Former India left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi was at his best during a talk ‘The Spirit of the Game — Life Lessons From Sports’ as part of Educational Outreach Program by Ratnasagar Pvt Ltd, being bang on the target on the need for the educationists to make the youth think and act properly.
“Education is a must for any athlete even though there are some exceptions like the great Sachin Tendulkar who is blessed in many ways,” Bedi said.
“I was the least educated compared to my great fellow players Prasanna, Chandra, Venkatraghavan. But, was fortunate to play along with them and learn so many things especially from Pras,” he recalled.
Exceptional cases
“It is important for any budding sportsperson to think of life after a career in sports. If you look at most of the success stories in cricket say with the exception of someone like ‘Tiger’ Pataudi, Sourav Ganguly and M. L. Jaisimha who were born with a silver spoon, the others have all come from middle-class families,” he said.
“Cricket is one game which teaches you many lessons in life. And, that is why there is a famous saying — this is not Cricket — when something goes wrong not just on the cricket field but in many aspects of life too. It is a sport which is associated with integrity and honesty,” Bedi said.
High commitment
“I have seen young talent who train at my small academy in Delhi and who score high percentage of marks struggle to express their thoughts in writing,” he said. “Marks marks for sports is good and not harmful but the youngsters can’t take it for granted.”
“For any student or any budding talent in any field, focus and concentration are essential ingredients to succeed. Look at the great example of Gopi (chief national badminton coach) and his wards Sindhu and Srikanth. Their commitment levels and obsession with what they love (the sport) is something totally different and a role model for all youngsters in the country,” Bedi said.
“Let children get involved in sports and enjoy, but ensure there is the desired detachment from it too to spare equal time for studies too. You put in your efforts, results are not in our hands,” he felt.
