Anjali Bhagwat: An eye for the bull’s-eye!

It might be monsoon time elsewhere, but there is sunshine in the heart of a very proud husband. Mandar Bhagwat’s eyes light up as he looks at wife Anjali. After all, the ace shooter has returned home with a golden haul from the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
To add to their joy, Anjali, who has been shooting for 13 years now, has been ranked No 1 in the world.But being back with her family is what gives her a high right now. ‘‘Ours is a joint family,’’ she informs, ‘‘and I am very grateful for all the support my in-laws and my husband have lent to me. It feels great to be back home.’’ Unfortunately, Anjali’s parents haven’t been able to make it for celebratory functions held in her honour. ‘‘They are in the US, visiting my elder sister,’’ she explains.
Anjali and Mandar are visibly in love, but the 32-year-old shooter, who practises for five-six hours daily, confesses that she has no time to spare for the man in her life. ‘‘We had an arranged marriage a year and a half back,’’ she says with a smile, ‘‘Since then, I have been constantly touring and have hardly spent two months at home.
In fact, I will fly to Munich on August 17 for the World Championship. But Mandar is always helpful. Since I don’t have the time to read technical books on shooting, he does my homework for me. Even my in-laws take care of all my duties. I have never even cooked in my house. In fact, my bags are packed for me!’’
Mandar, 34, playfully butts in: ‘‘She doesn’t have the time to check her mail — I do it for her. Her career as a shooter started taking off just before our marriage, so I expected this. And I certainly don’t mind setting up stuff for my wife. You can call me her manager. Thankfully, I’m a businessman. It would have been tougher if I had a 9-to-5 job.’’ Mandar has set up a small shooting range on the terrace of the couple’s home in Mumbai.
Anjali was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Commandant by CISF. But then, gold medals have silver linings too.