80% sporting talent comes from rural India: Sangram

Wrestler Sangram Singh, who was in Lucknow for the inauguration of the Khelo Bharat Mission of the youth wing of the

Bhartiya Janta Party

, urged the youth to take to sports more sincerely. Sangram, who met UP Governor

Ram Naik

and UP CM Yogi Adityanath during his stay in Lucknow, also stressed on the government promoting sports and scouting for talent in the rural areas.
After spending two days in the city, Sangram was particularly impressed with the vibe of Lucknow. "Woh kehte hain na ki muskuraiyye ki aap Lucknow mein hain. Yahan sab logon ke chehre pe muskurahat hi mili mujhe. Koi pareshan nahi laga," said he when we met him at the

Governor House

on Friday. "Lucknow toh mujhe bahut hi achha laga. Bahut hi khoobsurat jagah hai yeh. Magar bahut saare patthar lage hain yahan. Kayi jagah toh itne saare ki jitney 5 sheheron mein honge. The only thing that I didn't like about the city is its traffic. Firstly, there are too many vehicles on the road and secondly people just don’t drive well. Koi kahin se bhi bas apni gaadi laga deta hai, chahe woh road hi kyun na block kar de. Uske liye people here should either start using the cycle to commute or start walking. Otherwise, Lucknow kaafi achha laga."
The guest of honour in the Khelo Bharat Mission programme held in Lucknow on Thursday, Sangram gave quite a few suggestions to UP CM Yogi Adityanath to promote sports among the youth in the state. "Yesterday I got a lot of time to spend with the youth of the city and motivate them to play sports. I also met CM Yogi Aditynathji and the deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dr Dinesh Sharma ji. This initiative that they have taken of promoting sports among youth is excellent and very commendable. Programme mein Poonam Mahajan aur Chetan Chauhan se bhi main mila and they all said they want to promote sports in the state. So, I told them to pay attention to games like wrestling, kabaddi and boxing too and other desi sports. I told them that the strength or the progress of a country is judged by its sportsperson and its army," said Sangram.

Sangram Singh with UP CM Yogi Adityanath (L) and with governor Ram Naik. The UP Governor also gifted Singh an autographed book of his (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)

Sangram further adds, "When an athlete participates and wins medals in international sporting events, then the whole world hails him and says yeh falan country ka hai. I also give a fitness mantra to everyone. I told them ki main toh total vegetarian hoon and this is what I follow. Khana ek baar, workout do baar, paani teen guna kar dena aur hasna chaar guna kar dena, bas phir aap fit rahoge. Aur main dekh raha tha Yogiji, apni humble si smile liye hue baithe meri baat sunn rahe thay. Yogiji told me, 'Sangram it’s very good what you have achieved in life’. I told him that 80% of our sporting talent has come from the rural areas, so in UP also they should promote sports in villages and they will surely get lots of talented sportsperson from there. I suggested the government to have institutes in villages and stadiums to encourage sportspersons."
And not just giving suggestions to the UP CM, Sangram too has plans to promote sports in the state by way of organizing wrestling championships. "I am planning to start a KD Jadhav Memorial International Championship in which I will have wrestling tournaments all over India," says the wrestler, adding, "I will make a foundation and through that encourage youngsters to participate in sports activities. Jadhavji was my idol and he inspired people like me to rise above our disabilities and achieve success in life. If I can replicate that and do even the tiniest bit of what he did, I will feel blessed. I am ready to do whatever is required to have talent promoted and brought forward in any state, not just Haryana or UP, but anywhere in India."

Praveen Bhoria, ADC to UP governor (L) and Sangram Singh share a joke when the two met at the Governor House in Lucknow (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)

Although Sangram is planning a film on Jadhav too, with him playing the title role, he says there will be a big announcement in the coming days. "Do-chaar din mein ek bada announcement aayega aapke paas,": he says with a smile, adding, "In the mean time, I am coming with a very big TV show. It will have huge celebrities of India and from sports as guests which I will be hosting. I don’t have time to do fiction movies or shows so I am starting with this show," he says.
Going steady with actor Payal Rohatgi, whom he met during his stint on the show 'Bigg Boss', the duo got engaged a couple of years ago and have been keeping people guessing about their marriage. Ask him when the two plan on getting married and Sangram says, "We do keep planning to get married every year, but bhaaga-daudi lagi rehti hai hum dono ki. But we will try and get married this year. And yes, Delhi se hi karenge shaadi warna sab kahenge ki isne toh yahan itna khaaya hai, hamein kuchh khilaya bhi nahi. Baki Haryana aur Mumbai mein bhi kuchh functions karenge. But main itna kahunga, Payal has always supported me. She has taught me to dress and to be presentable and what to do. So I am trying to do things the right way to keep her happy."
Coming from a typically Haryanavi Jat family, we wonder what his parents have to say about his alliance with Payal. "Haryana has changed a lot. My parents do live in the village but they are quite modern. They said to me ki beta humne apni zindagi jee li, ab aap apni zindagi apni tarah khushi se jiyo. My mother told me you marry whoever you want to, as long as you are happy. My parents are very accommodating and I know they will always support me." But we ask how Payal likes his village and Sangram laughs and says, "Payal gayi thi mere saath mere gaon mein. Usey laga jaise woh chaand pe aayi hui hai. Woh aapko pata hai na gaon mein, na proper ghar hota hai na poper toilet, toh woh boli agli baar subah jayenge aur sham ko wapas aa jayenge. Maine usko bola kyun kya problem hai, sab achha toh hai, so she just said I won't understand," says Sangram with a laugh.