CHENNAI: Dattu Bhokanal's life is a paradox. Despite coming from a drought-prone area, he became a rower. Then, despite passing 10th exams in 2011, he was looking for a job to support family, after his father's untimely death. An army job came calling, and he was introduced to rowing, despite having never heard of the sport.
Now, at 26 and entering the prime of his career, Dattu has just finished his 12th exams, notching a more than passable 52.92 per cent in the Arts stream. Here also, he had to face adversity, with his mother having passed away in December, three months before the exams.
Having overcome hurdles with flying colours, it shows just how tenacious Dattu can be. The motivation for him writing the exams was to call himself a '12th pass'. “It used to be weird when people asked me how far I'd studied. I had to tell them I'm 10th pass. It wasn't like I had failed or something, just that I didn't have time to further study due to my rowing.
“It had been on my mind for the past 4-5 years, to write the 12th exams. But due to competitions, I wasn't able to do so, despite completing 10th way back in 2011. After the Olympics, there were no events lined up. I felt it was the best time to write the exams. It feels good. I can proudly tell people I'm a school pass out,” Dattu told Express.
The rower prepared for exams simultaneously, with his daily training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, where he is a havildar. “My friend used to go to college, and used to tell me what was taught and what was important. I took 17 days of break from army work to prepare and write exams, which I wrote as an independent, as someone who was home-schooled,” Dattu revealed.
It hasn't been easy though, with his mother succumbing in December to internal bleeding in the brain. “I took 15 days of leave from duty to be with my family, during the grieving period. The army has been very supportive,” he noted.
Dattu, who will take part in the Asian Championships in September, doesn't want his academic journey to end. “I want to be called a graduate. I haven't decided which course or college, but it's my new objective. I know balancing college and rowing won't be easy, but I'm willing to work hard and ensure I succeed in both,” signed off the athlete from Nashik in Maharashtra.
raviiyer@newindianexpress.com