(Picture: Shuvo Roychaudhury)
Stud of all sports
Akash Mukerjee is an all-rounder when it comes to sports. The list of sports he doesn’t play is shorter than the list of the ones he plays. “I started with swimming back in Class V, but it was just for fun. Soon, I was asked to represent Tolly Club and that’s where I started taking it a lot more seriously,” said Akash, who is also into track and field, football, rowing, golf, hockey and rugby. “My interest in sports grew because of my school (LMB) which had regular inter-house tournaments. I started playing more and more sports and realised I was quite good at them. After that, I started training and got better.”
And soon, his priorities were sorted out. “My school had an event called Athletic Standard, which made it mandatory for everyone to run. It would be the trial for the school team. When I was in Class VI, I ran and I broke the school’s 30-year-old record in the 100m sprint. That’s when I realised, ‘Oh, I’m not that bad’. I also love rowing. I loved playing football as well, but in a team sport, you have to depend too much on others. So, I consciously started focusing more on track and field and rowing”.
Sports in his bloodline
Akash has worked hard, but luckily has had a solid support system at home. “A lot of Bengali parents have this typical, ‘stop playing, pora shona koro’ mentality, but that wasn’t the case for me. My father (Dhrubo Mukerjee) was the school captain at Assembly of God Church and now plays golf regularly. My mother (Roopa Ganguly) was also into track and field in school. And motorsport as well, where she has taken part in car rallies. Sports runs in my family.” But at times, it’s been tough. “Mornings and evenings are the best time to study and also the best time to train. So it’s tough to do both.”
But where there’s a will, there’s a way. “It’s all about scheduling more than anything else. On some days you have to do less training and more studying and vice versa.”
AKASH MUKERJEE
School: La Martiniere for Boys
Age: 18
Claim to fame: Sports all-rounder
His Holy Trinity:
1. Won Gold in Asian Rowing Cup, Singapore in 2016
(in picture)
2. Gold in Indoor Rowing at Lake Club (broke the West Bengal Ergometer record for 500m)
3. Gold in Lake Club Regatta in 2016
HIS FAVE FIVE
Movie
The World’s Fastest Indian
Song
It keeps changing… currently Ariana Grande’s Side To Side
Actor
Jim Parsons
Actress
Natalie Portman
Book
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Guess what? A for Actor too
“Apart from sports, theatre is the only other thing I do.” Well, considering he’s Roopa Ganguly’s son, one shouldn’t be surprised. “My mother never really pressured me into acting, but she’d be happy if I went into the field. I like acting, but I’m not really as serious about it as I am when it comes to sports.”
Parties missed for a cause
Sports training means you sleep when your friends head out to party and wake up as they head home. “Yes, I have had to completely sacrifice that. If you’re serious about a certain sport, you have to give up on your social life when the season is on. The only friends you’ll have are the ones who you train with every day. Parties are always attractive for people my age! But I guess if you’re getting success at what you’re doing, it becomes irrelevant.”
Mother Strength
Akash has mostly grown up with his father, as his mother was based in Bombay (she had shot to national stardom as Draupadi) during most of his childhood. “My father was the disciplinarian. My mother always used to pamper me because we’d meet less. But I’ve learnt a lot from her by seeing her go through ups and downs. She has always told me how hard she has had to work to get to where she is now. She’s been an immense source of strength for me.”
Fast forward
He’ll be sitting for his Class XII exams next year but athletics is still a major chapter of his life. “I’m only applying to colleges which have a strong track and field and rowing facilities. So I want to continue doing both in college. There’s nothing fixed, but I’m open to the idea of taking it up on a full-time basis. As of now, I’ve applied to Rollins College, The University of British Columbia, Boston University, Miami University and The University of Tampa. Let’s see!”
t2 says all the best!
Rwitoban Deb
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