After all these years of crazy schedules, hard work and
complete madness, now I am satisfied. Done. I am now a tired parent. This thing
has taken a huge toll on me and I am sure it has taken a massive one on
Jasmine, as well. We have worked our lives around a hope and in the end, we
have something really big to show for it.
The year also has been nasty for Jispa. She has been unwell,
muscle injury and exhaustion to cope with. She runs on two fronts – school and
swimming simultaneously. She aims to achieve greatness in both. This year she
faltered for no real fault of hers but in the end, she finished strong. After a
strong showing at the Mumbai selection meets, we were superbly satisfied and
honestly, I could expect no more. Then she finished strong at the state
selection meet where she had a bagful of medals. This was too much for me,
personally. It was more than what I dreamt of or even aspired for. Now at the just
concluded Nationals, Jispa comes back with a Silver which she won as a part of
a medley relay team. Wow. A national medal! In an age group that spans three
years and she is the youngest. That was some achievement.
Jispa is not a naturally gifted swimmer or a naturally
gifted athlete. It’s tough for her. It’s not like we threw her into the pool
and she started winning. Winning has been a tough one for her. She has seen so
many years of participation without real glory. This is her second nationals in
so many years. She would qualify for state and then not win. There are far too
many talented girls in swimming and it’s tough when you are not naturally
gifted.
We kept the swimming schedule on hope. And her wish. She
wanted to continue with her swimming and we hoped that it won’t be cruel to
her. Jispa is fit and strong but like me, something is wrong with her overall
well-being. As a child, I was so sickly and thin and a complete mess at
excelling at sports. I was fit and ran but never the naturally talented guy who
could just show up and win. That honor belongs to my brother. I have had to struggle
to get anywhere in my life I stood on my own thanks to the grit that I developed
in myself. Jispa is also similar. She is not the naturally talented at math or
swim or English. She has an ability to think and think through very smartly but
that does not automatically mean winning. She also has been notoriously difficult
to coach from childhood. She is improving but it’s not that she has to think it
and her body follows. Her body over compensates and does its own thing. I sure
even her coaches get confused how to treat her. Immense potential thanks to perseverance
and hard work but not a natural athlete. Sometimes I think what if she had
pursued a sport like badminton or something where you have to not only show
technique and skill but you also have to out think the competition. How would
that have been. That should be fun.
Right now, that medal around her neck is so much a
reflection of Jasmine’s and Jispa’s dedication and doggedness than anything else.
How did they do it? When I look at my role, I see that as a minor support and
major starter. Starter in the sense that I insisted on sport being a part of
her growing up and then always looked to be a part of it. Supporting it in the way
that I would get up early to take her and then always be ready to help at all
times. But after that, I hardly did much. Most the heavy lifting came from
Jasmine. Waking up, cooking, ferrying, talking, discussing, maintaining
timings, everything – that was Jasmine. I hardly did anything there. It’s not
possible to be a sports kid without having a sports parent with you. One who
does all the support and the other who simply lends a small helping hand.
I wonder where Jispa gets all that dedication from. That is
another absolute mystery. When you know, there are kids who are far more
talented than you and built for water, where do you get that resolve to keep
attacking from. How does Jispa do it and do it willingly. She has a quiet ambition
in her, a quiet aggression in her, a silent way to keep at it. I am amazed at
this quality of hers. I would have given up long time back. So many of her
swimmers gave up long time back and so many just couldn’t balance the school
and swim together. That in itself is a sign of greatness. This sheer doggedness
and ability to push yourself is awe inspiring. If I had half of that while I was
growing up, I would have been in a different orbit. I wish I had half of that
even now, I guess.
So, this the tale of me being very happy and satisfied. A
NATIONAL LEVEL MEDAL. Jispa is a national medalist. I want to frame that medal
and hang it on the wall. I asked her if she would be embarrassed by it. (Yes
she would be) But then now that I think it, I think I should make a large frame
and put a few more medals and keep a big monument to swimming on one side of
the wall in the hall. That would be something. Jispa will die of embarrassment.
That itself would be worth half the effort.
I find this opposites in her quite interesting. Very high on
aggression but at loathe to show it. Very high on perseverance but a very
relaxed ‘let it be’ attitude. An ability to get a bit tensed but still maintain
her balance. She is not one way or the other. Small small opposites reconcile
in her. Loving but only so. Caring but only so. Friendly, but only so. I wonder
if she is an introvert or an extrovert. She mixes it up so much. Of course, as
parents it drives us up all the walls in the house, but it will be an
interesting and endearing quality of hers as she grows up. Her partner is going
to go bonkers for sure, but it will serve her well. I sense that she may even
have good leadership qualities when pushed to it. The quiet level 5 leadership
that is so elusive, but she will need to hone it. Professional determination and
personal humility. She exhibits this in her life for now and in what she has
achieved. If she continues this as a means of living her life, then she has a
chance to end strong. I don’t have this combination in a way that it could be,
but Jispa has some tremendous appetite for it. It’s too early and leadership
traits as well as decision making traits are difficult to spot for now and they
develop as they grow up. But for now – they are fine and I am happy with the
signs they show.
Finally – I am a very very proud father today and a proud
husband. It’s a biggie and an amazing accomplishment. We have a national level
champion in the family. I am so happy. Thank you Jispa and Jasmine. Thanks a
lot. It means a lot to me. A hell of a lot.
