At 100, I’m happy breaking records

Rambai

I have just returned from Vadodara after participating in the inaugural National Open Masters Athletics Championships and am told that I have created a national record for the 100m event by the oldest person. I covered the distance in 45.40s in the 100-plus age category. My second gold of the tournament came in 200m race with a timing of 1m 52.17s. I wanted to take part in other events also but was told that the organisers have capped the participation by one athlete to just two events. Though I am feeling very happy, I wish there was some competition. I happened to be the lone runner in both the races as there was no other entry in the 100-plus age category.

Honestly, it has been just over a year since I have started taking part in competitions on the insistence of my granddaughter, who is also a runner and regularly participates in the masters athletics meets. Had I known earlier that such competitions were held for people of my age, I would have given them a shot a long time back. But better late than never.

In the last one year, I have travelled to Varanasi, Bengaluru, Badlapur in Maharashtra, Kerala and even Pokhara in Nepal. I have already lost count of the medals but can say that I have won most of the races. Apart from the thrill of competition and the joy of winning a medal, the one thing that excites me very much is predicting the winners during the competition. I love guessing who will win while the race is still on.

My granddaughter Sharmila Sangwan (42) keeps a tab on the tournament schedule. The Masters Athletics Federation of India will release its schedule in November, after which I will start gearing up for future competitions.

I have had a busy season this year. The month of May was really hectic for me as there were three back-to-back tournaments in Nepal (May 1-5), Bengaluru (May 11-15) and Kerala (May 18-22), and then at Vadodara from June 16 to 19. As a result, I had to travel a lot. While many would advocate travelling by air as it is quick or by train as it is comfortable, I prefer to travel by our family car. It gives us the freedom to stop and move at will. Also, one does not feel the distance if the family is around. I do get tired, but that is only because of singing bhajans and folk songs endlessly on my family’s demand. Now, I am happy to be back in the village.

Ever since my husband, Nihal Singh, died 23 years ago, I have been staying with my two sons, Mahender Singh and Mukhtiar Singh, at Kadma village in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana, where my four daughters and their children visit me often. We are blessed to have a big and happy family. And since we are so close, someone or the other is always visiting.

I consider myself lucky enough to have witnessed six generations of my family and spent time with them. I can proudly say that I have attended the marriages of my great grandsons and held their kids in my lap. I had just reached home from Vadodara when one of my great grandsons excitedly came up to me and said that he had seen my photo on the same page as that of Virat Kohli in the newspaper. It is nice to see that tinge of pride and joy in their eyes.

Wherever I go to attend competitions, people keep asking me about the secret of my health, and I tell them it is happiness. I think if you try to live an energetic life, do not shirk responsibilities and enjoy what you do, you will remain hale and hearty. At this age, people suffer from arthritis, diabetes, blood pressure and other ailments, but I face no such health issues. I take no medicine.

I wake up around 5 am, offer morning prayers and tend to the cattle. Upon return, I perform daily ablutions and wash my clothes. Breakfast time is family time. We all have it together and then I either go to the nearby fields or catch up with the near and dear ones in the village. After lunch, I rest for a while and spend some time with the children in the house. Apart from cooking, I like to do all my work myself.

My eating habits are simple. I eat whatever everyone in the family eats. Milk, curd, millets, rice, ghee, homegrown vegetables, it is traditional Haryanvi fare. By God’s grace, I have not reached a stage where I have to be selective about the food I eat.

It is not that I go to the stadium or athletics track for training every day. Working in the fields and walking on the narrow, cobbled streets of the village keeps my limbs nimble. Staying energetic in daily life and participating in social activities in the village is what would define my training. I think leading a simple life and staying happy and content is my secret of good life.

— As told to Gaurav Kanthwal