Jitu Rai: Our Own Desi Bond

The Bible states say a man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor. This saying totally fits the bill in case of 27-year-old Jitu Rai. For those of you who don’t know, Jitu, is the current world number one in 10 meter pistol shooting and number four in the 50 meter category, and has brought back home laurels winning gold medals at the recently held Commonwealth Games. Nepalese by birth, yet holding the highest honour for our country is what defines this 5’3” frame with a smile.

“I am proud that I could serve this country and bring back so much appreciation to this sport”, renders a modest Jitu. He moved to Lucknow in 2006, but it was later in 2009 that he took up this precision sport. An employee of the police services, Jitu started his stint with a .9mm pistol that is issued to the police officers. With a pistol in hand, and the center target on his mind, Jitu soon saw his calling in the precision shooting ranges. It was then in 2012, when he was selected to represent the state for national-level games, merely being picked for having sturdy and brawny forearms. He first competed on the international stage in 2013, and within a year and half; he’s sitting on the top of the rankings.

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Before we head to meet him, we had our reservations about him being another full-of-himself kind of prick, just like the other much celebrated shooters in the country. And to our surprise, this lad turned out to be the complete opposite of what we’d expected. He doesn’t come from an affluent background. He was raised in a rather underprivileged, barely meeting the ends kind of an environment, which is rightly reflected in his modest and humble stature. He can barely converse in English, for which he has no qualms, because all he wants is to win big. He doesn’t like to take pot-shots at the fellow members or brag about his achievements; a feat that most of the able sportsman lack in the country. Overawed by his modesty, we ask him about what keeps his feet planted to the ground? To which Jitu verbalizes, “I don’t bother about what I have done, achieved in the past, and what I will be able to conquer in the coming years. I stay focused in the present and quintessentially on my target”. For a shooter with those accolades in his kitty, we ask him about what kind of pressures does he go through on and off the shooting range. To which the unpretentious shooter exclaims that he doesn’t really think of anything besides hitting the bull’s eye of the target. He further tells us how he doesn’t let the feeling of being number one grow over him, as it would only dissuade him from doing what he does best. Jitu has now set his eyes on the 2016 Rio Olympics and something tells us he’ll spread his magic there as well!

Loves:

Playing Volleyball in his free time

Listening to old Hindi songs

Favourite Actor: Aamir Khan

From the September 2014 issue of FHM India.