After battling past a brief spell of ‘depression’ due to loneliness, seasoned archer Jayanta Talukdar has begun a fresh journey.
Talukdar, who is employed with Tata, was asked to go on self-isolation on reaching Jamshedpur on March 24 following the suspension of the national camp in Pune.
He was happy to have overcome a period of loneliness as he resumed outdoor training on Monday following partial relaxation of the lockdown.
“I don’t know how and when the Archery Association of India (AAI) will conduct the selection trials for the Olympics. I should stay prepared so that I can attend the trial anytime,” Talukdar told Sportstar .
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Talukdar, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, said the break in the camp disturbed his rhythm. “I was doing well in the camp and had a close competition with Tarundeep Rai for the third spot (in the men’s team event) after Atanu Das and Pravin Jadhav. After the lockdown, there was no scope to step out.
“Inside the house, I did some exercises, yoga and bow control. If you don’t practice bow control, then it will take you one month to regain control. Since I was practising it indoors, I will get back my touch in 10 to 15 days.”
For 34-year-old Talukdar, the biggest challenge was his mental agony. “It was frustrating, I had several sleepless nights. My wife (Pallavi Bora), who is a dentist based in my hometown Guwahati, tried to motivate me over phone. She advised me to try out different things, like writing down good memories and drawing sketches. It helped me channelise my energy positively.”
Besides, Talukdar tried new things in the kitchen. “I learnt some new items, such as white-sauce pasta, poori-subji and egg roll. Interestingly, I started making pasta by watching a video but I was not convinced about it. Then I completed it by watching another video. Thankfully, the pasta turned out to be quite yummy,” said Talukdar, looking forward to brighter days.
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