Dhananjay Roy
*****
Never say die
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference — Robert FrostThese lines from the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’, perhaps, sum up former goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi’s life. For a man who was subjected to immense humiliation after India’s abject surrender at the 1982 Asian Games hockey final, to the accolades he’s been winning for his performance in a prime time dance show Jhalak Dikhlaja, the wheel of life has indeed turned a full circle for the custodian.“After the shocking loss 25 years ago, I had a choice to either drown myself in sorrow or give myself another shot at life. And after absorbing all the rubbish that was being thrown at me, I decided to fight it out,” says Negi who unfortunately sprained an ankle while rehearsing for the next episode of Jhalak yesterday.
Why the challenge?So what made him take up the dance challenge — something he was clueless about — until that surprising phone call from the producers of the show?
“I had never been a dancer at any stage in my 50 years. But, the moment I was called, I decided to give it a shot. I guess being a sportsman helped make my decision easier. After all, sports persons thrive on new challenges.”
What makes Negi’s latest achievements even more remarkable is that he had bow legs till 2004. That was when he approached orthopedic surgeon Dr Mangal Parihar who advised surgery. The following eight months were spent recuperating.
Creditable attitudeIt’s to his credit that Mr Negi could actually adapt to such a hectic schedule after the operation. Normally, he would be going about things lightly after the high tibial osteotomy.
But he chose to first assist the makers of Chak De and then appear on the dance show. It’s not easy at all,” says Parihar.
Meanwhile, there was
yet another incident in 2005 that left a lasting impact on Negi. Just as he was getting used to normal life, and more importantly, proving all his critics wrong after coaching the Indian women’s team to credible finishes, came the news of the death of his elder son who succumbed in a bike incident. :smiley19:
“It was a very difficult phase for my wife me and my younger son. We were very disturbed but, once again we had to fight back.
You won’t believe, but, the offer to assist in the making of Chak De came to me when we were mourning the 13th day of Abhiranjan’s demise. I was so depressed that I declined initially. It was only later that I changed my mind and took up the challenge of training the girls for the film,” remembers Negi.
Gloom to glorySo what’s the road ahead? “I have completed my autobiography titled, ‘Gloom to Glory’. We will be releasing in the next month or so. Then there’s a bigger challenge.
I have set up the Abhi Foundation, named after my son. We plan to promote hockey throughout the country.
I am still approaching corporate houses with my proposal, so lets see how things work out.”
Given the golden run that Negi’s experiencing, it won’t come as a surprise if he’s successful here as well.
The Chak De effect, one could say or maybe it’s the other way around for this fighter.
:smiley32: :smiley32: :smiley32: :smiley32: :smiley32: :smiley32: :smiley32: :smiley32:
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?Page=article§id=8&contentid=20071116200711160354282819817f895
