A bunch of kids who have never attended an event like this leave alone address it. To even think what must be going through their minds is jaw dropping. And yet each of the kids were full of poise. When Bharti said “Abhinav Bhaiya”, I have never attended an event like this or spoken at an event like this”, I was hoping she doesn’t choke. In fact, was praying for her. She did not. Rather, she and the rest of the OVEP kids were all full of verve. Their passion was palpable. The pride was evident. In front of IOC President Thomas Bach and in the presence of Abhinav Bindra, they put Odisha and the OVEP programme at a very different pedestal today at the IOC session in Mumbai.
And Abhinav, who always searches for real meanings through sport, must be hugely pleased. Having spoken to him almost daily, I am aware of the hard work he puts into the programme. Not just him. His entire team and the team in Odisha under the visionary leadership of CM Naveen Patnaik and his sports team led by Vineel Krishna has transformed the lives of 150,000 kids with the Olympic Value Education Programme. At the end of the session when President Bach felicitated the kids and presented them with gifts, it was the most amazing moment of all. Kids, some of who did not have access to education a year earlier, were being celebrated by the IOC President in the presence of Abhinav Bindra. Sport had given their lives a new meaning and the programme, which has now been embraced by the Reliance Foundation led by Mrs. Ambani and also by the Assam government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, is already a success.
It was fitting that President Bach called the kids over for a photograph and seeing Abhinav stand a few feet away, called him into the frame. It was the perfect frame on what was a perfect day.
The journey with OVEP has just started in Odisha. We have only seen a year of it. But from what we have witnessed so far, it is a very powerful tool for change. And for a true devotee of sport like Abhinav, it is an opportunity. To try and create a better India. Impact lives. And knowing him well, it is safe to say that he will. With fantastic support from the Odisha government and the Chief Minister in particular, this is a partnership, which with IOC support, will only become stronger in the years ahead.
Just as Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 prepared Abhinav for Beijing 2008, Odisha is readying him for a much bigger canvas. Only this time, it is not him and his gun. It is Abhinav and thousands of underprivileged Indian kids who would otherwise struggle for a respectable living. From families that never dared to dream. It is for them that Abhinav must hit the bullseye. For each of these kids. For, that’s what sport is all about. Odisha is now his range, with thousands of parents watching with bated breath to see how their kids can become more well-rounded individuals. No Olympic gold could match the satisfaction if he can pull it off. So far, and on the evidence of what we have seen today at the IOC session in Mumbai, Abhinav and the OVEP kids are very much on track. A medal is very much within range and one can only wish them more power and pluck.