Harshal Zade..livelihood on his target

 

To sustain living, national-level shooter Zade turns momos seller
 

By Paritosh Pramanik

THE COVID-19 pandemic has shattered many a house and wreaked havoc on many sportspersons as well. To fight the battle with the virus as well as to overcome the financial burden, several sportspersons had to give up the sport they loved the most while some are forced to sacrifice their training schedule in search of job to make ends meet.
Nagpur has also witnessed several medal-winning athletes standing in long queues for food packets, some surviving on donations from Good Samaritans.
With the pandemic forcing closure of sports facilities, Harshal Zade, a national-level shooter of Nagpur is forced to search for other options. With his shooting academy, where he practices as well as imparts coaching, closed, Zade was forced to start a momos kiosk at Rameshwari Square in South Nagpur so that he feeds his ailing mother and younger sister.
Zade has represented Maharashtra in 10m Air Rifle event in national championships from 2014 to 2019. He is jobless for past several months. He used to coach at ‘Struggle to Play For India Foundation’ Shooting Academy in Wardhaman Nagar, started by Akash Dubey. But, due to coronavirus the academy had shut its shop and as a result the income of Zade dried up.
“My life has changed. I love shooting and dream of playing at higher level. But this pandemic has wreaked havoc. I used to coach at the academy started by Dubey sir. But with lockdown, it has been closed. I used to earn a bit from coaching. However, all my income has dried up. I have to feed my family...my ailing mother, a younger sister who is pursuing pharmacy degree,” Zade said, his voice choked.
“My mother is a housewife and is suffering from thyroid ailment. She is sort of bed-ridden due to paralysis. I had no other option but to start this stall. Though I am not able to earn much, this is of some help,” said Zade, who has won gold medal in NCC national camp in .22 rifle 50m
in 2008.
A dedicated shooter, Zade has named his kiosk after his sport: ‘Shooter Hunger Momo’s’.
Zade had a bright future and was ranked 20th in the National Shooting Championship in 2019. He also participated in international selection trials for five straight years from 2015 to 2020. But as luck would have it, every time he missed the bus by a whisker.
The new restrictions imposed to tackle Delta + variant of coronavirus has furthered Zade’s troubles. The timing of restriction from State Government (to down shutters by 4 pm) is hampering his business as well.
“I got a small space from Ajay Hiwarkar for my stall in Rameshwari. My earnings had started to double in the month of June. But the new restrictions once again played spoilsport. I can’t do business during this timing. There are take-away and home delivery options but still I am unable to do a profitable business,” explained Zade.
Zade said, he wanted to continue his shooting career but the sport was too costly.
“I know shooting is a very expensive sport but I love it and want to continue it, despite my family’s pressure to quit. It has been nine years since I am playing this sport.
“I am not getting the type of training I need. I want high
level training for which either I have to hire a coach or have to move out of Nagpur. But I am aware that I have to do it myself,” said Zade.
Zade was recently helped with new shooting kit by Vivek Awasare.
“Recently Vivek Awasare sir helped me get the shooting kit worth Rs 50,000 as I had to replace the old one which I was using since 2013. We can use one kit only for four years as per rules.”
Zade said he wants to play in .22 event in which he had won gold at NCC national camp.
“But the event is too expensive. The weapon, the bullets are very costly hence I had to leave it. At present I am using the weapon given to me by DSO,” said the 26-year-old.
The BA graduate is also in search of a job. “I am in search of a job. I was rejected due to height but still I am not losing hope. I was selected in SSB performance-wise but then got rejected as my height was one centimeter less than the norm. Similar thing happened during CISF selection too,” rued Zade.
“I have applied for groundman’s job in SAI, Balewadi but I am yet to get a call. I hope one day I would hit the ‘bull’s eye,’” Zade signed off.