FROM DESERT TO ROCK

                       A JOURENY OF A SELF-MADE CHAMPION

    
               Being a proud friend is one of the best feeling in the world. When you hear people appreciating and praising your friend, it feels great and my dear friend Ankit has given me this opportunity once again. The occasion for this blog is really special. Ankit Sharma's Gold Medal Winning performance in Asian Youth Championship in 2009 has been featured in Limca Book of Records 2014 as he is the very First Male Indian climber to win a gold on international level. In the same event, along with Ankit, Debala Devi and Neha Prakash also Won the Gold Medals in Womens category. Today I am feeling so proud that I am the one to share Ankit's success story and his hard work behind all his achievements.
               Ankit is from Bikaner, Rajsthan. Who would have thought that a boy from a scholar family will make his mark in adventure sport like rock climbing. Son to a professor, brother to a doctor sister, found his passion in rock climbing. Ankit's journey as a climber had started at the age of 12. Before that he was a Gymnast, where also he got selected for national championship. But while practising gymnastics, he came to know about rock climbing. Found the sport challenging and switched to rock climbing. When he started participating in climbing competitions, first couple of times he failed to reach final rounds. Like any teenager he got disheartened but he didn't give up. At that time, one of the best known climbers in India, Ravinder Singh Rathod from Bikaner came forward to guide him. They trained hard for whole year and the efforts paid off. At Mumbai Zonals 2005, Ankit secured 3rd place and also 3rd place in following nationals in Delhi. That was his very first achievement. Indeed it was a great moment but he still had long way to reach to the top.

He got motivated by this achievement, kept dreaming big and working hard and next year he won the national competition held at NIM(Nehru Institute of Mountaineering), Uttarkashi. Due to that performance he also got selected in the team for Asian Youth Championship which was to be held in Japan but because of illness he missed the opportunity to participate in international competition. Also at same time his coach Ravinder shifted to Bangalore for job and Ankit found himself alone, without anyone to guide him any more.


              Meanwhile a person came in his life who has become inseparable part of Ankit's life.That person was Kishan Rajpurohit. Kishan was his classmate. They had a great bonding and understanding towards each other. Kishan landed in Ankit's life at very right and crucial time when he needed a friend so badly. He started climbing with Ankit. Route setting , Belaying, also Criticizing when needed, he did everything to keep Ankit in form. They used to climb on Bikaner wall all by themselves for whole year. Kishan became his best friend who cared for him more than a brother. He became cornerstone for Ankit. 
 

             One good thing was followed by another. IMF selected Ankit for the training camp along with other Indian climbers  for upcoming Asian youth championship in Kazakhstan in 2009. This championship was a milestone for Ankit. He was eager to prove himself, make his country proud. It was his first international event. Tremendous pressure, burden of expectations of people but he managed to handle it calmly. In lead climbing he stood 4th in finals and then it was time for speed relay finals. Ankit and his partner Debala Devi from Manipur got ready for finals with confidence and strategy. Their opponents were from Kazakhstan. They were strong but Ankit and Debala performed as per their strategy and skills and victory was theirs. They became first Indian climbers to win the Gold Medals on International Level. Standing on 1st place of a podium and watching Indian flag waving high, was the most proud moment for them and India. In that competition , India won 4 golds along with silvers and bronze medals by amazing performance of whole Indian team. Ankit gives all the credit of this Gold Medal to his buddy Kishan as he was the only one who stood by him when he was alone.

 

             It is a bitter truth that happy times don't last long. Every sportsman faces a bad patch in his career. That also happened with Ankit. After the Asian Youth Championship, he got stuck with fear of failing in domestic competitions because of high expectations from people. He didn't win a single title in 2010. That was the time when he met me and my husband Bhushan Pandharkar at Mumbai Zonals. Ankit was in state of depression due to his bad form. Any sportsman can understand the feeling of being out of form. We wanted him to fight back and we knew exactly what to do. We invited them both to Nasik to meet MR. BHISHMARAJ BAM. Bam sir is a well known personality among sportsmen. He has been a mentor to many world class sportsmen like  Rahul Dravid, Anjali Bhagwat and many more. We took Ankit and Kishan to meet Bam sir with the reference of our common friend. Bam sir guided Ankit very graciously. More importantly this meeting wasn't at all professional, But totally personal and was fixed by Bhushan to get further guidance and motivation. Ankit really got motivated by Bam sir's talk and Discussions with Bhushan on mental focus, Self-Confidence and Self-Motivation. The result of

this was unbelievable. The boy who was totally depressed and struggling with his form, Won the 8th Girivihar International Bouldering Competition at Navi Mumbai which we had attended in next 3 days. He also won a Dyno competition and stood 2nd in Natural Bouldering in the same event. That modest boy gave all the credit to Bam Sir and Bhushan for their guidance and motivation. That was an emotional and happy moment for all of us. I witnessed a big change that day. Exactly  year ago he cried because of his failure and that day he shed tears because of his victory. Surprisingly Mr. Bam himself called him that day and congratulated him personally.

             Though a sportsman makes a comeback after his bad patch he always gets mixed reactions. Its general tendency of people to appreciate and criticize at the same time. Its really hurting when people so easily forget that what a sportsman has done for his country and just focus on his bad form and keep reminding him that. In Ankit's case only Allied Petzl from Mumbai showed the faith in him and supported him by sponsoring him for Gravical Bouldering competition in Singapore along with two other climbers. They all had great time, experience and lot of learning from that event. Its really sad that a climber of such a good potential doesn't get recognized just because he doesn't belong to any climbing club or climbing background, or he is not from any big cities like Bangalore , Delhi or Mumbai where climbers get all facilities, advance equipments, sponsors and also natural rock areas to develop their skills. Few negative aspects like these slowly pushed Ankit away from climbing unknowingly. Even few times he was ignored by the authorities at time of selection for world cup even if he was eligible for that.

                 He was also preparing for CDS exams and studying for M.com side by side which also kept him away from his sport. Obviously belonging to normal middle-class family like most of us, he had to think of academics and career to secure his future. He couldn't afford to ignore studies just to devote himself to climbing even if its his passion. I really admire his rational thinking and practicality and I will always support his decision of choosing studies over climbing. Now even though he is not in touch with climbing himself as he used to be but he has inspired many children in Rajsthan to get into climbing. he trains them for competitions and these children are living up to his expectations by winning in competitions. so indirectly it is his victory too. He is always ready to guide new climbers to improve their skills.
                 It is said that "Once a Champion , Always a Champion". Ankit will remain champion in eyes of his family and his friends always, no matter what. We all are very much proud of him. We wish you all the good luck for everything you wish to do in future, Champ.... Keep Climbing....

"old is gold"

                                       " जूने ते सोने"   

            आजकालच्या विनोदाच्या दर्जाला झालंय काय तेच कळत नाही. आजच्या नव्या पिढीने डोक्यावर घेतलेले विनोदी सिनेमे,कॉमेडी शोज् प्रत्यक्ष पाहिल्यानंतर तीव्रतेने जाणवते की पूर्वीच्या आणि आजच्या विनोदाच्या दर्जात जमीन-अस्मानाचा फरक पडलाय. मी स्वतः लहानपणीपासून पु. ल. देशपांडे, शिरीष कणेकर यांची पुस्तके, विविध लेखकांची उत्कृष्ट मराठी विनोदी नाटके वाचत आणि बघत आलेय. या पार्श्वभूमीवर नवीन जमान्याच्या विनोदाची पातळी कमालीची खालावाल्याची खात्री पटते.  
            सध्या टि.व्ही. वर कॉमेडी शोज् च पेव फुटलय. कॉमेडी नाईट, कॉमेडी सर्कस, कॉमेडी एक्सप्रेस असे कार्यक्रम लोक आवडीने बघतात. हे कार्यक्रम सादर करणारे कलाकार हायेस्ट पेड कॉमेडीअन्स बनल्याचे ऐकण्यात येते. सगळीकडे त्यांना कौतुकाचे हारतुरे मिळत आहेत. परंतु हे कार्यक्रम जेव्हा अध्येमध्ये पाहण्यात येतात तेव्हा मला तर ते ५ मिनिटांपेक्षा जास्त बघवतही नाहीत. त्यातले कमालीचे वाईट विनोद ऐकून कानाला इंगळ्या डसल्यासारखे वाटते. तीच गोष्ट आजच्या विनोदी सिनेमांची. हे सिनेमे पूर्णपणे मेंदू आणि विचारशक्ती गहाण ठेउनच बघण्याचे असतात आणि हेच सिनेमे बॉक्स ऑफिसवर तुफान चालतात. अश्या परिस्थितीत खरच शंका निर्माण होते की वाईट विनोद सहन न होणारे आपण शहाणे की या तथाकथित विनोदी कलाकारांना आणि चित्रपटांना डोक्यावर घेणारे लाखो लोक शहाणे? 
            विनोदांचे विषय, त्यांचे सादरीकरण इतकेच नाही तर त्यांचे श्रोते या सगळ्याच घटकांमध्ये काळानुसार फरक पडला आहे. जुन्या व नव्यात तुलना करायची म्हटली तर हे प्रकर्षाने जाणवते. मराठी साहित्यात अनेक दर्जेदार लेखकांनी विनोदी लेखनाची भर टाकली. त्यात व. पु. काळे, शिरीष कणेकर या नावांना परिचयाची आवश्यकता नाही. आणि पु. ल. देशपांडे हे तर मराठी विनोदी साहित्याचे शिरोमणी. या लेखकांच्या कथांमधली बहुतेक कथानके ही
मध्यमवर्गीय समाजाला केंद्रबिंदू ठेऊन गुंफलेली आहेत त्यामुळेच त्या कथा वाचकांना आपल्या, जवळच्या वाटतात. वाचक त्यातील व्यक्तिरेखांशी समरूप होऊन जातो. या लेखकांची नुसती पुस्तके वाचतानाही पोट दुखेपर्यंत हसू येते. याच्या अगदी उलट चित्र आजच्या ह्या कॉमेडी शोज् मध्ये दिसते. या कलाकारांना विनोद निर्माण करण्यासाठी नट-नट्या, राजकारणी नेते, प्रसिद्ध व्यक्ती यांच्या सामाजिकच नाही तर खाजगी आयुष्याचा आधार घ्यावा लागतो. विचित्र पोशाख, बायकांसारखे वेश, चित्रविचित्र अंगविक्षेप करून लोकांना हसवावे लागते. त्याहूनही वाईट म्हणजे आजकालचे हे विनोद बरेचसे द्वयर्थी आणि अश्लीलते कडे झुकणारे असतात. त्यांच्यामूळे  मुलांवर चुकीचा  प्रभाव पडण्याचीच शक्यता जास्त आहे. यावरही कळस म्हणजे तिथे येणारे तथाकथित परीक्षक फुटकळ विनोदांवर असे काही गडगडाटी हसतात कि ते पाहून आपण हसावे कि रडावे हे कळत नाही. जुन्या पिढीचे श्रोते व वाचकही स्वतःला निखळ आनंद मिळावा या हेतूने विनोद जवळ करणारे आहेत. चांगल्या विनोदावर खरंच मनमुराद हसण्याचा आनंद घेतात. पण या कॉमेडी शोज् मध्ये समोर बसवलेले लोक हे केवळ टि. व्ही. वर दिसण्याच्या अपेक्षेने आल्यासारखे वाटतात. ( किंवा तिथे बसण्याचा आणि हसण्याचा मोबदलाही मिळत असण्याची शक्यता असावी.) या शोज् मध्ये मोठे मोठे नट-नट्याही हजेरी लावतात. तेही बहुदा स्वतःच्या चित्रपटांचे प्रमोशन करण्यासाठीच ( आणि मोठ्या मानधनाच्या बदल्यातच). या सर्व प्रकारात असे विनोद करणारे कलाकार आणि त्यावर खदाखदा हसणारे लोक यांचा राग येण्यापेक्षा कीवच करावीशी वाटते. 
               अश्या वेळी जुन्या लेखकांच्या लेखनाची आठवण होते. त्यांच्या लेखनात एक निरागस चावटपणा असूनही थिल्लरपणा चुकुनही दिसत  नाही. या पुस्तकांची कितीही पारायणे केली तरीही प्रत्येकवेळी डोळ्यातून पाणी येईपर्यंत हसू येते. प्रकाश नारायण संत यांचा ' वनवास , शारदा-संगीत, झुंबर, पंखा अश्या चार पुस्तकांचा संच माझ्या खूप आवडीचा आहे. लंपन नावाच्या छोट्या मुलाची ही गोष्ट. या लहान मुलाच्या दृष्टीकोनातून त्यांनी केलेले त्याच्या आजूबाजूचे जग, त्याचे आजी आजोबा, मित्र यांचे वर्णन फार सुंदर आहे. त्या मुलाचे निरागस विचारही वाचकाच्या

ओठांवर हसू आणतात. पु. लं. च्या अंतू बरवा, नारायण, चितळे मास्तर, पेस्तन काका यांसारख्या कथांमध्ये विनोदालाही एक कारुण्याची किनार आहे. त्यामुळे हसता हसता डोळेही पाणावतात. या सर्व लेखकांच्या कथा कितीही अशांत मनस्थितीत वाचल्या तरी क्षणात सगळी मरगळ दूर होऊन आनंदी वाटायला लागते. हि त्यांच्या विनोदाची ताकद आहे. पु. लं. बद्दल तर जेवढे बोलावे तेवढे कमीच आहे तरी अजून लिहील्यावाचून राहवत नाही. त्यांचे कथाकथनाचे कार्यक्रम पाहणे व ऐकणे तर पुस्तके वाचण्याहूनही अधिक मनोरंजक आहे. त्यांचे हावभाव, वेगवेगळ्या व्यक्तिरेखांसाठी काढलेले वेगवेगळे आवाज हे त्या कथेत जीवंतपणा आणतात. 
            आजची नवी पिढी या सर्व खजिन्याला मुकली आहे. म्हणूनच टि. व्ही. वाहिन्यांना सल्ला द्यावासा वाटतो कि मुलांवर चुकीचा परिणाम करणारे हे कॉमेडी शोज् बंद करून त्या ऐवजी जुन्या लेखकांचे कथाकथनाचे कार्यक्रम, उत्तम विनोदी नाटके परत दाखवणे सुरु करावे !!
             जाता जाता पु. लं. च्या चाहत्यांसाठी त्यांच्या 'पानवाला' या कथेतील पानवाल्याच्या दुकानातील एका चित्राचे वर्णन :- 
          "पानवाल्याच्या दुकानात काचेवर काढलेल्या चित्राची सर कशालाच येणार नाही. अहो, अजन्ठातल्या चित्रकारासारखे हे चित्रकार सुद्धा अज्ञात आहेत.  त्याने काढलेल्या सूर्योदयाच्या देखाव्यानी  तर साक्षात सुर्य-नारायणाच्या डोळ्यासमोर काजवे चमकतील. आकाशात विमान आहे. विमानातून बाहेर डोकावणारा आणि डोळ्यापेक्षाही रुंद काळा गॉगल लावलेला असा पायलट आहे. पुलावर आगगाडी आहे. पुलाखाली गलबत आहे. गलबताखाली खाडी आहे. खाडीत कमळे आहेत. खाडीच्या बाजूला राजवाडा आहे. राजवाड्याच्या कमानीवर वेलकम असा बोर्ड आहे. राजवाड्यासमोर एक बाग आहे आणि बागेमध्ये श्रीकृष्ण मुरली वाजवतोय आणि राधाबाला मुग्ध होऊन आगगाडीकडे पाहते आहे. स्थल, काल , विषय कसल्याही जुलुमी मर्यादा न मानणार हे कलेच प्रात्यक्षिक फक्त पानवाल्याच्याच काचेवर दिसू शकत."