Competition is unavoidable. Right from the time your parents conceive you till your death - its a competition all the way. Just as the song goes.....'Maa ke pet se marghat tak hai teri kahani pag pag pyaare - Dangal Dangal'
As soon as you are out in this world, your first contest is your fight against illnesses to become healthy and strong. Luckily - your mother takes care of this one.
As you grow older, there are a lot of fights with your siblings.
Still older and you compete - in exams, with friends, with classmates.
Still older and you may compete for the girl you love (depending on your inclination !!).
Still older and you compete with your colleagues to earn more money or for a particular corporate position.
Still older and you once again struggle with your health and compete with illnesses before dying.
You may like some of the contests, others you dont, still others you hate and god help you in those where you even fear participation !!
Of these I have discovered that the contests I enjoy the most are sports competitions. Watching and participating are equally fun.
When I was 10 years of age, I used to go for Karate classes. Apart from progressive tests for higher belts, there were also tournaments - for Kata and Kumite.
Kata is a series of steps are performed sequentially. Kumite is a one on one sparring match.
I was a recognized expert for Kata in my class. And being such, I entered a lot of inter-district, inter-state tournaments in Kata category for the same style of Karate.
I remember my first tournament : It was an inter-district tourney and took place inside a badminton courthouse housing 3 badminton courts side by side plus some additional space. 3 events were held side by side, simultaneously. Only the finals of each category and age group were to be held separately, using the full courthouse.
I was enlisted for the Kata contest and was competing with 30 other contestants of the same age category (12-15 years). Amongst the contestants was a national champion in Kata. He was a Brown Belt 3rd Kyu (I will henceforth call him KC for this post). I had heard a lot about the guy before - he had been highly praised by the Sensei and had a truckload of Medals. He had competed and won atleast 3 national awards in Kata.
I was a green belt 5th Kyu at the time (Kyu is a kind of synonym for degree. It goes backwards - 3rd Kyu is higher up and more qualified than say a 5th Kyu) and very 'green' since it was my first tournament !! Obviously KC was my senior in terms of belt qualifications.
The rules were as so - They called out the name of the student (Karate-Ka) on the microphone. That student had to come and stand on an yellow tape marked 'X' inside the 'Square' which was - a large squarish area marked within a single badminton court. On the corners of the 'square', were four referees, who had placards in their hands to show the points after the Kata was completed. The main referee was at the center with a placard as well - facing you directly. The points system was simple - points were to be given from 1-10. Decimal points were also ok. A score of 9.6 to 9.9 could be considered really good. A perfect 10 was rare, but not impossible. The referee could also be your class instructor (So you were fairly certain of getting good points from him / her!!). The total of points was your total score and were given based on the perfection and intensity of your steps.
When my name was announced in the first round, I got up smartly and went, stood on the 'X', offered my 'Salutations' which is done by covering your right fist with your left palm, holding it in front of you and bowing down from the hips. Then I took stance (hands down 45 degrees in front with clenched fists - about shoulder width). Then I shouted the name of the Kata loudly, so that the whole crowd sitting could hear it and as is customary. At that time, I had this strange burning sensation at the pit of my stomach (Nerves !!)
Believe me, nothing can prepare you for this moment of nervousness - it has to come !!
Then I started my Kata - punching, blocking and kicking at the invisible opponent in front - tight and fast so that the thick dress that I wore made a crisp, whisking noise at every step. No loose steps, no stumbling, everything done with precision and the occasional 'Kiai'.
(The Kiai is a short shout which is uttered when you perform an attacking move. Basically, it empowers your movements. Eg. A cricket bowler grunts before he bowls a ball, or a tennis player does the same when he hits the ball with his racquet.)
As I performed the Kata with absolute focus, the burning sensation eased off. I started enjoying whatever I was doing. The intent now was to do a perfect Kata, impress all five judges and to score perfect 10s.
The referees were watching each step carefully. Hundreds of people in the packed spectators stand had their eyes on me !! I wanted to earn their wows and applauds, wanted to make my seniors and instructors sitting in the crowd feel proud of me.
Finally, my Kata finished and I came to the resting stance. For a second there was silence and then the crowd exploded into a thundering round of applause whilst my fellow Karate-Kas from our class started singing - Ravi.....Raaavvviiii.....(then three claps). I couldnt really supress a smile and was feeling top of the world. The referees raised their placards. Three of the referees gave me a 9.8 and two of them 9.9 making it a total score of 49.2 !!. I had made it to the next round !!
The next two rounds were quite similar and I was riding high on confidence by the end of it. From 30 contestants, I had made it to rounds of 15 and then to 10.
7 of us qualified for the final round from which the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place would be decided. Obviously amongst these 7 was KC. KC and I both pulled really neat Katas and much to my surprise I had tied top scores with him. The rules said that if you tied for first place, both would do another round of Katas.
KC came to perform his Kata first in the tie breaker. He started doing his Kata well, but at the second or third step - froze and faltered - forgetting the subsequent steps (Guess the pressure was on him to perform, since he had to uphold a national champs reputation !!). As per the rules, he was disqualified for the round meaning that his points for this round would be zero and he would automatically lose if I perform my Kata without forgetting the sequence of steps.
My focus now shifted to only getting the steps right, even if it meant my movements were'nt as crisp as the previous rounds. I was'nt looking to score anymore, just that I had to COMPLETE the Kata correctly. After what seemed like an eternity, in which everything seemed to move in slow motion - I finished my Kata, without forgetting or freezing at any step. As I came to the resting stance, I knew I had won the gold !!.
As soon as the referees announced the points as a formality, the crowd erupted. This time the applause was deafening. I can never ever forget those moments in life - crowd standing on its feet all applauding, classmates shouting my name in joy their voices hoarse, some of them jumping off the stands, running towards me and carrying me on their shoulders, my parents and sister applauding also, their faces full of joy. Everything was so foggy ...just like a dream. But it was a dream come true!! I had won the gold and I had won it big, defeating a worthy opponent on the way.
In sports, all nerves and pressure apart, once you enter the field of play, you start enjoying the game and forget everything else - its just a game and that it what games are meant to give you - enjoyment and pleasure. The element of contest added to it gives you a kind of adrenaline kick, inspires you to get ahead of your opponent and win. In a competition, the pressure is always on the participant who is at the top.
And this gives the underdog a great chance to surge ahead !! All the effort, hard work and the practice that goes through is to achieve the final objective - a sweet victory. Exhilarating, glorious, intoxicating inspiring, blissfully sweet victory. And even if you do not achieve the ultimate, the honour of participation and the joy that it gives is unparallelled.
