Dr. Gajender Sharma, who has had a passion for sports since an early age, is a physical education teacher at Rockwood High School in Udaipur. With 22 years of experience in the field, he has also represented various sports at the national level. Under his mentorship, the school has won numerous medals, and he aims for even greater student achievements in the coming years.

Dr. Gajender has been working as a physical education teacher at Rockwoods High School in Udaipur for two years. He has 22 years of experience in the physical education field. Currently, he is teaching 11th and 12th grade students as a PE teacher and looks after all the sports activities held at the school.

Under his guidance, the school has recently won a lot of medals in various sports, with many students being selected for the national level too. He aims to train his students so that, in the coming year, at least 50 students will be selected for the state level and 20 to 30 students for the national level.

Dr. Gajender was born in Kukanwali village in Kuchaman City in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan. His father was a retired physical education teacher from Kendriya Vidyalaya. Hence, Dr. Gajender himself studied at a KV school. He shares that he was not an academically brilliant child, but he had an upper hand in the sports field. He used to play 5 to 6 games, and from 5th grade onwards, he started focussing on cricket as his main sport. He was selected three times to play at the national level in cricket. In later years, he was also selected for national-level football matches and played for the All India Football Team.

Dr. Gajender was a mischievous student during his school days. After enrolling in college, he recalls that one day, his teacher, Bappa Malik, called him into his office and emphasized that while he was a talented sportsman, excelling in academics would lead to greater success in life. Motivated by his teacher’s advice, Gajender became serious about his studies and scored first division in college with 62%. Later, his teacher encouraged him to put more effort into the theoretical aspects of his education. By his second year, he was the top student at his college. From that point on, he consistently excelled in all the games he participated in, and he is proud that his students today are also competing at the state and national levels.

Dr. Sharma feels immense gratitude toward his mentor, Bappa Malik, who set him on the right path and helped him earn recognition at the national level. He is also thankful to his colleagues—Deepak Sir, Alka Ma’am, Anil Sir, and Renu Tyagi Ma’am—who constantly motivate him to give his best. Gajender has a unique approach to teaching and is confident in his methods, providing individual attention to each of his students.

Dr. Gajender proudly shares that one of his students, Palash, an under-17 football player, has been declared the captain of the Indian team for an international match.

In his free time, Dr. Gajender likes to cook delicious dishes. He also likes to travel and has explored almost the whole of India and two foreign countries as well. He is naturally inclined towards training the students who are not performing well in their sport. He believes in playing along with his students and training them in real time. He also has a passion for sports watches and shoes. Gajender shares that he is also fond of tree plantations. In Jaipur, he planted 1500 trees, of which 360 are still alive with his name on them. He desires to plant trees in different places over time, as it is the need of the hour today.

If given a time machine, Dr. Gajender would like to go back in time and relive his school life. He shares that his school days were the best part of his life. He played many matches at the national level.

Drawing a comparison between education and experience, Dr. Gajender says that both are equally important in our lives. He shares that this also differs according to the field we have chosen. He lives by the principle, ‘I will manage everything, and I will be the winner.’ He feels confident that he will achieve success one day, and this confidence comes to him because of all the knowledge he has earned till now. He explains that, along with education, he learnt a lot of things and gained experiences.

Adding to this, he shares that teachers are like mentors to their students, who can easily motivate them. So when they share their experiences, the students listen to them. He shares that a physical education teacher is connected to the whole school. He is against corporal punishment and instead motivates students through positive reinforcement.

Dr. Gajender advises everyone not to become nervous but to stay positive and work hard. He also suggests that they should focus on one clear goal. Sharma believes that failures are the key to success. Sharing his own experience, he mentions that he scored low marks in 10th grade, but he never let it demotivate him. He observes that nowadays, students struggle to manage their anger and can easily slip into depression.

To avoid these challenges, he advises the youth to work hard and efficiently. He recommends setting a clear goal in life and having a plan B in case things don't go as planned. He suggests that his students never fall prey to depression but instead talk to their loved ones. He encourages them not to panic and to trust their parents, who are their true friends.

Dr. Gajender wakes up at 4 a.m. He is a yoga practitioner and involves some physical activities in the routine. After going to school, he continues with his daily tasks. He shares that his favourite song is “Ruk Jana Nahi.” He firmly believes that, no matter what, one must always keep going. The COVID pandemic was one such time that tested his beliefs. He says that he lost many of his clients during the pandemic, but with his ‘never stop, come what may’ attitude, he always kept moving ahead in life.