Talk by Leander Paes
DAIS students were honoured with the opportunity to interact with one of India’s most eminent sportsmen, Leander Paes. Not only is he the recipient of our country’s most prestigious sporting honours, his journey as a sportsperson is truly inspirational. Mr. Paes was invited to our school to respond to an IB English Language and Literature presentation on the gender biases in sports commentaries. Well! Dialogues went beyond ‘sports commentaries’ and the interaction was immensely stimulating and motivating.
Born into an athletic family, Leander did not initially have a passion for tennis; however, he was always on a quest to reach the Olympics. Perhaps living in a home with two national champions (both of whose national jerseys had number 5 at the back) encouraged an unrelenting determination in him to represent his country as well. He turned down a brilliant offer for a football career in Barcelona when he realised it would cost him his Indian citizenship in exchange for a Spanish one. Soon after, he realised that the future of football in our country was rather bleak; he decided to take up tennis instead and asked to be sent to the best tennis institute in India, requesting only one year’s training to see how he would fare in this sport. This decision to test his mettle was important as he wanted to decide his future course of action – academics or sports as his source of livelihood. Five years later, Leander Paes emerged as the World Junior Champion and went on to acquire his own national jersey with a number 5 printed at the back.
These vignettes from his life struck a chord in us – we all have to take such decisions in our lives --, the academic discipline we want to study, the professions we want to be in and most importantly, the courage to take the road less travelled. Mr. Peas underlined the difference between others and a champion – the passion and the drive to excel which are more important at times than talent.
He spoke to us with unbelievable humility for a man with such great achievements. He has also maintained a distinction between his personality on court and off-court; although his opponents know they will find the unassuming Leander off-court, they also know they will only be at the mercy of an unyielding fighter on court. He stressed that a medal won is the combined effort of a team while how we represent ourselves in a local or international level is in our hands.
His patriotism is further evident in his never missing a Davis Cup tournament in spite of the other big international tournaments he could have been preparing for in that time. He expounded the fact that we always represent our country, even as students, and that he has always viewed his behavior on court as a reflection of his country for the world to see.
Moreover, he enthusiastically encouraged us to pursue our hobbies and work diligently “because the world is your stage”. He could not have stressed more on the importance of following your passion in life and putting your heart and soul into the work it requires – he too spends hours on end to perfect any weaknesses in his game to avoid vulnerability. Now, he is adapting to his age while experimenting with his abilities in the acting field in Bollywood and is working hard to establish himself there as well. I think his talk to encourage dedication and drive in any kind of hobby or passion was extremely open-minded and addressed a vital aspect of student-life.
This was definitely one of the best and most thought provoking interactions we have had. It was highly educational and I believe it has impacted every person who was present there.