Face Off

Yeah! Geet bumped into his pretty wife Kiran way back in 1985. She was studying graphic design at the NID National Institute of Design, where her friend was shooting a pilot on sports, as a part of his project. He asked her if she could arrange a meeting with Geet since one of her friends was very close to his cousin. quot;So we met and the very next day I went to NID and asked her out. I never stopped seeing her after that.quot; This surely is stuff masala movies are made of.

So, Geet, Kiran, Raag and Jazz 8212; yep! that8217;s what their kids are called 8212; make a perfect picture postcard. But where did these musical namescome from?

quot;My mother was heavily into music and she called me Geet and my wife also sings 8212; that8217;s how our kids have these names.quot; Geet himself was hooked on to jazz when his daughter was born. quot;My wife read a book some yearsago, in which the central character was called Jazz. She was so taken up by that 8212; she decided to call her daughter Jazz.quot;

Well, well! So where does billiards fit in?

Actually, Geet is a natural sportsman. He was a state level swimmer and even played competitive badminton and ping pong. quot;But once I saw a billiards table, I just got on it. I picked up a cue in less than a month, and within a year won the junior national championship.quot;

So he has stuck to the stick, eh?

Yep, And he is having a ball! quot;It is a very addictive game, like golf. You are playing against yourself 8212; there is no one else to blame because they bowled a good ball or played a good shot.quot;

And was this unconventional career a conscious decision?

Not quite. While in school, he wanted to be a pilot. quot;Even after I had started playing billiards, I wanted to join the merchant navy.quot; After his graduation he went on to study for a MBA to please his father. quot;But by the time I finished college, I was sure I wanted tostick to billiards.quot;

Well, it paid off 8212; and how! He took the sport by storm and went on to become the World Champion 8212; and then just kept winning. So, is he on Cloud Nine?

quot;It feels good up there 8212; it is a culmination of the work you have put in. But there is also an element of strain. It8217;s a non-stop circus which just goes on and on and on8230;quot; And Geet has been in the ring for almost two decades. His magnum opus was the 1993 world championship where he beat the champion Mike Russell. His wife and friends had come down from Ahmedabad to celebrate.

That must have been some party!

No! quot;Everyone wanted to party, but I had such a splitting headache that I just went off to sleep. After a tough match, all I could feel was the headache.quot; Guess you can8217;t have your cake and eat it, too!

So how does he handle the pressure?

Like everything else, Geet just takes it in his stride. But he admits it isn8217;t always easy. quot;Every match is a new challenge and every time you get to the tablesomething tingles in your stomach. But at this stage you are not bothered about winning a title 8212; it8217;s just the pride of performing.quot;And naturally, not every day brings a new dawn. quot;There are days when you suffer and days when you feel ecstatic.quot;

And what about the day he gives up his cue?

Well, he didn8217;t think of doing anything else for almost 15 years. But over the last couple of years he has been itching to do other things. quot;After a point you realise there8217;s more to life than just a game 8212; it becomes a very mechanical activity after you have achieved all your goals. And then the mental stimulation gradually diminishes.quot;

Does that explain why he quit his job at the Tata Oil Mills Company?

No, he quit because Hindustan Lever took over the company in 1994. quot;I was not really contributing to the day-to-day functioning of the company. I was there in my capacity as a sportsman. But HLL is not like the Tatas who have a commitment to sport.quot;

n So what did he do after that?

Geetstarted a travel agency in Ahmedabad, Raag Travels. quot;It was a spontaneous decision. My friend8217;s fiancee came down from Dubai looking for a job 8212; and overnight we were in business. Since then it has grown bigger and bigger.quot; And even if it hadn8217;t, Geet had an alternative career 8212; as a columnist. quot;I write a lot 8212; for The Hindu 8212; and enjoy it thoroughly.quot;

And is a book also round the corner?

Looks like we8217;ll have to wait for The Memoirs of Geet Sethi. quot;There8217;s no market for it,quot; he laughs. quot;But may be, later8230;quot;

So, what is Geet doing these days?

He has endorsed the Uniworth suiting collection for an undisclosed sum. But this is not his first brush with modelling. quot;I endorsed Vimal suitings in 1985 after I won the world championship for the first time.quot;

But how does this introvert feel in the world of glamour?

quot;I am not terribly uncomfortable about modelling. In fact, at times, I have even applied make-up for a match!quot; Like he did last year while playing in a televisionstudio in England.

And have the Sethi-Juniors shown any liking for the sport?

Not yet. quot;My son has the basic co-ordination, but that8217;s it for now. You need a concentrated application towards any sport 8212; which he hasn8217;t shown as yet. But I am not pushing him.quot;

So what does Geet do when he8217;s at home in Ahmedabad?

Well, he8217;s out for most of the year 8212; participating in tournaments or on his writing assignments. quot;Ahmedabad is my base. It8217;s an easy paced life which suits me fine 8212; a place to unwind and relax.quot;

And what is Geet Sethi most likely to say?

quot;Shit! That8217;s something which comes out naturally.quot; Does he mean to say there is also an unnatural way?

And least likely to say?

quot;I8217;ll pass that 8212; can8217;t think of anything.quot;