~~~The Golden Girl of India~~~. Review on PT Usha

"I am committed to athletics and I want to ensure that my country wins at any cost" says PT Usha, the golden girl of Indian athletics. I do not think there is any Indian who has a small knowledge about sports but don't hear about PT Usha. At home, we call her as Payyoli Express, connecting her birthplace. For all others she is the golden girl of hope.

Value of hundredth of a second....ask PT Usha! The first Indian woman to reach an Olympics final in 1984 Los Angeles she lost an Olympic medal for 1/100th of a second! That lose in the competition was heartening but she didn't got demoralised by the defeat.

I remember in my school days, we had one brilliant athlete called Kurumbakkutty. She used to be our school's only hope in all sports events which cross the sub district level. She used to be in everything from swimming to running to long jump...virtually everything. One fine day, there had a special assembly and we could see that the Head Master honouring her for winning the silver medal in the state athletics 400 meters, I believe. I still remember the head master's speech in which he told, we have no reason of regret whatsoever where the gold was won by none other than PT Usha. From those days onwards, the name PT Usha was in my mind and when she won many golds for the country in Asiads and Saf games etc. I used to think about the value of the silver medal achieved by Kurumbakkutty for our school.

PT Usha for her merit wins many a gold for the country and the nation honoured her with Arjuna Award and Padmasree. She also hold the world record for holding five gold medals in the 1985 Asian Track and Field Meet at Jakarta (in the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprints, the 400 meter hurdles, and the 4 x 400 meter relay). This is the current record for most gold medals by a female in a single track meet. Also one has to remember the 4 Gold medal win in 1986 Asian Games in Seol.

We heard she says that she is committed to athletics. Then, where else she can go except to athletics? She is living the dream of winning an Olympics medal for the country through a school of sports, U.S.H.A. (Usha ScHool of Athletics). The school is focusing mainly on girls where talented youngsters are been admitted and trained in house. The school got inaugurated in 2002 and the initial batch was only 12 girls which now increased considerably.

Oh, I left something which can help us in this situation in my earlier description of Kurumbakkutty. In our school there had not many training for sports and no promotion whatsoever for students who attend sports. The duty of two drill masters (we call them so) were to give exercises to the entire school which had 6 x 10 classes i.e. 60 classes and 2 hours, i.e. 120 hours a week. We cannot blame the masters for not giving intense training for selected athletes, given the time table. Anyway one may ask how then Kurumbakkutty reached to the state competition and managed a silver medal. Only by hard work and will! There had a big pond near her house and after the school she is full present in the pond. Swimming and swimming and swimming. Boys and girls will be there and there will be competitions and she will beat all of the girls and boys. For athletics, she will jut participate and win. As simple as that! Her family was very poor in the sense very poor. No nutritive food or a comfortable house to stay. With training and support she would have been a clear hope for India in international competitions. Then, Kurumbakutty's fate was sealed with the failure in the tenth class. Why I spend this lengthy description in an article on PT Usha is that there are many talented girls like Kurumbakkutty in our country and the future of our sports is on finding out such rare natural talents and supporting them when need arise. Then, our government machinary is too stale like a cold KFC or Coca Cola for common understanding or say stale yogurt. The importance of Usha ScHool of Athletics is here.

I have two minds while writing this article on PT Usha where I appreciate and salute the spirit shown by the veteran in providing the facilities missed in her own personal career to the young generation. An in-house training sports school is a dream come true. Then, there is a difference between being an athlete and being a coach. PT Usha has shown us that she is a good athlete but she is yet to show to the country that she is a good coach. Tintu Luka is the only promise Usha school of Athletics produced so far and I wonder whether there is an overhaul is required for better results. For Tintu Luka, I will strongly suggest that the coach or the student has to read the autobiography of Lance Armstrong. The athlete needs to plan the pace in the selected race. The coach should test with several instructions and see which pace change gives a better result. Even though she is already qualified for the Olympics 2012, her chances will depend on finding her best timing by paceplan and sticking to it.

Despite the results I am sure there are no two talks that PT Usha's attempt is noble and worth all applauds. However, my concern is that PT Usha is a national icon and the school should not be a hindrance for her to reach out to other talents to motivate them. Also, she is not only a motivation for female athletes but male as well. So the reach should be irrespective of gender. The duty of training in the school may be assigned to some qualified coaches where Usha the icon stand as a motivating star for the sports students of the school and outside to the entire nation.

You may check the School's web site as https://ptusha.org and I am sure you will get a better idea about it. At a time corporate companies throw money in IPL advertisements and lot more why not they sponsor an athlete or a dozen of them with a deal that if they are successful hey have to brand with them? In another thought, the fate of 2012 Olympics is already sealed with limited participation from India. What is government's plan for the 2016 Olympics? If they don't have a plan yet, why don't support the private attempts with funds and resources? When is India going to be 'emerged' in the real world instead of false virtual propagandas by the looting financial institutions?

PT Usha's fight is an individual one, chasing a dream for the nation, an empowered nation. As an individual dream and institutional dream it may have its limitations but it is a spark from which the light can be taken and start a wild fire. Come on India!!! If not now, when???