Praveen, the 'Bheem' of Indian athletics, throws a nation into despair

Tribune News Service

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, February 8

Praveen Kumar Sobti became a household name for his portrayal of Bheem in the television adaptation of the epic Mahabharata in the late 1980s.

However, Praveen, who died on Monday night after a heart attack, was also one of India’s greatest athletes.

From humble beginnings at Sarhali Kalan village near Amritsar, where he would train with makeshift equipment consisting of ball and chain, Praveen shook the world with an eye-catching silver medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Incidentally, he was the second Indian after Milkha Singh to get to the podium at the CWG.

“I had just finished school examinations when I went to Kingston for the 1966 Commonwealth Games,” Praveen had told The Athletics Federation of India in 2020. “We had reached a few days before my event. And when I wanted to go and practice, I was asked to take it easy. ‘Have we won medals at this level ever? Have fun and return home,’ I was told. I was determined to do well and won a hammer throw silver there,” he had said.

Later in 1966, he won the discus gold and hammer throw bronze in the Asian Games. He retained his discus gold in the 1970 edition and then won silver in the same discipline in 1974. In between, he became a two-time Olympian by participating in the 1968 and 1972 Games.

If Praveen was determined to do well as a debutant, he was equally driven to improve his performances throughout his career. He was perhaps the first Indian athlete to get foreign help in terms of a coach. He had a long distance arrangement with a coach in Los Angeles, who asked him to “concentrate in generating power in his throws.”

Praveen was very close to a lot of his contemporaries but was especially fond of Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, who became ‘guruji’ to the gentle giant. Along with being teammates, the duo came from nearby villages of Amritsar.

“I am lost for words,” Randhawa, who won the decathlon gold at the 1962 Asian Games. “We spoke at length the day before yesterday. He wanted us to visit Amritsar together soon. He wanted to go back to his village and to Khalsa College (Amritsar), wanting to relive old memories. His wish went unfulfilled,” he added.

In his later years, as Praveen gravitated towards the silver screen, lack of time meant he could not continue his association with the sports fraternity. However, he still played a major role in helping retired sportspersons. Alongside Randhawa, Praveen would make endless visits to the Sports Ministry to get the department to enhance the pension scheme, which was a mere Rs 7500 then. Today, a former Olympics or Paralympics medallist is assured a sum of Rs 20,000 and Rs 16000.

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