Dangal Shows Us Why Everyone Can Do With A Good Coach

A good coach can offer the inspiration and push one needs to do well in any aspect of life – not just sport; a few learnings from the movie Dangal.

Dangal – there are a ton of reviews and much praise as well as criticism of this biopic everywhere on the ‘Indian Internet’ (if that exists). I’m not trying to write another review! All I can say is that it was too hard to ignore its presence!

Why did the little girl Suneeta get married off so young, while Geeta and Babita ended up winning Olympic medals? How many Indian women actually won Commonwealth or Olympic medals before Geeta Phogat (or recently, Sakshi Malik and PV Sindhu) did? In a patriarchal society, how many girls receive this kind of ‘coaching’ in any realm of life? Can girls really make something of themselves and do whatever they ‘want to’ in today’s cut-throat world?

What we typically obtain from a coach are the vision (if it’s not organically present) and nurturing that nudge us whether the chips are up or down. If you find the right coach early on, your life is made!

For girls growing up in a society that sends confusing signals about their ambitions and ‘self-fullness’, support and guidance are vital.

Having the right coach

It is important to identify ‘right coaches’ and funnel out right advice. Although Geeta learns what worked for her the hard way, atleast she had the courage to experiment, learn and confirm her thoughts! While this is hard to do, talking to family, friends and well-wishers can bring more views and opinions, helping make better decisions.

Everyone can do something!

The simple, rather conservative Haryanvi village setting kept screaming ‘common girl’ aspect to me. It’s important for a common person to believe in self! No amount of external vision and nudging can help if this doesn’t happen! Introspection and self-belief are game changers.

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It doesn’t have to be for a career or sport

Even everyday aspects like day-to-day life management capabilities can improve big time with the right guidance and support. In the end, it’s all about the quality of our lives!

It doesn’t even have to be a ‘coach’ per se

The support and faith one needs can come from different sources/people. Remember the cousin who supports the Dangal girls all the way, never for once considering his own success in wrestling? We can all appreciate and absorb any tiny bit of positivity that comes our way from others.

Coaching doesn’t always ‘just happen’

Last but not the least, ‘the coach finding’ doesn’t always have to be organic. One can always network and consciously attempt to interact with inspiring people. This could be done in multiple ways. School events, clubs, friends’ parents/families, and teachers – all offer excellent channels of ‘networking’ in early years of life. And the channels only increase as one grows up!

Requesting introductions, building connections, and seeking help are all ways to expand one’s societal contact, exposure, understanding of the world and ultimately, success!

After all, we all know that ‘we are the people we surround ourselves with’. The people we interact with either elevate or worsen our standards by rubbing themselves off on us. And a coach can only make a very direct impact!

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Top image via Youtube; the quote translates as, “Medalists don’t grow on trees; they are made with love and hard work.”

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