It’s lonely at the top. And when Narain Karthikeyan grapples with his nerves on March 6, driving one of the 20 fastest cars in the world, he will be cheered on by at least one fan up in the stands who knows what it’s all about: Lt Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, someone who also beat the system, overcame the odds and made Indian sporting history.Six months ago Rathore was in a similar position at the Athens Olympics, a whole nation watching him shoot his way to the silver medal. ‘‘This, too, is a moment for all Indians to celebrate’’, Rathore told The Sunday Express today before leaving for Melbourne, where the season’s first race will be held. Rathore’s official work Down Under is the Commonwealth Shooting championship but he’ll be landing up a few days early to repay a kindness. ‘‘He (Narain) was among the first to call and congratulate me after I returned to New Delhi from Athens. It’s my turn now,’’ Rathore said. And he won’t be going alone. Apart from fellow shooter Zorawar Singh Sandhu, Rathore has gathered together a band of Aussies — including his coach Russell Mark and ace shooter Michael Diamond — to root for Narain. And we all know how the Aussies love an underdog.‘‘I know it can work wonders. Having your friends and fellow sportspersons in the stands can boost your confidence immensely. It happened with me at Athens. Moreover, Narain is a good friend and in any case I was going to be at Melbourne, why not a little earlier I thought,’’ asks Rathore. Rathore remembers his first meeting with the fastest Indian at a function in New Delhi a couple of years ago. ‘‘We hit it off instantly. I found him very simple, down-to-earth and soft-spoken, well-informed about life in general. What interested me in him is the steely determination to make it to the arduous and demanding world of Formula One.’’Since then, says Rathore, they’ve been in frequent touch with each other on the phone, meeting whenever the opportunity arose. ‘‘I had promised him that I would come and cheer him whenever he races in the near future. But I didn’t think it would be in his first race itself. I am doubly happy because I would keep my promise made to a dear friend, waving the Indian Tricolour,’’ says Rathore.How does one expect his friend to perform in the season opener? ‘‘We should not put too much pressure on him. We can’t expect too much from him in the first season. I know he’s mentally very strong and will soon settle down to prove his worth. Let’s just wish him well.’’
