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The Rediff Interview / Roopa Unnikrishnan

Dreams shot down

Shobha Warrier

Roopa Unnikrishnan is back from Oxford. That is where she rushed off to collect her degree after winning a shooting gold in the Commonwealth Games.

And when she returned she was hurt by the indifference of the media and the people here. But Roopa wanted to be portrayed as positive and content. Excerpts from a chat Shobha Warrier had with the shooting star:

How was the reception for the person who came back with a gold from the Commonwealth Games?

I was surprised actually. There was not much of a reception. I had my family, a few friends and one person from the Madras Rifle Club at the airport.

Why were you surprised? Did you expect a better reception?

A: I assumed that in India, you appreciate the Commonwealth Games, and there are only a couple of people who have won medals for Tamil Nadu. So, I assumed that there would be little more! But there wasn't anything.

Why do you think are sports associations and people of India, in general, are indifferent to sports other than cricket.

I think there is a sense of us being looked at as some sort of gladiators. Every time a team goes abroad and does badly, there is a lot of media hype about the negative aspects. But when you come back with a gold and all they say is, well, okay, she has won a gold, as if that doesn't mean anything.

I am really struck by an article in India Today that had a big photograph of me up front. Fine! But the whole article said, the Commonwealth Games are okay, it's no big deal. They have won a few medals,.bBut the Asian Games have to be considered. That's not the attitude to take. There is always this negative Cassandra syndrome here. Even if we do something good, they are not willing to see it.

Yesterday, a television network came and shot a program on me and told me first that it would be aired this morning at seven. Then they said, not at seven, at eight.

Despite the jetlag, I stayed up. All I saw the clippings of the losing cricket team coming home! When I ask the media later why they do it, they say people are interested in cricket. But it is only because you people feed them about cricket.

So you feel media should blamed for the step-motherly treatment the other sports get.

I feel a large amount of it has to do with the media. It is different if you are in a country that has 100 per cent literacy. That is why I would say it is the media's job to educate the people. If you shirk the responsibility and say, we are only going to feed them what they want, then you are not being responsible at all.

Do you feel people of India want to know about sports other than cricket?

Absolutely. Many Tamil magazines have written a lot of article about me. In fact, the vernacular press was pretty good -- compared to the English press. And, I have received letters from people residing in Kancheepuram, writing how inspiring it is to see a woman doing things like shooting. Those are people who have not seen a gun in real life, other than in the movies.

Obviously, there is interest. There is a need to know about people who despite adversities get some where. But the press hasn't got an open mind, to try and find out what the people want. It has made an assumption that people want to know only about cricket.

I have noticed that all sports reporters are avid fans of cricket. They are the ones who want to talk about cricket. They are the ones who desperately want to meet a lot of cricketers and speak to them. Well, if that give them pleasure, go ahead and do it. But I think they are being unfair both to their trade and to themselves.

They are also cutting off all opportunities to come up with new stories. All of us, all the other sports people are great personalities. We have different lifestyles, we do different things and you have got a whole lot of human-interest stories there. You are missing out on a lot. That's all I can say.

You said you had to face many adversities. What were they?

In my case, shooting is an expensive sport. The struggle has been there from the very beginning. We always had to travel to Delhi or Bangalore for a camp. If you are a student or if you are on a job, you can't spend five days on a train and then another 20 days in a camp.

You wish you could actually take a plane down. But how? You can't afford that. Finally you are going by second class carrying this rifle, etc. You have a pretty difficult life.

To get ammunition itself was a struggle. Then, there's the cost of ammunition. Basically, there's no support. It's such a drain. I always felt it was a drain on my parents. When I went to Oxford, I had to subsist on my scholarship, which you are supposed to spend on books and travel. I had to spend it on books, travel and shooting! And shooting is expensive. It was quite a difficult task. There was very little support from any quarter at all.

Do you think both the government and the corporate sector are blind to all this?

Yes, I think they're blind. Okay, the government has got a large agenda. I supposed I shouldn't really blame them. I'd love to see the government talking to the corporate sector.

You have a lot of very rich corporate houses. If each of them could adopt one national sports person, we would have a great, solid team.

What about sponsors?

Impossible. I've been shooting for ages. I now have an M Phil in economic history and an MBA. I don't see who could be more qualified. Yet, I don't have anyone coming to tell me, we will sponsor you. I'd be an asset to any company, literally. I know how to manage. I know about finances. Here I am shooting for the country. I have brought a gold now. But what do I get? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

What drives you then to shooting? There appears to be a lot of resentment in you. Of course, it's hard that even after winning one out of four gold medals, you get kind of reception.

What keeps me going is that I love the sport. I like the thought of representing India. I know India does not treat me well, that Indian people don't treat me well. But for instance, the vice-chancellor of Oxford announced my name in the annual report.

Nobody ever mentions students there usually. But he mentioned mine. I finished my exam at 7 pm and took a flight to Kuala Lumpur at 10 pm. I did well in my exams, I did well in the Commonwealth Games. Oh, I see a great deal of respect outside.

Yes, I love going out and shooting, because people actually turn around and say, 'She is a good shooter.' I enjoy this. I enjoy watching the Indian flag going up. Whatever the people do to me, this country is still my country. And, I love doing that for the country. I remember the sacrifices my parents made for me. That keeps me going.

Even though India did not treat you well, even though Indians do not treat you well, you would like to represent India?

Call me a fool, if you will. That is how it is.

After coming back from the Commonwealth Games, Jaspal Rana said, it was very difficult to get license to buy guns and ammunition here in India. The bureaucratic hurdles were tiresome for him and he found he could not change a gun in the last 15 years.

On the other hand, he said, his counterparts from other countries bought a gun and, if they don't like it, just sell it and buy another. Was it very difficult if you too?

It's very difficult. For instance, just before I came to India, one ammunition factory gave me 5,000 rounds of ammunition but I couldn't bring it here because I don't have the requisite licenses. Yes, the problem with shooting it, it is a sport but you need regulations.

But to make Jaspal and myself run around in circles is a bit short-sighted. I am not saying, give us special treatment. I don't think you treat Azharuddin the same way you treat the back street boy who plays cricket. I don't want to harp on the cricket analogy.

Even now, a team mate from Calcutta wants to practice in Delhi, but she is thinking twice about it because she has to pay to practice in the Delhi range. Isn't that ridiculous? I find that incredibly ridiculous. These kinds of short-sighted bureaucracy need to be dealt with.

I had to spend so much time thinking about whether to change my rifle and I finally changed it after saving for two years. Other shooters in England try a rifle for a month and if they don't like it, they buy a different rifle and start afresh. That is because their sponsors pay for their guns.

Then in England, every year I shot at least 20-24 matches but here in India you can shoot only one major match a year, the nationals.

Were you representing Oxford?

I was representing both the university and the county. They sent me for a World Cup too. They were very supportive.

How did you perform there?

Pretty well. I have won lots of medals for the university. I can't even tell you how many. Lots. Another funny thing is that when I sent my scores here from Oxford, the government would not accept them because they said those were not Olympic conditions.

I had to pay 600 pounds to come back to India for a trial. Here I am, trying hard, studying there and shooting, and yet they make me do all this. These are the sort of things, which discourages you.

Was the university very encouraging?

Of course, they supported me all the time. Everywhere except here, I have received the greatest support.

Did they ever look at you as an Indian, or just another university student?

I was seen as an individual. After the Commonwealth Games, there was an article in the Oxford Mail titled, Our Golden Girl. They didn't consider the fact that I did it for India. They were just happy that I was from Oxford.

What are your plans now? Will you settle down here or abroad?

I've got a job in New York and I am waiting for the papers to come through. Coaching is better outside. There is more encouragement outside because they like the fact that people do other things in life too.

But there, from the time I was in 12^th standard, I got support only from my parents and friends. People would come up to me and say, now that you are in 12^th, you should stop shooting.

When I was in college and when I went to Oxford also, I heard the same thing. Then there is the pressure to stop shooting if you get married. I enjoy shooting as much as I enjoy cooking. It is a part of my personality. People do not understand this.

What do you think is the psychology behind this advice?

I think people don't like anyone doing anything extraordinary. There is a tendency to allow people to be just mediocre.

People