An Interview with Shooter, Gautami Pandit.

         Today I'm posting an interview with a national shooter, Gautami Pandit. Not only has she chosen an exhilarating sport but is on her way towards excellence. Here's an interview with Gautami who I'm proud to call my sister.

1. Which titles have you accomplished so far?
          I won 2 Golds at Nationals after qualifying States. So I guess I am a National winner.

2. What inspired you to take up shooting? Do you have an idol?
          It just happened. I was getting bored at home so my mom told me to take up some sport and I decided Shooting. Anjali Bhagwat is my role model in Shooting.

L-R: Vivek Pandit (father), Anjali Bhagwat, Gautami Pandit, Vaidehi Pandit (mother).

3. According to you, what is the best thing about the sport?

          I think the best part is there is no partiality in it. The scores are displayed on a big scoreboard and the target is also computerised. So there is no scope of tampering with the score. And the targets are extremely accurate.

4. How has your family, college & coaches supported you?

          Everything was totally new for my parents. It was a nice experience for them. My college helped me through the entire registration procedure. My coach also helped me a lot and all the other senior shooters helped me a lot too.

Anjali Bhagwat with Gautami Pandit and Vaishnavi.

5. What sort of preparation you have to do? Do you follow a rigorous workout and a balanced diet?

          You just need to practice honestly everyday. I actually was on a 2 month break because of my boards. So I practiced more than usual to make up for the break. We all have a common warm up to do before a match or even before practice. And I usually avoid oily food before a match and eat a lot of carbs.

6. You have played individually and also as a team player? Which do you like the best?

          I haven’t exactly played in a team. Honestly, I met my teammates after we got qualified for National camp. But I still like to play individually.

Gautami with her team mates and coach.

7. How do you keep yourself motivated?

          This was my first year in shooting and everything was new to me. So I had curiosity about everything. There was no need of motivation honestly. It was just natural.

8. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

          My strength is that I don’t let a bad shot affect me. I just let it go and shoot a better shot the next time. My weakness you can say is I tend to rush a lot while shooting which I should really stop.

9. Would you like to share one of your happiest moments during your journey?

          The moment I heard that I got qualified for Nationals. I was dancing.

L-R: Gautami Pandit, Anjali Bhagwat, Aradhya Bhagwat.

10. What did shooting teach you? How has it enhanced your life?

          It has improved my concentration so much. I used to get easily distracted before, but now I am not distracted as easily.

11. What are your future goals?

          I want to get selected for the Indian Squad and play an International match once in my lifetime.

12. Anything else you would like to share?
          Everyone should take up a sport. It’s so relaxing. You forget your problems for that period of time. And it’s fun!

          Those are the brilliant words of a national Shooter, Gautami Pandit. I would like to thank her for doing this interview and I wish her all the best in her future matches and endeavors.

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