Abhinav’s farmhouse in Chandigarh. Picture by Gajinder Singh

Aug. 11: A “cool guy” who knew what he wanted and never let anything ruffle him. That’s the picture of a pre-teen Abhinav Bindra that emerged today after talking to the shooter’s former classmates and teachers at Dehra Dun’s Riverdale School.

“He was a sports buff and a good student, too. You could easily identify him in a group since he was such a remarkably cool guy. He never got too excited about anything nor too depressed,” said Jashbala Singh, a teacher at Riverdale where students distributed sweets today after holding a special prayer for Abhinav on Saturday and Monday morning.

Abhinav, born on September 28, 1982, studied at Riverdale from 1987 to 1993 before his family moved to Chandigarh.

Prem Kumar, a former classmate, said Abhinav developed an interest in marksmanship, be it archery or rifle shooting, by the time he was six.

Anish Gupta, another classmate, said it was clear very early on that Abhinav would be an achiever.

“He had an uncluttered mind and never toyed with too many ideas. He was choosy about which sport he would take up,” Gupta, a computer engineer in Delhi, said.

“Abhinav liked shooting although a shooter had to keep standing for long hours with the rifle for practice. But he would do it.”

After Abhinav completed primary school, he made shooting practice his prime focus. His early training came from several coaches in Dehra Dun, such as Baibhav Agase. Later, he was coached in Chandigarh by J.S. Dhillon.

Charanjit Narula, a shooter in Dehra Dun, said: “I believe shooting is a mental game because it demands concentration. I saw Bindra reaching an extraordinary level of concentration during shooting practice. What brought him the gold is his abundant patience and concentration.”

‘Olympian’ hotel

Abhinav’s father A.S. Bindra today said he would open a hotel in Dehra Dun to celebrate his son’s victory, setting off light-hearted speculation in the Uttarakhand capital about its possible name.

“Would it be Olympian or Abhinav? We don’t know yet. Anyway, it would be a gift to Dehra Dun,” said Ravish Pant, a BJP leader close to Uttarakhand tourism minister Prakash Pant.

Uttarakhand chief minister B.C. Khanduri has sent a congratulatory message to Abhinav.