At 21, Manjula Veeraragavan juggles a career
with HCL Technologies and represents
Tamil Nadu at National level in shooting\u00bbPAGE 03

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ith a ri\ufb02e crooked be- tween her shoulder and \ufb01st, Manjula Veeraraga-

van steadies herself, peers down the scope of her ri\ufb02e, and leans back slightly. The air is heavy with silence and stillness, except for the sounds of the morning breeze.

Ten seconds later, there\u2019s a crack of a bullet as she pulls the trigger and one can see the ever fascinating twist of smoke com- ing out of the gun\u2019s slot. Birds happily chattering and resting on a patch of grass under a tree scat- ter away for their lives. Bull\u2019s eye!

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain it,\u201d she says, reviewing her shot. \u201cIt feels like you have so much power. You just have to be in the right mental state.\u201d

Squeezing the trigger comes with a great sacri\ufb01ce for Manjula. The 21-year-old juggles hard for time \u2013 she works as a legal ad- ministrator at HCL Technologies and also pursues an MBA degree through correspondence. After a gruelling week of work, she pro- ceeds to Madurai on Fridays. Rig- orous

sessions punctuate her weekends and be- fore she knows it, she\u2019s back. But Manjula remains surprisingly un- ruf\ufb02ed.

\u201cI\u2019ve always believed that the human brain can concentrate on more things than one. I like it that my schedule is jam-packed,\u201d she smiles.

Manjula\u2019s tryst with shooting started when she was the Cadet Under Of\ufb01cer in the NCC wing of JBAS College. \u201cNCC kindled my interest in shooting. The rigorous competitions and training ses- sions were tiring, yet very excit- ing,\u201d she says.

Eager to continue, she applied for a membership with the Chen- nai Ri\ufb02e Club in 2008, but was unable to pay the initial subscrip- tion of Rs. one lakh. Not dishear- tened, she proceeded to the Madurai Ri\ufb02e Club, where she met renowned coach K.Velshan- kar. After practicing for two weeks, the coach asked her to join the club, impressed by her talent.

Manjula was deemed \ufb01t to take part in the 34th State Level Shoot- ing Championship. Pre-nation- als, the G.V. Mavlankar Shooting Championship followed, and she emerged successful at fourth place scoring 567/600.

It was raining medals, and Manjula was selected to repre- sent Tamil Nadu at the National level. There\u2019s been no looking back after that.

Compared to other sports, shooting is quite expensive. An air-ri\ufb02e \ufb01t for competitions can cost around Rs. one lakh, and more money fades away for bul- lets and pellets. And when big bucks seem to go up in a poof of smoke, there is an increasing need for sponsors. \u201cMost of what

I earn will go towards my family. And my expenses would primari- ly include food, transportation and bullets.\u201d

Manjula is desperately trying to make all ends meet. \u201cI thought I\u2019ll start a business. Currently, I\u2019m in a contract to sell ladies salwar materials. I\u2019ve also managed to buy a computer through which I could do some extra paperwork and medical transcriptions.\u201d

Right now, her sights are \ufb01xed on the National Shooting Cham- pionship 2009 in Jharkhand where she represents Tamil Na- du. \u201cDuring practice, when I know that I have only 10 bullets, my concentration is disrupted and that is not good.\u201d

In a cricket-crazy nation, shooting probably never had a \ufb01ghting chance. But thanks to

people like Abhinav Bindra and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, this discipline seems to be getting more limelight. Manjula puts it forth very candidly. \u201cI need spon- sors and the sport needs more publicity.\u201d

Manjula shells out nearly Rs. 5,000 every month for practice. This would translate into nearly Rs. 30,000, if she has to meet all her needs and gear up for the Na- tional Championship. \u201cI\u2019m aim- ing for the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. I want to prove myself and bring more laurels to our nation,\u201d she says.

To put it in her words, \u201cI have the \ufb01re in my blood, and with a little help, I can reach great heights in \ufb01ring.\u201d\u25a0

juggles a career
with HCL
Technologies and
represents Tamil
Nadu at National
level in shooting

when I know
that I have
only 10
bullets, my

is disrupted
and that is
not good.