Life of sportsmen have often been full of excitement and raises your adrenaline. It is a struggle, crossing hurdles, testing limits both physical and mental. In my memory I heard the name of Milind Soman for the first time when he stirred the fashion and modelling world of India (and created a controversy) by posing nude for Tuff shoes on 1995. That ofcourse was silly and unnecessary move of our moral policing society that dragged those involved into legal cases lasting several decades on an alredy burdened judiciary). Following that for the next couple of decades he remained a model in my memory and then lately as a long distance runner and Ironman and Ultraman a feat that is ultimate in human endeavour of physical fitness.
The memoir perhaps written by Roopa Pai, a professional writer, makes out an interesting reading and encourages you to "keep fit". The journey of his life starts in UK and at an early childhood moves to Bombay, until his modeling career takes him high he had remained confined to national level swimming (achieving highs in junior/school levels), which is not a quite popular sport in India. Modeling is a parishable career and so he moved back to sports in his late thirties with long distance running and gradually achieved pinnacle of the sport finishing as an Ultraman, an ultimate fitness test that very few have achieved, globally. Ultraman competition is split up over three days, the race totals, hold your breath, 515 km: 10 km of swimming, 421 km of cycling, and 84 km of running.
As is usual with people who achieve celebrity status, he too was popular with young and attractive girls and got into several relationships, moving from one girl to the next, that is a common temptation that men fall into when young, attractive and with a celebrity. Something similar to what I read recently in another memoir of Kabir Bedi.. I think it is extremely tough for people of such status to remain what society calls "loyal", they keep searching something in relationship that never satisfies them. Finally after several sporting and entrepreneurial successes, he settles in a relationship at 53 and has remained united for the last four years.
The memoir documents his achiements and most exciting and inspiring part of it is the path that takes him from a half marathon runner, to a marathon runner to an Ironman to an Ultraman. His entrepreneurial ventures promoting long distance running especially for fitness leading to emancipation of women is worth lauding and so is his uncommon human efforts of ultra long distance running like the one from Delhi to Mumbai in 30 days for raising funds for a social cause. He truly comes out as a role model for us all.
With what he descibes in the book, his mother appears to be a remarkable person too, who raised him and his three siblings without mush of a support from her husband and believes in physical fitness and is also ambitious about competitive sport at 90+... quite inspirational!!
He has created a history as a sportsman and should be known as such, one can afford to forget his modeling and film career that he feels brought him to the prominance. The memoir often talks about himself as a celebrity and a star and I think that part should be left to the reader and the people who have seen him grow. This could also be due to the fact the Roopa, the co-author (or may be the the author), feels as such about this status of his.
We are gradually coming out of COVID/corona pandemic and life is slowly coming to pre-covid normalcy. That causes huge distractions to the focus on reading. I hope with some attention focusing exercises, I step up my reading levels back.
