Sushil Kumar’s mother and grandmother at their home in Najafgarh. (Below) The wrestler’s father, Diwan Singh, talks to his son over the phone. Pictures by Rajesh Kumar

New Delhi, Aug. 20: Peta has a new pin-up boy: wrestler Sushil Kumar, who won a bronze in Beijing, is vegetarian.

“He looks so frail. I hope he doesn’t get sick. When he called after reaching Beijing, he told us the food they had didn’t suit him. He wanted his dal sabzi, he said he could not stand the non-veg food on display and was missing his vegetarian meals. But that didn’t stop him from winning, did it?” laughed friend Kuldeep Sherawat, who, too, is a wrestler.

Makki di roti, dal, sabzi, doodh, ghee, fruits and badam for breakfast, lunch and dinner is what powered Sushil on his way to the Olympics.

What better advertisement for vegetarian power could the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) have hoped for.

But unlike its existing pin-up boy John Abraham, Sushil Kumar might not have time for a shoot. The 25-year-old barely finds the time to go home to Najafgarh, the rural Delhi suburb that exploded in joy today as he became only the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal, after Khasaba Jadhav in Helsinki 1952.

Sushil visits his family at their three-storey home in Baprola village for at best a few days in a year. The rest of the time, home for him is a small hostel room at Chatrasal Stadium, 20km away.

“He knew at a very young age that wrestling was his calling. I remember threatening him with dire consequences if he didn’t study, but it was practice that he was interested in,” mother Kamala Devi said proudly.

“We were happy the way Sushil was playing, but suddenly when he lost the first bout I got disappointed. We started crying, but then news came that hopes for bronze were still alive,” PTI quoted her as saying. “I wish every mother gets a son like Sushil.”

Grandmother Gyano Devi, 87, was teary-eyed as she recalled the day a 12-year-old Sushil bullied his grandfather to take him to a nearby akhara to watch mud-wrestling.

“His grandfather would have been the happiest person in the country today if he were alive. I knew he would win. His grandfather’s dream has finally come true today,” she said softly. His grandfather died four months ago.

But father Diwan Singh, an MTNL driver, has more dreams. “The villagers hope he will get them gold in the Commonwealth Games. He promised us gold this time too, we are a little disappointed, but everyone must remember that he has done it on his own.

“He had no one except me to help him. The government should realise there are sports other than cricket in this country,” said the man who had taken loans to spend Rs 7,000 on his son’s training when he started out. His salary then was Rs 2,000.

The Commonwealth Games are on Sushil’s mother’s mind, too, but for another reason. “I am going to get him a bride after the 2010 Games,” she laughed. “I have rejected quite a few offers, but now he is a super-eligible bachelor.”

In the passage outside the house, villagers beat drums and danced and distributed sweets, celebrating the arrival of a new hero. And the hundreds of commuters stuck in the jam in Najafgarh, also home to cricketer Virender Sehwag, did not seem to mind.

The family did not forget to thank Sushil’s trainer Satpal and three other coaches, Charan Das, Ram Phade and Yashbir. “They really supported Sushil and have a big role in helping my son to this glory,” Kamala Devi said.