Dress rehearsals and family shows

The excitement in the air in the hotel was palpable. An odd assortment of sportsmen — hockey players, footballers, weightlifters, athle...

The excitement in the air in the hotel was palpable. An odd assortment of sportsmen — hockey players, footballers, weightlifters, athletes, shooters, wrestlers, chess players — from across the country was getting ready to pick up the awards that recognised them as the best in their field.

The star was easily Gagan Ajit Singh, whose efforts at the Champions Trophy in Holland are still fresh in the mind. Flitting between photo shoots and interviews, Gagan took The Indian Express up to his hotel room — converted into a packed house with his wife, mother, brother and cousins all having dropped in early in the morning.

Gagan himself has been in the capital for a couple of days with various obligations and signs of having to get in and out of various sets of clothes were visible. Efforts at masking the excitement of receiving the Arjun award only five years into his career failed in the face of his doting mother, wife and 12-year-old cousin keeping him entertained.

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More tuned into what makes an interesting photograph was Gagan’s equivalent in Indian women’s hockey, the gamine Mamta Kharab. Wearing a saree for only the second time, she needed the help of athlete Saraswati Saha. Later, saree folds in place, Mamta proceeded to face the mirror and practice shaking hands with President APJ Abdul Kalam. An indulgent Saraswati sat on the bed watching her younger colleague flitter around rather awkwardly.

Down in the hotel lobby, weightlifter Thandava Murthy Muthu and badminton player Ramesh Tikaram were deep in conversation. When this reporter approached them, Muthu said, ‘‘Hindi mein bolega to samajh jayega’’, proceeded to reply in Tamil and employed Tikaram — winning the Arjuna in the disabled category — as his interpreter.

The bilingual Tikaram, a marketing professional in Bangalore, played along. The two clearly share a close bond and though they had company from chess stalwart K Sasikiran and his mother Jayshree at breakfast, sat together till the bus arrived to take them to the venue.

Then, with the other awardees — minus the ‘stars’, Virender Sehwag and Anjali Bhagwat — they got on and headed to their 15 minutes of fame.