For these honchos, health like wealth is the bottom line

The chairman of Yash group of companies, Gnanesh Bhagat, played basketball at national level in 1984-89. He remains connected to the sport by organising basketball tournaments. He plans to kick-start a state-level basketball league with eight teams.

Bhagat is among the select few who strongly remain bonded to sports despite their busy business schedules. Realtors Dipak Patel and Rajesh Brahmbhatt, and technocrat Kaushal Mehta are ultra-marathon runners. Claris group vice-chairman Arjun Handa loves football, while Zydus Cadila’s managing director Sharvil Patel loves lawn tennis and skiing.

Despite the mounting pressure in their boardrooms, these corporate honchos manage time for their favourite sports.

"It started off as casual practice to remain fit nine years ago, but running has now become a passion for me," said Dipak Patel, partner, Siddhi Developers. Patel, 44, has run around 40 marathons ranging from 21km to 161km. In 2018, he finished the 110km long Malnad Ultra marathon in Karnataka and the 161km trail in Kutch.

Rajesh Brahmbhatt, 50, CMD, bSafal Builders and Developers, is also an ardent marathon runner. Last year, he finished the Iron Man challenge in Dubai — a triathlon including 1.9km swimming, 90km cycling and 21.1km running.

Arjun Handa played professional soccer for almost 10 years. He took part in district and state level tournaments. "I am very emotional about football. I have learnt more from this sport than anything else in life," Handa says.

This second-generation entrepreneur now wants to give back to the sport and bring football into limelight. Handa, who also serves as the president of Ahmedabad District Football Association (ADFA), financially supports good clubs and young footballers. He actively supports soccer tournaments, especially the one organised by The Times of India.

Kaushal Mehta, vice president and general manager, TTec, has been running marathons since 1995. "My first marathon was a 19km run in San Francisco. Since then, running has remained an integral part of my life," said Mehta.

"My most memorable marathon was the 2,500th edition of the Athens Marathon in Greece, where I ran 42km on a hilly terrain. During the final uphill climb, I was barely left with any energy. But an 88-year-old woman handed me an olive branch as a sign of hope to keep me going," he said.

Sharvil Patel, MD, Zydus Cadila is enthusiastic about tennis. "I am particular about my tennis session every evening and find it a great stress buster. A holiday at a skiing destination once a year is also something I enjoy. The rush of speed on the slopes, sense of adventure and having fun with family and friends, makes it really exciting," Patel says.

The lessons learnt on sports fields also come handy in business management. "Strategising, teamwork, making sacrifices and discipline are qualities that I imbibed from football and I use them to effectively manage business as well," Handa said. Agrees Dipak Patel, who says, "One needs to have patience while running alone for 24 hours or 48 hours in an ultra-marathon. This has taught me to keep calm and focused to achieve long-term growth in business."