Newspapers on 8th December flashed the revelation of Olympian, Anju Bobby George, that she achieved success and reached the top with a single kidney. 

In a tweet the ace athlete said that she had suffered from many limitations and complications due to renal agenesis (born with one kidney), including being allergic to painkillers. "Believe it or not, I'm one of the fortunate, among very few who reached the world top with a single KIDNEY, allergic with even a painkiller, with a dead takeoff leg...Many limitations..still made it. Can we call, magic of a coach or his talent," Anju tweeted. 

The first thought that came to my mind when I read the news is the increasing suicide tendency among the young people of India. If the youth of India could imbibe the indomitable spirit of Anju Bobby George, they would not take recourse to end their lives. She did not allow her physical ailments to defeat her firm determination. 

As per the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), 28 students commit suicide a day in India. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among the youth in the age group of 15-29, according to a WHO study.  

Many people may wonder why Anju revealed this secret only after 17 years she won the long jump bronze in the 2003 Olympics in France. She has said the reason for it in her interview to the media. 

“Earlier, I was ashamed and afraid to reveal that I was living with one kidney. But now I am mature enough to reveal this condition. I am confident that I can inspire others by telling them what I have achieved battling this condition”, said Anju.  

In her response to the media, Anju said that she chose the pandemic season to make this revelation to motivate all the sportspersons in the current generation, who are missing their practice and competitions due to coronavirus.

The purpose of revealing the suffering Anju had undergone during her career as an athlete is to inspire people who may be confronting challenging situations in their lives and to give them hope and courage.

 In her interview with the media she has clarified that people can live with one kidney.  Problems arise when one has to do hard physical exercises. In her case extra workload often led to fatigue and swelling on her body. But in normal situations one can manage with one kidney and therefore there is no need to discourage healthy people from donating a kidney to the neediest. 

 Many people, including Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, appreciated the tweet of Anju and expressed their admiration for her. 

“Anju, it’s your hard work, grit and determination to bring laurels for India supported by the dedicated coaches and the whole technical backup team. We are so proud of you being the only Indian so far to win a medal in the World Athletic Championship!” the minister, Kiran Rijiju, said in his response to her tweet. 

The Athletics Federation of India appreciated her, saying that Anju is among the country’s most inspirational track and field stars. India has honoured Anju with Arjuna Award 2003, Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna 2004 and Padma Shri Award 2004. 

What Anju Bobby George has achieved for India in the field of sports is remarkable in spite of the health issues that tormented her. The medals she won for India reflect her determination, hard work and endurance. 

Source: The Times of India, December 8, 2020

What can the youth of India learn from Anju Bobby George? First of all they should dream big. Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, the former president of India and an icon of youth, used to tell the youth invariably in all his speeches, “dreaming small is a crime”. 

Small dream is limited to oneself and his/her family. Big dream is making a significant contribution to the nation and humanity. Many facilities we enjoy today whether it is in information communication technology, transport, medicine etc, are the results of the big dreams of the previous generations.  Anju had the dream of winning as many laurels as possible for India. 

Dreams without hard work will remain only in the realm of imagination. Dreams are brought into reality mainly through hard work and sacrifices. Those who are in the field of sports and games have to undergo rigorous training and they have to make many sacrifices. They have to keep themselves away from a number of distractions. Gopichand the coach of PV Sindhu in an interview acknowledged that he was very hard on her and he had taken away her phone from her for three months. 

One of the weaknesses of the present day youth is the temptation for quick success and for this they adopt shortcuts. Shortcuts often lead to disaster. During the national emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, one of the quotes kept in the public places was ‘Kati mehnat ka alava koi rastha nahi hai’ (There is no way other than hard work). Sports personalities like Anju and Sindhu are role models of hard work, determination and endurance. 

The most important lesson the youth of India can learn from Anju is the attitude of ‘never to give up’. When a person has a dream and leaves no stone unturned in realizing the dream, many roadblocks and crises may appear in his/her way. Many people give up on the face of obstacles. But Anju showed the indomitable spirit in facing the physical infirmities and mental tensions arising out of renal agenesis. She did not even reveal to others except the close family members that she had serious health problems. That is why she said, “The general perception of the people is that I have a perfect body. But the fact is that I achieved all the success in my field by overcoming all difficulties”.

All those who have achieved greatness in life had to undergo difficulties and crises. Many young people who come to the Universal Solidarity Movement (USM) Indore are inspired by a quote exhibited in the meeting hall. “Each one should believe that nothing is impossible. The more the problems, the greater should be our determination; the more the darkness, the greater the need for us to be the light; the more the indifference, the greater should be our sensitivity”- Varghese Alengaden. 

Anju Bobby George has proved in her life that the more the problems, the greater was her determination and seemingly impossible things were made possible. 

Another significant lesson for the youth from Anju is the need for a mentor to realize the vision and become successful in life. For Anju her husband cum coach, Bobby George, was her mentor.  

In her interview with the media, Anju has gratefully acknowledged the role of her husband in making her life successful. It was a shock for Anju to know that she had only one kidney, but her husband stood with her providing all kinds of support.  “Bobby motivated me to continue my career and achieve success. He even offered his kidney if I face any problem”, she said. 

Very often young people go astray because they do not have reliable mentors to guide and accompany them. As a result, they become the victims of brainwashing by the political and religious leaders and they are exploited by the selfish leaders. Many great personalities had mentors. 

Rama Krishna Paramahamsa was the mentor of Swami Vivekananda. We come to know from the Greek history that Socrates mentored Plato and Plato mentored Aristotle. In the modern times, Steve Jobs was the mentor to Mark Suckerberg. The latter acknowledges the mentoring task of Steve Jobs in the following words, “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.”  

There are a good number of heroes in various fields who rose to great heights in spite of debilitating circumstances or disabilities or infirmities. Sudha Chandran who lost one of her legs in an accident, but later became an outstanding dancer with an artificial leg,

Arunima Sinha, the World's first female amputee to scale Mount Everest, and Nick Vujicic who was born without arms and legs, but became a fascinating motivational speaker, are only a few among those heroes. Anju Bobby George is one of the renowned sports stars of India, but her revelation that she achieved her success with the pain and suffering of a renal agenesis has made her a source of great inspiration, especially to the youth.