— Boria Majumdar
Work-Life Balance possible?
In an age of 24/7 work, we often hear the statement it isn’t possible. How do you have a good corporate job and balance it with being an elite high performance athlete?
Don’t try it for then you will be wasting your sports career. “Why take a chance?” is often the advice.
The question is how do we know it’s not possible? How do we know that the job won’t give us more joy than just being an elite athlete? That it will help in work-life balance? Why is it that sport has to be the only thing in the life of an elite high performance athlete? Why does he or she have to sacrifice everything else?
Stereotypes need to be broken. Accepted norms need to be challenged. New things tried out. Fail yes but on our own terms. And that’s what Tejaswin Shankar, bronze medalist at the CWG for India in high jump, is trying to do. He is happy balancing a Deloitte job in the US while also being an elite athlete. It gives him joy he says and he wants to set an example. If he fails fine, but at least he tried.
Shankar did not know until 3 days before the CWG if he was going to participate. Thanks to Adille Sumariwala and Sebastian Coe he was eventually allowed to showcase his ability. And he did. In style May I add. A high jump medal for India is a rarity and all of a sudden Tejaswin was the poster boy. His career was flying. That’s when he decided to take up the job. Yet again break the stereotype. Break the mould and be different.
We speak of mental health. How important it is. Imagine an athlete despite doing all he can and qualifying and yet not knowing if he will compete in a major event till 3 days before. Imagine being told last minute he is going to the CWG and will compete in front of the world. Represent his country. Think of the pressure. In his words he did not even think of a medal. All he wanted to do was not let India down and make a fool of himself.
Tejaswin is a story. A story that inspires. Who cares if he doesn’t win another major medal. What he has done is already very different. He has charted out a way that many will in future want to follow. He has set an example. And for me in Backstage With Boria, he is a great story to document.