A holistic approach, encompassing administration, training and spiritual discipline, can transform sports
On your marks, set, go. The gunshot fired and the cauldron rose rambunctiously as Usain Bolt scorched the track, adding to his ever-growing tally of medals. Contrast this with Indian athletes. Why is our mind prepared for the also-ran? Indian athletes need to possess the single-minded pursuit, the talent, the eye and the mind of an Arjuna. He was a successful archer as he honed his skills and had immense faith in his Guru– Dronacharya and his sakha – Lord Krishna. He was rewarded by both. Lord Krishna blessed him with a divine vision to capture the SOHAM Swaroop, the Vishwarup Darshan.
Dronacharya equipped his favourite tutee by filling his arsenal with all the weaponry at his disposal. The elasticity, malleability and humility of Arjuna’s mind enabled him to conquer his fears and his opponents, by fortuitously overcoming the cobwebs in his mind. Arjuna’s mind was Ajatashatru and thus became his ally. True, the spirit and motto of the Olympics as coined by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 was and is Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger), and one should play in the spirit of sportsmanship. But the drive to excel and stand at the podium is dismally missing.
The passion to climb, not clamber to the podium, What makes the minds of those athletes tick, where we fail? We do not possess the wherewithal. Cricket remains the Holy Grail of the nation and these days it is the Indian Premier League that dominates our sporting arena. At one end of the spectrum is cricket and all other sports are at the other end. It is a virtual denouncing of all other sports. Sakshi Malik, Olympic bronze medalist works with the Northern Railway and the first woman Olympic silver medalist, PV Sindhu’s father is the sports officer of South-Central Railway. The mindsets of these women of substance were akin to Ajatashatru as they turned around gruelling situations into triumphant ones.
These mindsets indicate the indomitable spirit which should be embraced by all sportspersons.The mindset and approach of the Ministry of Sports need to be altered radically. The administration of this department needs a vigorous overhaul. Indian Railways and Indian Defence Forces should be actively involved in revamping the moribund organisation along with the participation of the private sector to provide an adequate corpus of funds through their Corporate Social Responsibility programme. However, doubts should not arise in the corners of the minds of the administrators. They should be willing to take the risks.
Their minds too should be flexible in approach and become Ajatashatru. Most sportsmen find relaxation with the latest gizmos and listening to music and in the entertainment industry. Perhaps it will be a profitable exercise to begin the rigorous schedule by practising yoga, and pranayama and then resume their normal routine. The day should end with the practice of Sudarshan Kriya and meditation. This will make the bodies and minds supple. Several East Asian countries and China follow a regimen of spiritual teachings like Vipassana to enhance the quality of performance of their athletes. China takes several pages from the works of Tsung Tzu to learn the craft of war to train the minds of their sportspersons. This dynamic approach produces champions.”Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes,” said Buddha. It is a matter of honour to climb the podium. Let us begin our preparations yesterday with earnestness and train our sportspersons to become truly Ajatashatru.
(The writer is the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd. and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd. He is a faculty of the Art of Living; views are personal)
