The first impression Yogeshwar Dutt, frazzled mane and hazy eyes and all, evokes is a sense of rawness of an archetypal pehalwan, tattling in the pre-independent era of uninhibited bouts on slippery mud rings, when you out-muscle than score technical points over your opponent.
But beneath his impassive old-worldliness is a staunch pro, clinically dissecting every aspect of the game and nuancing his technique, with the single-mindedness of a hymn-chanting yogi. So, even after his bronze feat in the London Olympics, he is braced for fresher challenges and loftier ambitions.
After the bronze, life has changed beyond his wildest imagination. He owns an SUV, bought a smart phone and a laptop, has lost count of the number of felicitations he had to oblige, bought a well-furnished apartment in Sonepat, so on and so forth. But something of him hasn’t changed at all — a streak of humility that seems to be innate. ”My medal was not just my own effort, but of my parents, coaches, friends and colleagues, and of course their prayers. I’m what I am because of them,” he stated.
A knee injury prevented him from competing in the Asian Championship, but he believes he can carry on till the Rio Olympics. “It’s quite far away and I’ll be three years older. But I think I can compete and win a medal for the country. As Sushil said, a wrestler can fight till he is 35. The next aim is to perform well at the World Championship,” he said.