PUNE: Shiva Keshavan is a warm person in a cold – literally and metaphorically – world.
A participant of four Winter Olympics, Shiva has given 23 years of his life to luge and yet, his sport is not known to many in the country.
But that’s not the story.
On August 29, Shiva was conferred with the Arjuna award, three years after the luger announced his retirement. Eight years after he was first nominated for the award by the Winter Games Federation of India.
However, there is no bitterness and the Arjuna means a lot to Shiva, as “it is the first and only official recognition of my existence as an Olympian and international medallist,” he says.
Read it again: The Arjuna is the only official recognition for Shiva, who has over 10 Asian Championships medals and a couple of Asian records under his belt. Now, let it sink.
“I have never asked for any award although they should have been given to me as per the rules. I deserve to get so many awards as per the rules. But I never got into these things as once you start thinking about awards, you will not have any time for training. I decided to concentrate on things that I was supposed to do. Now, I have quit, so I can think about things I have been entitled to,” Shiva says.
Shiva, the reigning Asian Champion, has four gold, four silver and two bronze at the Asian Championships. As per the central government rules, he is eligible for cash awards for each of his medals. Shiva is also eligible for cash awards from the Himachal Pradesh government. But before the Arjuna honour, the Manali athlete was left high and dry by all governments.
So what made him hopeful of getting the Arjuna, three years after his retirement?
“It was an amazing coincidence. In the winter sports, there is no system in place and the athlete couldn’t apply individually. But this time, due to the Covid-19 situation, applications were open for individuals to apply. I had my doubts but still applied so that I don’t have any regrets in the future,” says Shiva, who at 16, became the youngest luger ever to qualify for winter Olympics in 1998.
Shiva was first nominated for Arjuna in 2012, however, he was not selected for the award. This time, he became the first winter-sport athlete to receive the honour.
He says the award comes with personal satisfaction, but he expects it to change things for winter sports.
“With the central government’s recognition, even the Himachal Pradesh government will acknowledge the importance of winter sports. Winter sports is in the DNA for Himachal. The state should do something to develop the sport. I can forget Delhi or Mumbai for not doing anything towards winter sports as they may not know about it. But you can’t expect Himachal not doing anything. About a dozen Olympians live near my house in Manali but there is not a single gym in the vicinity.”
Shiva says he is working towards making winter sports popular. “In all these years, I have built so many contacts, which can be used to nurture future athletes.
Being the high-performance director at the national luge association, I am eager for a long-term programme. To be able to send athletes at the Youth Olympic Games in 2024, we have asked to set up a training centre in Himachal.”
Being the high-performance director and president of Indian Olympians’ Association, Shiva’s has kept himself busy, however, there’s always a temptation of going back to play.
“Life is tough after retirement. I think of another round. Sports gives you such a nice lifestyle, makes you learn so many life lessons.”