From achievers to leaders to the glamourous, in this web series, Outlook Money brings you the views on money matters from some of India’s most influential. The first month of this year is approaching its end. Several of the New Year’s resolutions made this year may have been already broken. But who says you need to wait for planetary revolution to make new decisions that can make tomorrow slightly better than today? Inspiration can come from anyone at anytime. These individuals, each a leader in their respective field, talks about their life, both financial and personal, and lets us know what it takes to make it big in this beautifully scary world. We hope their wisdom empowers you to know how to better secure your financial future.
No need to wrestle with money
For free style wrestling champion Sushil Kumar, money is and was never a priority. “I am from a village. I do not really understand money,” he says.Wresting is in his blood. Both his father and grandfather were into wrestling. “It was the environment in my family that inspired me to choose this as my career,”he says.
Sushil Kumar who was only 14 when he started wrestling, won his first gold at a school level match in Delhi in 1995. This achievement motivated him to such an extent that he entered into wrestling full-fledged. It was three years later, in Manchester, at the World Cadet Games where he won the gold medal in his weight category.
The financial prospects of wrestling as a game is pretty expensive.” A beginner needs a lot of healthy things like butter, milk, ghee, dry fruits, etc. in large quantities. Also after some time they need personal dieticians and physiotherapists. So all this makes the sport an expensive one. Although now the government provides financial aid by giving scholarships the training process is a costly affair. The image of sports as a whole and not just wrestling has transformed a lot after the Beijing Olympics in 2008. People are aware now and have changes their perceptions towards sports,” says a proud Sushil Kumar whose contribution to adding glamour to the sport cannot be overstated.
Talking about his most prized processions, he says “I have never purchased anything on my own. I never buy things for myself. For me wrestling is everything, so the Olympic medals have a lot of importance in my life. They have emotional value as well because it was my grandfather’s dream and he passed away four months before Beijing Olympics. Also it was my guru ji’s (Satpal Singh) and his guru ji’s (Guru Hanuman) dream that somebody should win a medal in wrestling. My guru ji was there with me in Beijing Olympics and that moment was overwhelming for me. So yes I can say this is the most valued possession I have earned.”
