Last week,as thousands queued up at the Eastern Court to send a telegram and bid adieu to the service,Usha Gautam,one of the senior telecommunications operating assistants,was tempted to capture the mood of her unusually busy office in a camera. My retirement is due in October. But I felt as if I was retiring with the last telegram, says a teary-eyed Usha. She has been working here since 1986,but her association with Eastern Court is more than just professional. It was here that she renewed her childhood interest in swimming and went on to win 73 gold,63 silver and 50 bronze medals at state- and national-level competitions. A native of West Bengals Midnapore,Usha spent her childhood in a village where she says,every child knew how to swim. After shifting to Delhi,she did her graduation in Bengali literature from Zakir Husain Delhi College and post-graduation from Delhi University. I worked in a factory and then at the airport to save for a university degree. It was much later that I got this job, she says. There used to be a swimming pool at one end of the Eastern Court complex when I joined work. The government had announced that those who win medals at national competitions will get additional increments, she says. A 30-year-old mother of two,Usha started coming to office at least two hours before the work began. But,training wasnt easy,with no regular coaching and only occasional tips from police personnel practising in the same 25-metre pool. Initially,I learnt the various styles only by observing others, she says,adding that her first medal silver at the 1986 all-India competition in Bangalore was not in swimming,but,kabaddi. Since then,Usha has participated and won several competitions,including the Best Woman Diver at the 2001 Delhi State Aquatic Championship. In the 1990s,the Eastern Court swimming pool was closed following an accident. I had to then shift to a swimming pool at Ludlow Castle, she says. Representing the Telecom Department at various competitions and winning so many medals ensured that she got five increments the maximum one can get for excellence in sports. For a woman from a scheduled caste family and belonging to a backward village,participating in national-level competitions is itself an achievement. To begin with,the increments were a motivation. But later,it was love for sports that became my inspiration. My family,particularly my husband,was very supportive. And now,with retirement couple of months away,I am looking forward to devoting my entire time to swimming. But,of course, I will miss sending telegrams, she says.
