CHENNAI: As the Asian Games drew closer, Harjeet Kaur and Amrik Singh started spending more time at Gurudwara Gian Sagar in Fatta Maluka village of Mansa district, Punjab. Their day used to start around 3 AM and after completing their morning chores, the couple used to reach the gurudwara by 4 AM. A couple of visits with each of them spanning around three to four hours became a ritual. It only intensified as their son informed them about a development that sparked a huge controversy in the Indian rowing camp thousand miles apart in Nagoya, Japan.
With their boats and crew changed a couple of days before the competition, rowers were in intense pain and each of them found their own way to vent out ire. Satnam Singh, a 26-year-old Indian Navy rower, shared the pain with his parents — Harjeet and Amrik — and they in turn decided to turn to the almighty to help their son out of the trouble unharmed.
"My mother started the ritual almost a month ago even when I was training at the Army Rowing Node in Pune. Father joined her a few days later. They used to sit in gurudwara for hours praying for my success," Satnam, who created history with Salman Khan by bagging India's first medal — a bronze — in double sculls at the continental multi-sport on Thursday, told TNIE.
Satnam, who had bagged a bronze in the men's quadruple sculls in the previous edition in 2023, wanted to change the colour of the medal this time around and was confident to achieve his goal in company of Salman, Jakar Khan and Balraj Panwar. The big shuffle, however, meant he and Salman were switched to double sculls only two days before the competition. "Anyways my parents were praying for my success but the change in boat and crew inclined them more towards god. If the recent development was a test for me, they decided to test their god as they wanted the divine powers to help me sail through the storm. People used to ask them why they were spending so much time, especially at such an old age but they never paid heed to them. They wanted their son to succeed, no matter what the situation was and relented only when I finished on the podium."
Harjeet is 53 while Amrik, a small-time farmer, is 55. Visitors to the gurudwara knew what the couple was wishing for and they apprised the duo that their prayers had come true when Satnam won the medal. "I called them after winning the medal but they were already aware of it. It was an emotional moment for everyone there at gurudwara," said Satnam.
The race on a boat, which he was not used to, was tough and so was the build-up to it. Satnam knew that and decided to give more than 100 per cent. Despite competing in a completely different event on an unfamiliar boat, Satnam and Salman were second until the 1500m mark before being overtaken by Uzbekistan's Pavel Sorin and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov (6:10.49). They clocked 6:13.25 to finish third in the race, which was won by the Chinese pair of Yi Xudi and Yide Nie (6:09.37). "When a person has a heart attack, his heart rate goes above 200. We were above 200 for most of the race. We were exhausted and could not stand up on our feet after completing the race. The race is also a battle against oneself and I am happy we overcame pain, pressure and disappointment to win a medal for the country," Satnam told reporters after the triumph in Nagoya.
A few days before heading to Nagoya, the rowing contingent attended a session conducted by a mind trainer in Pune. After the session, the trainer asked each of them to write a message on the whiteboard. Satnam's note was 'mai apne mata aur pita ki ummeed par khara utruga' (I will live up to my parents' expectations). With the historic bronze, Satnam kept his words.