My boxing saga

Author : Salil Prashar

04/10/2017

My boxing saga...... Yeh kahani satya ghatnaon par aadharit hai

Ok, so at the outset let me clarify that all characters in this story are real and not imagined including me.

I was a wonderful boxer since my school days, i had been constantly sparring with my weight, was always in a slugfest with my studies, usually KOed by my teachers and was constantly moving and blocking any attempt to physicalise me...... In cricket i was the umpire, in football i was the goalie and in athletics I was nowhere to be seen.

With such fine physical traits I joined the NDA...... Ab okhali mein sar day diya toh phir moosal se kya darna...... Jisne bhi yeh kaha woh sala NDA ki okhali mein nahi jhanka..?


To keep the narrative short and to keep some masala for my later writings i will stay with the topic.

November squadron mein festivities ka mahol tha, novices boxing was approaching and the squadron was busy training the ikkis for their first foray into boxing. We all were told the basics of boxing and were pushed into the ring. The whole academy used to turn up to see this cock fight.

I was one of the lucky few who did not have a Mil School/RIMCO/Sainik School wala as my opponent. I entered the ring to face my opponent from Oscar squadron who was exuding the aura of a professional boxer, just like we had decided before hand near the cafeteria.

Our match started and so did our WWF fight, we moved like seasoned fighters who had pre-choreographed all their moves to ensure that not a single punch lands with any reckonable force.... But we had not reckoned that the referee had already witnessed such choreography at least 10 times that day. We were warned twice and in the first interval our respective boxing team coaches pounced on us with absolutely unveiled threat of terrible things awaiting us if we did not fight in earnest.

The next round started with both of us full of new found vigour and my worthy opponent landed the first punch, all hell broke out then... The Shimla accord was forgotten and punches started flying all over the countryside. A few hours later (felt like an hour) we were separated by the referee.



The referee gave a look of bewilderment and started inspecting us, both of us were red. Our vests and gloves were both covered in blood. Ab referee ko yeh nahi pata lag raha tha ki khoon nikla kiss ka hai, so in jumped the doc and decided that maybe it was my opponent who was the source.

The referee stopped the contest and declared me the winner. My squadron welcomed me with a cheer...... I did not have the heart to tell them ki mukka toh sala ek bhi nahi laga.

I was in seventh heaven with special privileges given to the winners of bouts. I was feeling just a rung lower than Muhammad Ali.

Time passed and i reached the 2nd term. One day I was called by our boxing captain. I jogged up to him and he said "didn't u win your novices bout and left your opponent all bloody", I very proudly and with full josh said "yes sir"....... itna mehenga "yes sir" maine kabhi nahi bola..... Boxing captain (BC) ne bola " go to central lobby where the boxing team is practicing".

I reached there on the double, ready to relate my boxing experience to pep the team up (sach mein, yehi socha tha maine), wahan pahunchte hi I was told that one weight category was empty and hearing of my natural boxing ability I was chosen to fill the spot. Oh my!!! was I in a SPOT now!!! ....... I made a feeble attempt to excuse myself but was given a pair of gloves and told to warm up.

BC noticed me sweating from every pore and said "arrey, yeh toh pehle se hi warmed up hai" and I was paired up to spar with my coursemate Duggal (hamara star boxer, lekin tha toh mera coursemate hi), Oh what a relief, Duggal......
The bout started and Duggal started, lagta hai ki usko coursemate spirit kay baare mein kissi ne train nahin kiya, saale ne bahut thoka. later he told me that he had gone soft on me..... Soft.... Lagta hai soft drink ke naam par woh patiala peg leta tha. I spent the whole day with my head in a spin.

The next couple of weeks went on in the same way with me as the punching bag for all and sundry.

Then approached the D-day of weighing in for the bouts. A day before I was non chalantly told by BC to increase my weight by 3 kgs by the *next day* to fight in 72- 74 kg.

Yeh sun kay mere ek aankh say khushi ke ansoo, kyonki pehli baar meri zindagi mein kissi nay mere ko weight increase karne ke liye bola, aur doosri aankh say dukh kay ansoo aane lage, kyonki yeh toh gauranteed tha ki uss weight category mein meri bahut dhunai hogi.

Lekin shayad BC ko maloom nahin tha ki main weight badane mein bachpan se hi super expert raha hoon. The weighing in was in the evening and my quest to increase 3 kgs started at breakfast, I was made to eat and eat and eat the whole day without being allowed to go near the loo to ensure full retention ,and then came judgement time..... I climbed the scale and to the utter disbelief of the boxing captain the needle crossed 72 and finally halted at 75..... Which meant that i had given my 200% to the task at hand and increased my weight by 6 kgs....... Ab kissi ne upper limit toh batayee nahi thi mujhe. I was disqualified to fight.

I was a free man...... Free free free...... What happened in later terms is another story in itself.

And to think that it all started with my novices boxing opponent.

Addendum-

During our recent course get together in Delhi I met RK Mishra after almost 25 years and were we both surprised!! It turned out that RK was my novices bout opponent....... and all these years he was under the impression that he lost his bout to an ex Sainik School boxer, a misconception which got cleared after 25 years and I came to know that his nose had bled without provocation that day..... Yani ki mere win mein aur uski defeat mein hum dono ka koyee hath nahi tha.

Lekin i got the chance to personally abuse RK because uske karan mera naak kayee terms tak break hota raha......

So thus was the make and break of my boxing saga....... Ciao

(Posted by me on Whatsapp groups on 04/10/2017)