However, things rarely go as per our plans. On a fateful night, in 1996, Indrajit met with an unfortunate accident while travelling from Puri to Kolkata.“ Having driven overnight, I was drowsy and my car collided with a passing vehicle. As my hand was on the window, it took the maximum impact,” explains Indrajit. His playing hand was hit by a tanker during the accident, cracking his bone into pieces. As doctors tried hard to help him regain consciousness and save his hand, Indrajit knew that life would never be the same again.
The accident put Indrajit out of action for years, ending an array of possibilities for him in the sport. Forced to keep away from something that meant so much to him, Indrajit had to endure the pain of the loss for over 6 years.“ I started playing again in 2002 with my other hand. Of course things were never the same. It was like starting from scratch again,” he says.
It has been 22 years since Indrajit stopped playing badminton at a professional level. A lot of things have changed since then. Badminton as a sport has now acquired tremendous popularity across the country. The rise of Indian shuttlers at international events has sparked a fire among budding players to compete for the top spots. The sport today gets a huge viewership and its popularity makes many think its second only to cricket.
India now has numerous players who are performing exceptionally at the
International level. Indian shuttlers including Saina Nehwal and P. V. Sindhu have brought laurels to the country by winning medals at the Olympics.
Among this emerging breed of superstars is another name, that of Indrajit’ s daughter Riya Mookerjee. Some credit for this goes to the efforts of the doting father Indrajit, who dedicated all his energy towards training and mentoring his daughter after his accident.
“ I could not achieve what I dreamt of doing. I wanted my daughter to achieve those heights which I had hoped to achieve,” says the proud father. The hard work of the father-daughter duo bore fruit as Riya slowly rose up the ranks and is currently among the top 10 players in the Women’ s Singles rankings by Badminton Association of India.
A regular in the news pertaining to India’ s emerging badminton scene, Riya’ s journey has been one of extreme focus and determination.“ You can watch videos of players as finished products performing on the courts. You don’ t see videos of the dark days, when they train, struggle and get moulded into what they eventually become.”
At the age of 19, Riya’ s life is unlike any other teenager. She wakes up in the wee hours of the morning, followed by a practice routine of close to 10 hours per day. Her practice schedule is divided into
3 shifts, the brief intermissions being used for rest and recovery. She is on a strict diet and has to abstain completely from sweets and confectionaries. She has limited time for entertainment and has to focus completely on her game.
The journey is really very tough but as the saying goes,“ When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
In order to keep her focused, Indrajit and his wife too follow similar diets, a small sacrifice which they feel will help her career.
What is lesser known about Riya is that apart from being such a great badminton player, she is also an outstanding student. With limited time in hand for studies, Riya still managed to score over 80 % in both her Xth and XIIth ICSE Board Examinations. She is currently pursuing her B. Com degree.
While Indrajit is proud of Riya’ s achievements, he wishes for a system where players can completely devote themselves to the sport. He feels that in case you don’ t make it on the international stage, there are limited options for earning a good livelihood.
“ Either you win or you fail. There is no middle ground.” he says. He feels that investing your career in sports is like a gamble, whereas it should be a promising and viable career option instead.
Currently in Hyderabad, he feels India has a very promising future in badminton. He credits HPCL for the support extended to him, especially during the most difficult phases of his life.
“ Me, S. Ramaswamy and Arup Basak joined HPCL as sportsmen. I have fond memories of the times dedicated to the sport. I will be happy to help and advise any youngster seeking guidance in badminton.”
Abhisar Pallav Gaur Executive- PRCC
ISSUE 1 2018 15