Staying detached from result calmed me, says Deepak

PALEMBANG: Spending his life in a gurukul, Deepak Kumar says the grounding taught him to be detached irrespective of a setback or a joyous moment.

Following the biggest achievement of his life on Monday, silver in men’s 10m air rifle, Deepak stayed as one who had renounced all worldly pleasures.

That’s what he has been taught at Gurukul Pondha on the outskirts of Dehradun.

For him, wearing dhoti and kurta and performing havan (religious ceremonies) and studying religious scriptures in Sanskrit was a way of life for more than two decades.

He has followed a Spartan lifestyle from the day his parents shifted him from the comfort of his Delhi home to the gurukul because they didn’t want him to be influenced by the Capital’s culture.

“They thought I would be spoilt by the Delhi culture, so they moved me to Dehradun. Not that they weren’t able to afford my schooling in Delhi, but they wanted me to grow up in a ‘clean’ environment,” said the sergeant with the Indian Air Force at the Hindon air base.

The gurukul initially provided him with the rifle and then paid for his expenses at the Jaspal Rana Academy in Dehradun where he honed his skills.

Even today, he takes the name of his mentor at the gurukul, Acharya Narendra, with reverence. “I spoke to him after my silver medal and he told me to stay rooted. This (winning the Asian Games silver) is the first step, you have to climb the staircase, the acharya told me,” said Deepak.

“We are taught that victory and defeat are two sides of the coin, like life and death, and the ultimate aim is to achieve godliness. So, these minor achievements don’t matter when one sets out to achieve the bigger goal,” said Deepak, who resides in Delhi but is in touch with his acharya.

“My qualification wasn’t going the way I wanted it to. My scores were dipping. So, I reminisced what my teachers taught me in the gurukul... to remain detached from the outcome. It calmed me and I made the finals,” said Deepak, who is a graduate in Sanskrit.

INDIA SURE OF MEDAL IN SEPAK TAKRAW

PALEMBANG: India assured themselves of a maiden Asian Games medal in sepak takraw by progressing to the semi-finals with a win over Iran. India defeated Iran 21-16, 19-21, 21- 17 in the first match to make a winning start to their campaign.they, however, lost to Indonesia 0-3 in the second match in the men’s Team Regu Preliminary Group B but advanced to last-four stage and be guaranteed at least a bronze.

SCULLS TEAM IN FINAL

Dushyant Chauhan and the Indian men’s quadruple sculls team finished first in their respective heats to reach the finals of the rowing competition.