A recipient of the Maharana Pratap Award and International Basketball Player, Mahendra Singh Shekhawat, instead of losing hope, believes in learning from his mistakes to be successful in life.

Mahendra Singh Shekhawat is currently working as a CTI with the Indian Railways at Udaipur.

Mahendra was born and raised in a village by the name Ramjipura in Jaipur. He completed his initial schooling at Chopasni School, Jodhpur. Later he was selected by the SAI to study at Bhopal Nobles School, Udaipur. After completing his schooling, he did his graduation from JNVU, Jodhpur.

Mahendra was the Captain of the Indian Junior Basketball Team and represented India in the Philippines. In 1996, he played in China for the Indian Basketball team.

Meanwhile, in 1995 he also got a job at Indian Railways. His first posting with the Railways was in Ajmer. He also played for the Railways’ Basketball team. He played in the World Championship for Basketball that was held in St. Petersburg, Russia. Because of his performance, the team was able to bag the Silver medal in the championship which was unprecedented. For this, the Railways also gave him a promotion in his job and increased his incentives.

Mahendra also did a certification course from NSNIS, Patiala. Then he joined as the Coach of the Railways’ Men’s Basketball team from Rajasthan. He also worked as the Coach of the Railways’ Women’s Basketball team. Currently, he is working as the Coach of the Railways’ Men’s Basketball team.

To aspiring sportspersons, Mahendra advises to continue playing sports even during the Covid pandemic. He says playing sports will keep them healthy. Besides, he says it takes time to make a career in sports. Therefore they should remain patient. Furthermore, he advises that you should have willpower and determination in life and should always surrender to your coach to be successful as a sportsperson.

Mahendra also advises parents to motivate their children to play sports. He says parents should indulge their children in different sports like swimming, running, etc.  Besides, he advises them not to force their children to play sports as it’s necessary to do whatever you do with your heart. Furthermore, he says children should be made to do exercises that improve their cognitive and coordination abilities.

Mahendra considers Ram Kumar who is a recipient of the Dhyan Chand Award as his role model. He says that Kumar has always inspired and supported him in all his endeavors as a sportsman.

Talking about his achievements in life, Mahendra says that he was given the Maharana Fateh Singh Award in his 10th std. He also received the Maharana Pratap Award from the then Governor of Rajasthan late Pratibha Patil which he considers the best award of his life to date. He also received a Silver medal in the Basketball championship held in St. Petersburg, Russia. He also received a Gold medal in NIS.

Talking about his childhood, Mahendra says that his father was in the Indian Army. Since the beginning itself, he was extraordinary at playing sports. His school teachers would also appreciate him and thought that he would do something different in life. Looking at his sportsmanship, his school teachers suggested his father admit him to a good school where he could use his potential in the right direction. Then his father admitted him to Chopasni School in Jodhpur.

Mahendra acknowledges the support that he received from his wife, son, and daughter to continue playing Basketball.

Talking about the Covid pandemic, Mahendra says that the pandemic was a tough time for everyone, especially for sportsmen. He says due to the pandemic, all under-19 championships for different sports could not be conducted which delayed the job prospects of all under-19 players by a year or so. On the personal front, finding opportunity in adversity, he worked on his physical fitness and improved his game.

In his spare time, Mahendra likes to play with kids, spend time with his family, watch TV, listen to songs, etc.

To the youth, he advises them to eat healthy to keep themselves healthy. Besides, he says however busy your schedule is, take at least one hour out for your physical fitness daily.