By Mihir Srivastava
I have known Sangran Singh for 15 years and never doubted what he has achieved to make it big. It was always a foregone conclusion.
Sangram has outmanoeuvred his limiting circumstances by the din of his progressive spirit.
“We have to make the best use of our life and that has to be selfless service to others,” he has told me repeatedly. It may seem a cliche; it’s a cliche. Though, unlike many, he tries to practise what he preaches. And the phenomenal transformation he’s undergone is testimony to the fact that he's a man of action.
When I first came across Sangam, he was a hulk of a wrestler who had won medals for India. A congenial fellow, witty, had something profound to add about everything. I did judge him for his shenanigans.
His rural upbringing in the village Madina in Rohtak, Haryana, is something he has never been apologetic about, and wears it as a batch of honour, even when hanging out with the glitterati of Mumbai–the company he keeps these days.
However, in the years that followed, he shed all the bulk and chiselled out a toned muscular body of a city lad. Like Michelangelo, perhaps one of the greatest sculptors, famously said, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to release it.” Sangram released his new self, but the spirit remains the same. And he takes care of his body like a temple, a poster-boy of vegetarianism. No surprise he was the brand ambassador of PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organisation, and posed in the lotus position with nothing to cover but a figleaf to further the cause of ethical treatment of animals.
As a child, Sangram alias Sanjit Kumar suffered from arthritis and was confined to a wheelchair. This condition didn’t deter him, instead, it motivated him to be a wrestler. Mind is limiting and restraining. If your mind masters you, you remain stuck in a cocoon of self-making. If you master your mind, limitless is the possibilities. You can change circumstances by the dint of your perseverance. This early triumph against a debilitating condition became a lesson for life: The power to redefine your circumstances is within you.
Now he’s a celebrity, with a huge social capital asset–millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram. His words carry weight and inspire a whole generation. He is a repository of earthen wisdom and foresight. Also, an actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, health guru, and even has been accorded honorary doctorates. Though, he likes to identify himself as a motivational speaker. He speaks to the best of the best, students of IIT, and IIMs and never fails to inspire them. He doesn't prepare his speech, the pearls of wisdom come to him intuitively.
In 2021, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports made him the brand ambassador and an icon of the Fit India campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage people to lead active and healthy lives.
On the personal front, Sangram recently got married to Payal Rohatgi, his longtime girlfriend. It was a gala event attended by top politicians and actors. But he hasn’t lost touch with the ground, and his essential self. And his parents remain his sole inspiration, and taking them for a world tour is a life ambition that he will realise soon.
The golden cage of Bollywood hasn’t been able to confine his spirit. He’s emerged as a thought leader, and his sway is beyond the film fraternity. He has an incredible following not just in his home state of Haryana, but pan-India. And has connections with people in the corridors of power. His current display picture on Whatsapp is him having a private audience with the prime minister.
He can be alone in a company. He’s emotional and has deep bonds with people, yet draws strength from his solitude. His compassionate worldview is laced with an incredible sense of pragmatism and business acumen, which, to me, is akin to spiritual enlightenment. He’s a huge reservoir of motivation and keeps working towards the goals that he has set his mind to. Every day of his life, he’s trying “to be a better version of himself.” And he doesn’t stop trying even if the success seems onerous, bordering implausible.
Things have a habit of happening to him. Sangram has never failed for long enough, though, there were phases of testing times when a lesser mortal would have backed out. Life has thrown many challenges to him, and he’s gotten better, always. He thrives on challenges.
All these years, I have been observing him. And my reason for his indefatigable attitude to life is that he never takes anything personally. And doesn’t play to the audience, is comfortable in his own skin and can look unto self as a witness.
I cherish our walks in the Lodi Garden after the sundown, him feeding ducks is a sight etched in my memory. He treats a pauper and a king with similar kindness. In that sense, he’s a humanist. A humorous humanist.
Sangram has come a long way. As he always says, “I stand on zero.” His zero is an enviable position. The present moment. It's not a lack of progress but, paradoxically, symbolises a whole world of unexplored possibilities and potentialities. And for a man like him, perhaps, the journey or the quest is the destination. Over the years, he has picked up pace. He's now capable of preaching a preacher.
I have a bad habit of asking people “Where are you?” when I call them to ascertain if they are in a position to talk. He has a patent reply, “ I stay in your heart.”
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