Education is important. Next course in Nalanda?
Her shooting aside, Bhaker is also quite proud of her academic achievements.
She scored upwards of 90 per cent in most of her subjects in 12th standard and also qualified for Tokyo Olympics around the same time.
For this balance too, she gives some credit to Rana, who, along with her brother, persuaded her to pick the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi University for her graduation, outrightly rejecting her plan of going for an online course.
“…He (Rana) and my brother, both were so persistent that ‘you must have your degree from his college even if you do not get the kind of time that you require to study and pass the exams (with high marks). We will try to help you with the assignments’,” Bhaker said.
And having managed to log good scores both with her pistol and her books, Bhaker said she would advise every budding athlete to do the same.
“It should go hand in hand because, personally, for me I think it has played a major role.” The importance of education was one thing on which Rana and Bhaker were on the same page wholeheartedly.
Rana even went to the extent of saying that he refuses to train youngsters who drop out of school to pursue only shooting.
“…you won’t last forever, so whenever you give up (sports), then you have to have something (to fall back upon). I make sure they (my wards) are studying . I don’t take any kids who have left school or those who don’t want to study further. I don’t even train with them,” he said.
Bhaker chimed in to reveal that Rana has been pushing her to do a course of her choice from the recently-inaugurated Nalanda University, a great centre of learning in the fifth century before being destroyed by invaders 700 years later.
Asked what would be her subject of choice, the former political science student said, “…I am open to anything. You give me a subject, in probably 2-3 months I’ll get used to it. I will make my peace with it.”
But it would certainly not be maths. She admitted to being bad at it and Rana took the opportunity to tease her for it.
“She doesn’t even remember the points she is winning or losing (in a match), so that’s the best thing,” he quipped, evoking a laugh from her too, doing his other job of keeping her grounded to perfection.
