An intensely private man, Abhinav Bindra is still struggling to come to terms with his newfound status as India's Golden Boy. In his first blog entry after winning an Olympic gold medal in Beijing, Abhinav admits 'it has all still not sunk in'.According to the ace shooter, he 'ran away from all the media and official attention...' after doing his bit and then chose to celebrate his remarkable achievement with a quiet dinner in the company of some friends. "They have all been telling me what a huge achievement winning Gold is. I realise that but frankly the enormity of the goodwill generated has caught me by surprise. Honestly enough it really has not changed me, I am still the same Abhinav who just a day ago was hanging around alone in my room in the Olympic village. Frankly, all the attention is a bit overwhelming. I am not much good at making loud public pronouncements. That in no way means that this is not the most intense experience of my life," he writes.Success, claims Bindra, has cost him a lot of sweat and blood: "For more than a decade now my life has been all about my sport. In fact, I do not have a life beyond the confines of the 10m range. I have had a range built in my own home to cut down any possibility of distraction and to be able to practise my sport whenever the fancy strikes me. It all did pay off, didn't it?"Despite all the accolades now coming his way, Bindra cannot help take a dig at the fickle nature of India's sports fans in his blog. "I would like to reiterate that everyone who represents India at the Olympic Games has put in years of toil and sweat. I ask the Indian people to support our athletes more. It is fine to celebrate our achievements but it is just as important to keep up the backing when we are not on top of our game," he writes as a gentle admonishment to those who fete their heroes when they win and are just as liable to lynch them when they lose. Bindra is certain that his gold-winning performance at the Beijing Games is only the beginning of a long journey ahead, and the country's emergence as a sports powerhouse cannot happen without a wider participation from its people and India Inc. "It is important for India to do better at Olympic sport as these are the true measure of a nation's sporting depth. I wish more private initiatives come up with corporate support apart from the backing of the government. The joy that the nation feels at my win is humbling. I just wish that this is repeated more and more often," he writes.Bindra's win certainly seems to have fired everyone's imagination and this is reflected in the Blogsphere. Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan have both waxed eloquent about the young Indian sportsman. While Big B writes, "Yeah.. Yeah.. Yeah.. India won gold in shooting in Beijing Olympics. Today's performance in Chicago was tops, but nothing could top this news," in his mobilog, Aamir is even more effusive in his praise. "I was absolutely thrilled to see Bindra receiving the Gold, and I had goosebumps when India's National Anthem began playing. What a moment! My congratulations to Bindra for his achievement. He has done India proud and given us all a moment to celebrate," he writes. Perhaps taking a cue from Bindra's own blog, Aamir also wants fans to be a little more tolerant when their heroes fail to meet their expectations. "At this time I cannot help but remember the reaction of certain people across the country when India had lost a cricket match/tournament and people began attacking the homes of various players. How easily we forget that our sportspersons are trying their best. They too want to win. They are the ones who have worked day and night and are certainly more upset than we the supporters are. At that time instead of standing by them in their moment of loss and dejection we attack them," he writes.Among other interesting blogs on the Net, there is one that talks about a numerological significance in Bindra's win. "Abhinav Bindra was born on September 28, 1982. Since his birth date is 28, the year 2008 is quite significant for him. He won Olympics gold medal in 10m air rifle. Strangely, it is after 28 years that India wins a gold medal in Olympics," writes Damodran.While lauding Bindra's outstanding performance, a People's Online Daily article asks Netizens to spare a thought for Chinese shooter Zhu Qinan who got pushed to the second spot in Beijing: "Four years ago, people got to know the cheerful Chinese sharp shooter by his beaming smile. Four years later, they were touched by his tears. "I didn't know what was going on, my mind went blank," chocked the 24-year-old young man, defending Olympic champion of men's 10-meter air rifle who succumbed to Indian Abhinav Bindra in Beijing on Monday and got a silver with a 0.8-point gap."
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