Olympian Dhanraj Pillai urges CISF jawans to stay fit

Mumbai: “The night before we play Pakistan, none sleeps before 2 or 3 am. I have played more than 50 times against Pakistan, but not even once have I managed to get restful sleep during the night before the match,” said former captain of Indian hockey team Dhanraj Pillai, during the motivational speech he delivered to CISF employees on Friday in Mumbai.
He was responding to questions from CISF employees on ways to tackle stress.“It's a do-or-die match. We plan out our strategies before the match. On the ground, we let the strength of our emotions take over,” he said.
The talk, organised at the Kalina camp of the CISF unit at Mumbai airport on Friday was attended by over 1000 jawans and officers of the force. The Kalina unit houses 1200 jawans who stay in barracks. Pillai spoke about the importance of physical fitness and mental alertness and how they are the basic requirements to achieve any big success in life. “I am 47 years old. But I practice to this day to keep myself fit. This is after having played for 16 years for the country. Fitness is important and one should never stop working at it,'' he said. “Whatever you do, put your heart and mind for that purpose. Dedicate yourself 100 percent for that goal. You must have the strength to bear long hours of practice sessions and master the techniques,'' said the Arjun awardee.
Pillai offered his services for training the CISF personnel. “I can come here at 7.30 am every morning to help CISF jawans learn more about fitness and exercises,'' he said. The motivational speech was part of CISF's intiative to help their jawans combat stress.