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.