Q&A WITH MILIND SOMAN
In his memoir, Made in India, Milind Soman reveals he hardly uses cosmetics. We learn he was once an addict and that, as a child, his father had signed him up at an RSS shakha. Edited excerpts from an interview:
Q. Didn’t the possibility of headlines like ‘Milind Soman’s RSS links exposed’ worry you? (Laughs) Back then, I didn’t see the things that people speak of today. No politics, nothing religious. In fact, I learnt a lot about how to be independent and fit.
Q. At hopeful 21, you were of competing a national at swimming the Seoul Asian champion, Games, but a tiff with your coach led to your name being dropped. All’s forgiven?
No, I don’t think I am over the trauma and it’s something I still regret. But it’s important to find something that you are good at as it teaches you a lot about yourself.
Q. What is your diet?
I have a lot of fruits and vegetables. If you only depend on your taste buds, you may end up eating food that your body responds to negatively.
Q. You talk about alcohol addiction, drug use and smoking—which you overcame. Your advice to those struggling?
Never lose sight of your goal.
Q. More recently, you became a marathon runner…
People come up to me and say ‘I followed you and lost 50 kilos’. But how did you gain 50 kilos in the first place? There is no shortcut to losing weight. People talk about fitness as something physical, but to me it’s all about the mind. You need to look at what you have been doing wrong in the past few years and reverse that.
Q. Also, you don’t use cosmetics?
I use a shampoo sometimes. If I really need to use something, then, of course, I do. I look at cosmetics as supplements—some may need it at some point, some may not. I have just never been a fan of cosmetics...but on occasion I would try it.