest son of Y Nageshwar Rao. In the next 18 years public across the nation admired, appreciated and applauded Subba Rao for his extraordinary contribution towards Indian Volleyball.

During his High School days, a biology teacher once asked all students what they wished to become in life? When most of the students wanted to be Doctor, Engineer, Pilot and Astronaut, Subba Rao was the odd one out, who politely confessed “I want to become a sportsman”. All his friends exploded into laughter. Sports was never considered a career option way back in the nineties. Ten years later, the same biology teacher, who later became the Head Mistress of the school, proudly invited Subba Rao as the Chief Guest of their annual day event. She Introduced Subba Rao as a boy who dared to choose the path less travelled and made the country proud by defeating Pakistan in Pakistan.

Subba Rao was the captain of the Indian Volleyball Team in 2004 Islamabad SAF Games. When asked by the students what was the best moment of his sports life, Rao shared his experience of how great he felt, when the national anthem was played and Indian tricolour was hoisted in Pakistan after winning the Gold medal at Islamabad.  

It all started in 1994. Pandit ji, the popular volleyball coach of Delhi on spotting Subba Rao at the athletic meet, requested him to contact Mr Saxena, a senior volleyball coach. The very next day Subba Rao was at Ramesh Nagar volleyball ground to meet Mr Saxena. The experienced coach   had an instant feeling that one day this boy can be an asset to Indian Volleyball, so he desired to meet Subba’s father before starting his training. Subba’s father, who was then a General Manager with Hindustan Hindware Company at Bahadurgarh, understood the bright future his son had in volleyball and without going into much details handed him over to Mr Saxena for further training.

For the first time in his life Subba found someone who believed in his talent. Mr Sexena introduced him to the basics of volleyball. Every morning Subba would board a jam packed DTC bus from Bahadurgarh, attend Andhra School at Karol Bagh, go for practice at Ramesh Nagar ground and finally reach home late in the evening after travelling almost 120km. When asked, how he managed his studies, he responded, “bas pass ho jata tha”.  After a year of training Subba Rao was selected in the Delhi state junior team to participate in the National Junior championship at Salem in the year 1996.

At Junior National Championship, Assam team was accommodated in a school room adjacent to Delhi team. A player from Assam later narrated stories of Delhi team which did everything, apart from playing quality volleyball. They played loud music through the night, danced and even shaved off  their hair, including Subba Rao. Though Subba Rao was a substitute sometimes, he was used in the blocking position. In one such match against Punjab, Subba Rao was substituted inside to block the sensational Manoj Kumar Thakur, who was at his all-time best. A powerful counter attack from Manoj Kumar hit Subba Rao’s hand so hard that he fell down on the ground few feet away from the net. Subba Rao felt humiliated and that evening he realized that to become a player of international repute a lot had to be sacrificed.

Months later his ‘vanvas’ started. On advice of Mr Saxena, he arrived at the door step of Guru Dronacharaya Shri Shayam Sunder Rao. It was 1996, Shayam Sunder Rao was the Chief Coach of National Volleyball Academy at Vizag Steel Plant. For all Indian volleyball players, Shayam Sunder Rao’s voice was enough to  make sweat run down the spine. He was hard task master and there was no room for excuses. At times, even if some player fractured their ankle, they were not given rest. Instead, the players had to train with a single leg hopping. Across the country when people were collapsing because  of rise in mercury to as high as 45 degree centigrade, Subba Rao was completing 10 rounds of duck-walk below the net with a 10 Kilo medicine ball on his shoulder. Only a Shayam sir’s trainee would be able to explain how it feels doing 10 rounds of Duck Walk after completing 3 hours of rigorous circuit training in the afternoon session. No matter how much punishment training Subba Rao was subjected to, he proudly attributes his success to Shayam Sir and Pandian Sir for moulding him into a world class volleyball player.

Back in 1997, Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) launched its 2001 Plan and Subba Rao was selected in the initial probable. The Junior Indian Camp was under the stewardship of G E Sridharan, also a strict disciplinarian. Dr Ruben Acosta, the then President of FIVB who came to Chennai for the inauguration of the FIVB Development Centre was impressed to see Y Subba Rao. He predicted a bright future for India after meeting Rao and his team members.

Initially Subba struggled in the Junior Indian Camp as the counter and quick attackers were much more experienced than him. Subba hardly had any tournament experience and was unable to match their speed. The coaching team of G E Sridharan, Chander Singh and Chanden Sen had to put on extra hours in moulding Subba as per the team requirement. Subba worked hard on his coordination and by the time he participated in the Junior Asian Championship, he had a lot to contribute in terms of blocking. Gradually, he was becoming a nightmare for the opponent attackers. Even though India could not win a medal in the 1998 Asian Junior Championships, Subba Rao was recognized as a potential threat by the Chinese and Koreans.

Five years later the threat turned into reality. Subba Rao single handily created havoc for  all the Asian Super power including Korea in the Senior Asian Championship held at Tainjin (China) in 2003. The Olympic medallist Bulgarian coach Hristov Illieve was In-Charge of the Indian team. India beat Korea in the first game and there on continued beating the best teams of Asia. During the course of the tournament, Subba was proving to be the “China Wall” of Indian volleyball, which even the Chinese feared to cross. But a five set lost to Iran cost India dearly and finally India had to settle for 5th place. But Y Subba Rao created history. He was conferred with three awards at the Asian Senior Championship. He was awarded Best Attacker, Best Blocker and Most Valuable Player of Asia. No other player had ever won three awards in a single tournament. Not being considered for Arjuna Award even after this extraordinary feat is the only regret Subba has till date. Later he proved his calibre again by becoming the best blocker of the Asian Senior Championship again in the year 2004.

                                         

Subba Rao joined ONGC in the year 1998 at a time when ONGC was struggling to make a mark in the national arena. In the course of next 16 years, he had become the talisman of ONGC volleyball team. Winning became a habit for him, from Senior National to National League, Subba had won all. One of the best moment in his life was receiving the best player award at Chautala Senior Nationals in 2001. He gave the entire best player prize money of Rs 11,000 to his Mother and he confessed it was his first best player award ever in his life. Years later, he sportingly recalled over a glass of favourite scotch with his friends how bad he used to feel when all the best player award were given to his friend Abhijit and his contribution was never acknowledged during their initial years in ONGC.

During one such tournament in an interior village near Bhagpat, an 8 years old kid had an unusual doubt regarding Subba Rao. Being 6 feet 10 inch, it was obvious to be under constant public glare and comments. The boy was hardly of Subba Rao’s hip height. He was standing next to Subba Rao and constantly pulling his track suit, is if he wished to know a secret from him. Looking at the appearance of the boy, Rao initially ignored. But the boy kept on repeating “aa bhai… aa bhai” (hello brother… hello brother). Finally Subba Rao responded “Kya huwa” ( What happened?)  , the boy asked “accha ye bata…tera akalay akalay etna uppar man kaisa lagta hai!!!” (Don’t you feel lonely up above at such a height). Subba was clueless, how to response. His best friend was witnessed to the entire conversation and the incident  spread like wild fire.  That night the joke was repeated thousands of times and is still repeated when old friends meet. But, the best part about Subba Rao is that he never takes things to heart. You can joke about anything with him and he will respond with that same laid back attitude without taking any hard feelings. He is a real darling of his close friends.

Subba played professional league at Lebanon during 1999 and 2000, along with the great magician setter of Indian Volleyball, Ravikanth Reddy. After returning from Lebanon, Subba Rao’s playing style changed a lot, he started displaying maturity. Later he got offers from top Italian and Argentine clubs but due to commitment with the National team, Volleyball Federation of India could not permit him to play those leagues. Rao felt that the exposure to play in a European and Latin American league would have made a lot of difference to his personal as well as professional life. But Rao had always taken life on a positive note and without complaining, always contributed to the National team.

Subba Rao’s marriage to Jyothi, a first class Master Degree holder in Mathematics from a small town called Puttur in Andhra Pradesh, brought an end to all speculation about an ideal wife for him. During his early playing days the topic of discussion in the volleyball circuit was always about finding a perfect wife for Subba Rao. His friends would link him to any tall girl and Subba would enjoy those moments smiling quietly. Now he is happily married and blessed with a lovely daughter and a smart son. These days he is playing a dual role of helping ONGC win medals and helping Jyothi in changing  dippers.

Recently, President of Volleyball Federation of India honored Y Subba Rao with Five Gold coins for his extraordinary contribution towards Indian volleyball. In the last one and a half decade Subba Rao was awarded best player on numerous occasions. The Andhra Pradesh Government has honored him by allotting a plot of land at his home town Nellore.

Subba Rao had changed the people’s perspective towards Blockers. Blockers in India had never been given due credit till Subba Rao proved everyone wrong. Today in a remote village tournament in Assam, if a player scores a point by blocking, spectators would say “sa aru eta  Subba Rao bonilay” (Look one more Subba Rao is born). In Indian Volleyball, Subba Rao has become synonymous with blocking- he holds the unofficial copyright to the word “Blocking” in Indian volleyball.

Abhijit Bhattacharya

ongc.abhijit@gmail.com 

O Memories

Dr R C Shukla

Dr Ramesh Chandra Shukla.... the common man who found ability in disability...! 

   Dr. Shukla, at his school office.

Banaras Hindu University, Hindi movie Kranti, LML Vespa and 110. Now, you must be wondering what is the relation between all these names and number. Dr. R C Shukla, the man who found ability in disability completed his PhD in Psychology from Banaras Hindu University, Kranti was the last movie he had watched, commutes around Delhi on a LML Vespa scooter and 110 is the number of differently abled children he takes care of at his Ashirbad Special Education School.

Until few years ago, Prateek Jain had attention disorder and was hyper active. Rahul Yadav was completely blind and used to spend most of his time at one corner of his house. Akhsya, the son of an alcoholic father could not stand on his feet and was on the receiving end of his father’s abuse. Today, Punnet passport is stamped with a US Visa, he will be wearing the tricolour jersey to represent the India team in special games. The trendy designer candles moulded by Rahul was sold out within minutes in an exhibition at TCS Gurgaon campus. Akshya is able to take baby step without support. Like, Prateek, Rahul and Akshya there are hundreds of other differently abled children who have found ability in their disability. It is all because of Dr Skhula’s years of selfless endeavor to help these children lead a life of respect.

                  A Selfy with Prateek...!

Low profile, soft spoken, 53 years old Dr R C Shukla, does not require any introduction in the by lanes of Durga Park locality in West Delhi. When children of Ashirbad Special Education School celebrates Independence Day and Republic Day, the streets are crowded with local people to applaud their performance. The spirit in which the children sings Vanday Mataram, makes you to realize that they are no different. They equally loves the country as we do. The sense of bonding that the children exhibits is an outcome  of Dr Shukla’s compassion.

When asked what is that one thing, which keeps him moving, he politely said   “Listening”. Day in and day out, he listens to problem and concerns of people. Once he listen to a problem, he makes sure to find a solution to the problem. His day starts with listening and end with satisfaction. Being a Psychologist by profession and social worker by choice his time are mostly spent among people in need.

Son of an Uttar Pradesh State Transport Corporation employee, Dr Shukla inculcate the caring gene from his father. Empathy is something he learned from his father and honesty is the other thing his father thought him. When you are armed with empathy and honesty from your childhood you tend to stay away from the material richness and instead find solace in bringing joy to other people life.

After completing his PhD from BHU, he had a short tenure with Purbanchal University from 1990 to 1994.  He later shifted to Delhi to work with National Institute of Social Defence for 6 years. In the year 2000 he joined Association of Social Brotherhood. It was around the same time he developed a strong friendship with Dr Pandey (a Surgeon by profession). They both shared similar feelings and felt the need to help the thousands of disabled children, who mostly remain deprived.

The duo of Dr Shukla and Dr Pandey, finally gave wings to their dream when they started Sanjeevini Social Welfare Society in 2003-04. The same year Dr Shukla started Ashirbad Special Educational School, from a single room with only one child named Deepak. Deepak’s, father was jobless after Laxman Silvania bulb company was shut down and there was no one take care of the child. The room was given on free of cost by Major Balbir Chauhan a big hearted, noble army man.

From one room one child to a 200 sq yard school( rented) with 110 disabled children, the journey was not easy for Dr Shukla. At a time when he was literally on the road in search of funds his wife Asha  single handedly   took care of their two daughters Pallavi and Swastika. His wife had always stood by his dream. Without her support it would not have been possible for him to take care of his extended family.

    Level II Class Room

The Ashirbad Special School is serving a dual purpose. While children are engaged at the school through various creative activities their parents were able to go out for work. Most of the parents works as rickshaw puller, maids or similar kind of petty works. These has helped in increasing the income of the parents.

                   The birthdays are never forgotten

On a recent visit to the school, we saw an elderly lady entering the building. Only when Shukla ji introduced us to her, we realized that she was visually impaired. She was a retired music teacher and being honoured by President of India for her contribution towards education. As soon as Mrs Rama Bhalla, presses her Harmonium, the atmosphere inside the school completely gets charged up. One has to be inside the school to actually experience the positive vibration created through her music. Some children with mouth wide open, some with the fingers inside their nostrils, some adjusting their ears and some simply clapping to the tune while Mrs Bhalla spread musical harmony across the school for those 60 minutes. This has been a regular routine for Mrs Bhalla since the inception of the school. She has also supported the school in many other ways.   

    Mrs Bhalla..... musical magical  moments..!

Mrs Bhalla’s husband too is visually impaired. The visually impaired pair of husband and wife brought up two extraordinary gifted children. Elder son Puneet is a Colonel with Indian Army and Shashank the younger one is an engineer with HCL. Later, Dr Shukla expressed “It is because of few good people like Mrs Rama Bhalla, we have been able to run the school”.

Every day Dr Shukla, has to think of arranging the next meal for the children. Till now he has been lucky to find well-wishers like Mrs Rama Bhalla, who has been supporting his cause. He mostly spend his day with the children from 9am in the morning till 6pm in the evening. In his modest office room there is a picture of an elderly gentlemen. When we enquired about the only photographs in the room, he informed that it is the photograph of Mr D S Rawat, a yoga expert, whom Dr Shukla consider as his guru.  When you have your Guru’s blessing, nothing can stop you from achieving your goal.

One of the satisfying thing to have happen in his life is his younger daughter’s interest in his work. Swastika wish to follow in his footstep and currently working as an intern with an organization for PwD. She wish to continue her education in Master of Social Work. His elderly daughter is happily married and committed to her father’s cause. He confessed to be very luck on one account “I have been very fortunate to have a very understanding and supporting family”  “otherwise things would have been possible”.

He is a regular visitor to Delhi Council of Child Welfare, where he a consultant in Psychology. He does complete pre and post adaptation counselling of children and parents as well. People from outside Delhi comes for his consultation and he gives a lot of time listening and helping them. 

  

Now, his only dream is to build a school for these children, where they can have enough space to play and learn various skills of their choice. He wants the children to be self-dependable and earn respect.  After spending more than two decades with these special children he found Godly qualities in them…they are honest, they are obedient, they are non-materialistic, they don’t have ego, they are not hypocrites, they love people, they feel happy when appreciated and above all they have a strong urge to lead a life of respect. The only thing they seek is love. And we found all these qualities in Dr Shukla.

Our society has many such Godly children, we only need some time to spend with them. By doing so, the children will find love and in turn we will find 110 more reason to appreciate life.

Thank You Dr Shukla...our society will always be indebted to you

Dr. R C  Shukla can be reached at ashirwad01@gmail.com

Abhijit Bhattcharya

penomemory@gmail.com, 

  

 

The idea behind O'Memories...!
The idea behind O'Memories...! Ever imagine, how fulfilling it would be, if you get to read a biography of your grandfather. Your grandfather may not have lived a celebrity lifestyle but still you would love to read about his first experience of buying a second hand bicycle or taking your grandmother for an early morning ride on her birthday. Old memories are always priceless but hardly we think of documenting them. The most interesting and inspiring stories are of common man, but they perish with time. Your life may not sound very exciting to you but when your grandchildren will get to read of your struggles and triumphs, they certainly will feel proud and find inspiration from your life story. It is never too early or too late to record the experiences. These stories gets precious with time. Revisiting our roots is not only inspiring but refreshing too. For the world my father may be a common man but for me he is the real hero. At O’Memories …! we look forward to offer you a priceless memorabilia. If you want us to document life story of your/ family members/ friends write to us at penomemory@gmail.com.