A family affair
Akash Ghai

AMID celebrations that immediately kicked off at the palatial house of Abhinav Bindra on the Patiala-Zirakpur road, near Chandigarh, it was indeed difficult to pin down the proud parents for a tête-à-tête. Beats of dhol permeated the Bindra house with relatives and close friends shaking a leg or two. The Bindras personally welcomed every visitor trooping in to congratulate them. However, amid the festivities they did not disappoint any media person.

In a chat with The Tribune correspondent, Bindra senior and his wife Babli talked about the various aspects of the life of the Olympic champion.

"It is not easy to reach the summit. Only we know how much effort, struggle, hard work, sacrifices and, of course, financial resources were put in by the family to achieve this glory," Dr A. S. Bindra said.

"We are lucky that the traits needed to become a world-class player like obedience, calmness, discipline and punctuality were inherent in Abhinav. He was barely five when he showed a passion for shooting. Perhaps, he inherited this interest from his grandfather, who was in the Army and also interested in shooting," the Chandigarh-based businessman said.

The guidance and support of his family as well his own perseverance, dedication and commitment catapulted this 25-year-old ace shooter to the top spot.

It is a well-known fact that Abhinav’s businessman father shifted his entire import-export business from Dehra Dun to Chandigarh to better his son’s prospects. He has also spent crores to nurture Abhinav’s dream. Bindra senior set up a shooting range conforming to Olympic standards at his palatial mansion, with facilities like spa, swimming pool and a gym. He sent his son to train under coaches from various countries to prepare him for the world’s biggest sports event.

For this, Bindra says he bore all the expenses, and received negligible help and support from government agencies. "Whatever Abhinav needed, we provided it immediately."

His wife Babli, a former National Softball player, added: "To excel in any sport, three things are needed — talent, dedication and proper coaching with financial support. With the grace of God, we were able to fulfil his requirements. But everyone is not so lucky," she added.

Lashing out at the government, the mother of the champion lamented, "As a sportsperson I know that here in our country, sportspersons are treated like beggars. It is not that the government does not provide any support. The help is there but it is not timely and very little. In such a scenario, how do we expect top results from our sportspersons?"

"As a sportsperson, I can say that the sportspersons are open and honest and they need to be given full respect by the authorities," Babli said. "If you want results at big sports competitions, first learn to respect the sportspersons," she added.

Coming back to his son’ glorious journey towards the Olympic gold, Bindra said, "After spotting his talent and his passion for it, I steered him in the right direction and put him under professional coaching of Col J.S. Dhillon. "Everything was going smoothly, when a severe back injury two years ago halted Abhinav’s journey towards the Olympic gold," the father added.

Recalling the hard days, Bindra and his wife said, "Those were very painful days for all of us when the injury put our son out of action. Though it was for a short time, the pain, struggle, dilemma and criticism were hard for a young man in his early twenties. During those days, he even started thinking whether he should pursue his passion or leave it. But my son is a fighter. He refused be beaten down by adversities and fought to emerge a winner."

To avoid surgery, which a German doctor had suggested after examining him, Abhinav underwent strenuous physiotherapy and led a hard and disciplined life. He even missed Doha Asian Games in 2006 to recuperate for the Beijing Olympics. He knew his goal and he has achieved it," the Bindras said.

What next for the country’s most eligible bachelor ? Babli replied laughingly, "As a mother I am definitely looking forward to his marriage but we will wait for another two years."