Surprised, it took so long8230; hope it146;s changed forever now: Bindra

The man himself though just can8217;t understand what the fuss is about. 8220;Acclaim and honour are justified, but to be honest the whole hype around me is a bit ridiculous,8221; says Bindra.

Try reason with him by explaining the enormity of his achievement. Isn8217;t it one of those times when hype is justified, when victory means much more than a mere sporting achievement? All countries have seen moments like this. Jesse Owens8217; victories at Berlin in 1936 were much more than an athletic feat as America rejoiced over the ineptness of the Fuhrer8217;s superior race theory. Maradona8217;s twin goals against English in Mexico 1986 were treated by Argentines as nemesis for Falkland wars. So aren8217;t the reactions of Indians understandable as they feel that they finally cast off the albatross, which perennially mocked them as a country of one billion people and no gold medal?

8220;In fact, I am surprised, why it took so long to happen. I hope it is changed forever now,8221; says Abhinav.

Even before he arrived, the media was there outside his home. His cavalcade included family8217;s choicest sedans Bindras own close to a dozen private cars including a Volvo SUV, a Mercedes and a Skoda. The 10 private security guards hired by his father had a tough time in shooing the media and admirers away. Once home, he joined his family in a joint prayer at the house8217;s in-built gurdwara.

In fact, his father A S Bindra ensured that all that Abhinav ever wanted was present in his house only. So this farmhouse with backdrop of Shivaliks where his pets have air-conditioned kennels has Abhinav8217;s private shooting range, a personal swimming pool and a gymnasium along with other amenities.

Even as the media is busy rummaging through James Bond movie titles to find an appellation for Abhinav, few know that Abhinav8217;s mother is a direct descendent of Hari Singh Nalwa. The legendary Sikh warrior in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was dreaded by his enemies for his valour. One of his successful campaigns involved saving the imprisoned Afghan regent who then gratefully gifted the famous Kohinoor diamond to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. His relatives point that in a way, Abhinav has lived up to his legacy by bringing a coveted jewel to India.

But then it didn8217;t come easy. The air-conditioned shooting range cannot belie the sweat that he put in his sport. Practice sessions extended to more than twelve hours a day. Even after having made at international levels, competition was always fierce. Rivals can do anything to make you loose. Conspiracy theories apart, the fact does remain that Abhinav8217;s rifle was tampered with in the break during his gold medal winning performance. Similarly, in Athens the floor had a disrupting vibration to it all the time. So, does shooting vindicates or rather completes George Orwell8217;s bellicose view of sport as 8220;war minus shooting?8221;

Abhinav chooses not to talk about controversies but he does mention that his sport is certainly 8220;frustrating at times when you are doing your utmost and the results are not forthcoming. Whatever be the injuries, pains, griefs or may be, you have to be relentless in your pursuit.8221;

The man who can best describe his focus is Col J S Dhillon, Abhinav8217;s coach in his formative years before he went for advanced training to Germany. At his house, Col Dhillon shows a letter written in the cursive writing of a 12-year- old which reads: 8220;Sir my name is Abhinav. I have interest in shooting and want to pursue it seriously, please take me under your training.8221;

Narrating one of the instances from his early days, Col Dhillon says, 8220;In one of his early competitions he achieved a score of 600/600. This was hitherto unknown in his age-group. I prepared a text of press release and asked him to go to some newspaper offices. The first and the only place where he took his passport size photo and press release was The Indian Express office in industrial area of Chandigarh.8221; That was 12 years ago!