Do you play sports? The interviewer bowled a bouncer at Shamu who felt the tremors of a planet being hit by an asteroid. “Sport! What does this job interview have to do with me playing any game?”, bewildered Shamu probed his conscious mind while looking impassively at the interviewer. “Hmm, I’m more of a spectator now”, a duckling trying hard to live through the Tsunami of doubts, Shamu recollected himself and retorted. Despite being an asset to every organization he had associated himself with, Shamu felt an urge to twig the relevance of this unlooked-for question by resuming to his childhood favourite sport, Tennis− only to discover that it was the underlying reason for his immense concentration and mental toughness.                                                                                                                       

Sports is much more beyond mere winning and losing. It has many facets with each reflecting a universal lesson. Players resemble the colony of ants working together on a mission when they play football – coordination and teamwork is the essence of this game. Keep moving forward and attain your goal is what you learn when you run like a cheetah. Opening a Chess Box is like opening the doors of the brain to feel the zephyr – give vent to critical thinking. Not everyone can be a wicket-keeper and not all players in the team can handle the bat, in Cricket, roles assigned to the team players accord with their calibre. Beyond the Cricket field, this is pertinent to the workplace too. 

 Nope, you don’t need to be a professional player with medallions around your neck – regular amateur sports can do wonders in enhancing your life skills. Leadership, fortitude, pressure handling, endurance, grit, strategizing, planning, sacrifice for the team are some of the significant impressions playing leaves on our personalities. 

Long ago in 65 BC, Cicero nailed it, “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigour.” 

Where is the playground?