Page 12 - Masala Lite Issue 163 July 2024

12 COVERED during certain games that I felt completely dejected.
PEDAL But I consider life to be similar to how the markets

move – they don’t always go up, there’s always pull
backs. Those pull backs in life reminded me that I had
to get better and keep trying and come back stronger.
MEDAL young age, and to be a part of something bigger, it
So while it felt good to achieve something at such a
also kept me grounded because I knew I had to get
much better and I still had a long way to go. While my
journey was cut short as I decided to focus more on my
education, I do still play cricket in Bangkok; it’ll always
be my first love.
Your cycling journey started with terrible traffic!
Tell us about that, and how you realised that you’d
Divij Shah, three-time Para-Cycling Silver Medallist, is found your passion in cycling, which you’ve called
blazing a trail with his dedication, resilience, a sport that is “you against you.”
and hunger to win. When I was working in Bangalore, the traffic there is
even worse than Bangkok – worse than the traffic you
get outside of EmSphere these days! [Laughs] For me,
BY AIDEN JEWELLE GONZALES sitting in traffic was a waste of time, and I was also at
that stage in life where I had just started to make some
money and I ended up partying a lot and staying up late,
and I wanted to get out of that rut. Cycling wasn’t new
to me, as I used to cycle as a kid, but I hadn’t done it on
here are people you meet in life that are so dedicated to their craft, and have the road for a longer period of time. One random day, I went to a Decathlon (the
forged their own path so clearly, that others are drawn in their wake, inspired sports outlet), and that’s when I decided to buy a bike and cycle to work.
to follow not the same path, but a similar one towards success. Divij Shah
is one such person, a literal tour de force who has found what he calls his “spark of I realised that I was good at it, and getting better every day. I was able to ride faster
madness which makes us unique.” and longer, and I’d do longer rides with groups over the weekends to learn more
about the sport. And that’s when I came across the Aidtya Mehta Foundation in
Born and raised in Calcutta, Divij moved me first with the candid and sanguine way he Hyderabad. They support a lot of para bodies and differently-abled para-military
told me his story of losing his arm at only four years old. “I was at my grandmother’s forces, central reserve forces, and civilians who have lost their limbs or eyesight.
place and I was playing paper airplanes with my younger cousin,” he recalled. “My They assist them with taking up a sport and getting a second chapter in life, giving
mum and aunt were going down an elevator, which had collapsible gates back them training and guidance to compete to a certain level, and providing them with
then, and I had put my right arm through the gate to hand her the paper plane as I equipment.
was done playing with it. At that very moment, while my arm was still through the
gates, someone pressed the button from the ground floor, the lift went down, and So I got in touch, and they asked me to come over for a ride that they were doing
my arm got cut. I watched it happen in front of me: there were sparks and blood, from Manali in the North of India, to Khardung La, the peak part of the Himalayas;
and I didn’t feel pain then as the shock had overpowered the pain at the moment. the highest motorable road in the world. It was over nine days covering 550km
I walked back into the house, and that’s when I blacked out from blood loss. Next with incredible views that you wouldn’t see anywhere else in the world. I put myself
time I woke up, I was in the hospital, and my arm was bandaged; it’d been cut off through this Litmus test to see if I wanted to get more involved in the sport and
entirely in the accident itself. invest my blood, sweat, money, and time into it. It was life changing. I decided that I
wanted to keep pushing forward with this sport – there is no reverse gear on a cycle;
When I asked him if he could understand the reality of how much his life would change you have to keep moving forward.
at that moment, he told me very matter-of-factly, “I was four years old, so I was
very young. I obviously had to adapt to a lot of things with just one arm – how to eat I then signed up for longer rides, which were very maddening – I probably won’t do
with a spoon, hold things, balance things. But because it happened at such a young them anymore! I did 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km rides in a day just to be
age, I adapted and grew with it. It feels like life has almost always been this way.” absolutely sure that I was capable of this, and that I could compete on an international
level. And that’s when I started training professionally to compete. Aditya Mehta
This incident didn’t dim the fire inside Divij – in fact it only and has only continued from the foundation reached out to me, and told me there was a race in Bahrain for
to fan the flames of his passion to achieve more. He first pursued a career in the Asian Championships. I got selected, and won a silver medal, and that’s when
cricket, like many other kids his age, and found success; but at the same time, he my journey really kicked off.
also pursued his education, finishing his Mater’s of Science and MBA, then a career
in finance; after which he pursued his ultimate passion of cycling. After falling in One of your life philosophies is, “we all need a spark of madness which makes
love with Southeast Asia after a brief stint in Indonesia, he moved to Bangkok after us unique.” Can you share more about how this philosophy has helped you
his company, AppsFlyer, moved him to their Asian headquarters. A Commercial tackle the challenges you’ve faced?
Partnerships Manager by day, he still pursues cycling, competing at an international
level for the first time in five years in June of this year. He spoke to Masala about his Many of us go through similar education, training, and childhoods; we consume
life motto of “be strong and don’t give up,” and how he’s cycling towards success similar content, and yet we are all still unique. The journey of life is all about finding
and hopefully, a gold medal for India. who you are and finding out how you’re different from others. There is something
that you’re made for, and something that you have to bring to life for others to
At just six years old, you faced rejection for the first time when you weren’t benefit as well.
allowed to join a cricket team. At that age, how did you find the resilience to
keep pursuing your passion for sports? I did many things to find my unique spark. I danced, played cricket, swam – but the
thing that stuck the most with me was cycling. That’s where I found my spark; where
As an Indian, almost 90 percent of us love cricket. I’d watch my cousins and friends I’m different and better, and I knew I had to hone my skills there to give back to the
play from a very young age, and I wondered, why can’t I play this too? My father guided community. I wanted to put myself out there in front of people and tell them, “If I
me and supported me, telling me how to make the adjustments – how to hold the can do this, so can you; you can find your own spark in your life. You’re the only one
cricket, how to catch a ball, etc. And I was crap, obviously, when I started playing. who can amplify your own uniqueness. No one else can do it for you.”
As with any other kid, it took time to learn. But I decided to make those changes to
adapt with just one hand – how to use my right hand to support so that I wouldn’t Your other motto, “be friends with discomfort,” is quite powerful. How did you
always just hit sixes. There was a fire within me – I wanted to do what others were apply this mindset when dealing with coming last at the Asian Para Games?
doing. That drove a lot of things in me. My motto since then has always been: be
strong, and don’t give up. They were my core pillars from the very beginning. I trained If it was easy, everyone would do it. And if everyone’s doing it, then you’re not
hard, and eventually was accepted into the West Bengal Under 16 Cricket Team. unique. You have to do things which are not comfortable – where others are saying,
“how can you do this? You’re so mad!” Discomfort is something that you need to
Joining the West Bengal Under 16 Cricket Team must have been a significant be okay with in order to grow – for example, to build muscle, you need to pick up
milestone for you. How did this early success shape your athletic journey? more weights. Discomfort always helps you grow – it’s a friend, but it looks like a
dangerous devilish person that you might be scared of at first. But that’s a façade.
By the time I was 12-14, I was playing cricket every day and getting better with each If you befriend discomfort, you’ll grow mentally and physically in leaps and bounds.
practice. Like almost every other kid in the country, I wanted to play cricket for the
country, and be a part of the Indian cricket team. My aspirations were high, and I knew I still don’t count myself as a winner as I haven’t yet won a gold. I’ve won three silver
I had to do what was needed. I was given the chance to represent the state when I was medals, so I’m the first loser. My journey is still on, and the discomfort is still there
around 14 years old. There was a lot of failure and a lot of learning – I was primarily with me. It doesn’t let you be complacent with things – when you win, you might
a spin bowler (and still am) and I remember bowling a lot of overs. I played so badly think you’re done. But when you’re the first loser, you know you’re not done yet.

MASAL A LITE ISSUE 163 - JULY 2024