PUNE: Jaspal Rana has never shied away from two things: fearless shooting and straight talk. For more than three decades, he practiced both with remarkable consistency.At an age when any youngster would be thinking of playing it safe to pursue a career, Jaspal not only risked it all by challenging a system that was not player-friendly, but also won medals and broke records to ensure that the noise was not hollow and had substance.Jaspal, a name that popularized the shooting, defined courage for a generation and a figure, died of a heart attack in the capital on Friday, 16 days short of his 50th birthday.He will not only be remembered for his medals or coaching credentials, but also for the fact that he was the first to believe that Indian shooters could win international medals.
The Indian shooting trailblazer, who was known for standing up for players’ rights even at a time when there were none, will be remembered for challenging the status quo, never afraid to question the authorities and being unapologetically direct.He could be abrasive, stubborn and controversial, yet even his harshest critics would feel that if Jaspal picked a fight, it was more than what players usually valued. In an era when silence was safer, confrontation became his preferred language.In Jaspal’s case, it would not be an overstatement to say that it was the game that chose him and not the other way around.Shining at the shooting ranges when kids his age were busy learning to balance on their bicycles, Jaspal won a silver medal at his first Nationals at the age of 12. The Uttarkashi-born shooter stood out by winning. Asian Games A gold medal at the age of 18 – at Hiroshima 1994 – nine Commonwealth Games golds and six others and then as the sport took off in India, he suffered somewhat of a slump.As this is being written, Jaspal has returned to our consciousness with three golds and one silver, including a world record gold at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. This late release would also prove his definitive statement as a shooter.As Gagan Narang wrote in his social media post, “Some names you grow up chasing, this was one of them”, Jaspal assured Indian shooters that he could be like him, a conqueror, a rebel and a pioneer, who would make his mark at a time when shooters were considered mere passengers and not conquerors.Lately, one would find him sitting behind his wards at shooting ranges, watching only the targets and occasionally the shooters.He rarely spoke to the shooters during the process as he would often say, “If you think you can teach the shooters anything new at this stage, you’d be an idiot”.
Since 2012, he has been instrumental in shaping the National Rifle Association of India’s Juniors Development Program and has identified, trained, developed marksmen such as Manu Bhakar, Anish Bhanwala, Saurabh Chaudhary and Chunky Yadav.Although he competed in the 10m air pistol and 50m pistol at the 1996 Olympics, the Olympics would drop it as its main event, centerfire pistol not being an Olympic event. His dream will come true in 2024 at the Paris Games in a spectacular fashion by his ward Manu.Her relationship with Manu was once famously stormy, with its share of ups and downs, but when the two decided to bury the hatchet and get back together, it became a mission that Jaspal almost passionately wanted to succeed.Many disagreed with his coaching style or personality, but Jaspal didn’t care. He found a reflection of himself in Manu and it was no surprise when the pair got back together in 2023 after falling out during the Tokyo Games three years ago. If Jaspal asks Manu to punch the wall, Manu will slap twice. Chemistry, passion met, and with that two bronze medals in Paris became the logical climax of a dramatic journey.He was a Dronacharya, who preferred to give his thumb instead of asking his ward for a thumb.
