Arjuna Awardee: From using ten-rupee rackets, Manoj Sarkar now uses silver rackets share his story with MyPencildotcom.

Manoj Sarkar is a para-badminton player from India who competes in the SL-3 classification. He won a bronze medal in the men’s singles event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics after defeating Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara. In 2017, he won a silver medal in the Para-Badminton World Championships of the Badminton World Federation (BWF)

Highlights

• Manoj Sarkar started playing Badminton with ten rupees racket.
• He has that jealousy factor to win a gold medal after winning the silver medal.
• He has an interest in Cricket and Chess as well

Mypencildotcom- How has been your journey till now?

Manoj: My journey started with a ten rupees racket and ended with the silver racket, which I received from one of my fans. I remember the day when I cried for a racket and even was beaten up by my mother. Anyhow, I convinced my mother and today I’m here in front of everyone.

Mypencildotcom- When did you realize that you have an interest in Badminton?

Manoj: Initially, it was decided that I’ll play it professionally but I always had a jealousy factor of winning the game whenever I used to play Badminton with my friends. Then, I came to know about its district, state, and international level and I decided to play it professionally. Even now, I have that jealousy factor to win a gold medal after winning the silver medal.

Mypencildotcom- Do you like any other sports other than Badminton?

Manoj: Yes, I have an interest in Badminton, Cricket and Chess. We used to play seasonal games such as Badminton in the winters and Cricket in the summers. I love tennis because it has taught me a lesson of our life that one should always watch both negative as well as positive sides of our lives.

Mypencildotcom- How did you manage your studies along with Badminton?

Manoj: Actually, I love to play Badminton and even I got scolded by my father for playing it the whole day. I remember an incident when my father took me along with him to paint a house and there was a woman who scolded me for not doing the work properly, then my father told him that my son will do something big other than painting. Those words of my father and the dream of my mother made me manage my studies and Badminton.

Mypencildotcom- Who is your inspiration?

Manoj: My inspiration is my mother who always motivates me to work hard and be a good person before winning any award. I always keep these two things in my mind before doing anything in my life.

Mypencildotcom: How do you handle your mental pressure during the matches?

Manoj: It wasn’t much difficult to handle the pressure because I always have the support of my parents and they always thought me to enjoy the game and always give my best. Even when I met our Prime Minister, he also told me that I shouldn’t take any pressure and enjoy my game without thinking about anything. Our people will always be there for us whether we win or lose.

Mypencildotcom: One message you would like to give to the young players?

Manoj: One message I would like to give to all the young players is that one should always step out from their house and their family members must support them. To become a successful player, they must get support from their friends, coaches, and other ministers as well. I would like to thank all the players who are stepping ahead to make their countries proud.

Mypencildotcom- What are all the new things that you have learned during a lockdown?

Manoj: During the lockdown,I started observing the things that are going on in our world, and also, I love spending time with children. Whenever I go to an academy to train my children, I forget about all the problems and feel very happy.

Mypencildotcom- One message you would like to give to all the readers or viewers of mypencildotcom.

Manoj: I would like to tell all my juniors that you must try to bring a change in society. Whatever problem you have faced, shouldn’t be faced by your juniors or upcoming players. Do hard work and enjoy your life.