I hadn't tasted victory since school or maybe since college days.
The recent turn of events got me flabbergasted. I didn't know how to react when
my Yoga team was announced the winner of Under-17 Girls' Yoga Championship;
especially when the girls' names were announced for clinching various titles
across Athletic Yoga and Rhythmic Yoga categories. My first four Yoga girls
will go down my memory lane as the ones who taught me how the younger ones can
make you feel proud and raise your stature in public- I owe it to you girls for
making me feel happy and contented at the same time.
The first day at this two-day
Yoga tournament was one of curiosity, diffidence and trepidation. Curiosity
because I had never viewed Yoga as a 'competitive' act. I always practised it
as a spiritual and a therapeutic balm to soothe my mind and nerves when in
anxiety or distress. So the word 'Yoga competition' got me all anxious about
how was this event going to turn out. Diffidence because this was the first
time I had trained the Yoga team, although not to my satisfaction as my 'Yoga
sessions' with the kids were often interspersed with dialogue, chat, discussion
and lots of fun and laughter. I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they
will be able to perform their best with full confidence. I was actually very
excited to see the confidence in the girls. Trepidation in me was due to the
fierce competition that existed at this event with lot of new comers showcasing
their talent with finesse, skill, flexibility and expertise. Young boys and
girls bent their bodies like rubber dolls and the older ones jumped around like
Tarzans-in-the-making! My heart skipped a beat when Aastha Singh was doing Uttanapada Asana and the chief referee would not stop his stop-watch. It felt like the longest Uttanapad Asana at 45 degrees!! Whoa, Aastha cracked it!!
However, once the girls finished their performance in the evening,
I was a bit satisfied with the kind of training I had imparted (although I felt
girls pretty much trained themselves and were quite self-disciplined). I gave
them all a huge hug and after a quick chat with their parents wrapped up for
the day, ready for the next morning’s event of Rhythmic Yoga.
On the second day it was Pragya Sharma’s event and other girls
Elisha Singh, Parnika Shukla and Aastha Singh soon came along to lend a helping
hand. After the usual girly decking up in the small room allotted to us, we all
got ready for the dancing spirit. Performers from Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad
and Jhansi were present. I was surprised and saddened not to see any
participation from Uttarakhand, considering there are such great Yogis in and
around Haridwar and Rishikesh and the hills in general. Pragya’s performance
was good but could have been better. Anyway, the event soon came to an end as
special guests and principals of various schools started arriving for the
closing ceremony.
The Yogic dance-tunes that played reminded me of my ‘Yoga Group
Dance’ on the Archies 1969 original ‘Sugar, Sugar’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o) where we had even created a
Yoga-Television (YTV) in the end. The resplendent performances by school kids
were finally followed by the moment that just took me aback.
The girls’ parents were waiting with baited breath to hear the
results as were all of us. Gradually, the winners were announced and there was
loud cheer and lots of shouting. I was surprised to hear Pragya’s result,
nevertheless elated that she was not going to be left behind for the Nationals
where the entire team would be going to Ranchi for the mega-event. A great
photo session followed with final goodbyes with the trainers, coaches and
teachers.
It was a moment for me to get to know the girls better and peek
into their sportsman spirit. While Elisha was a very active girl cautious about not ever hurting her teacher (so unlike her elder sister Elishiba who was always the mischief-monger), Parnika was
like the ‘obedient junior’ to others and Aastha and Pragya led the pack, Aastha
leading by example and never giving up on asanas (always challenging herself to try new ones instead of dwelling on the oes she was comfortable with) and Pragya being the ‘vocal’
leader of the group. It was a super evening, something to be always cherished!
