Chankit Goyal, the captain of the BITS Powerlifting team, strolls over, his incredible wrestler’s physique belying a soft-spoken, almost shy personality. It’s casually disarming, and our interview soon freewheels into a candid chat.

‘I love working out; I’ve been passionate about it for as long I can remember,’ he tells me. ‘Powerlifting brought about a sense of competition which increased my focus during workouts, and that’s how I started out.’

It’s a similar story with the rest of their ten-member team; a desire to hone their bodies drives them all. They are being crippled, however, by a severe lack of funding, with every powerlifter having to spend Rs. 200 per day from their own pockets just to meet their dietary requirements.

Other essential supplements cost them more, the team spending Rs. 7500 per 2 kilograms of protein, some spending as much as Rs. 10,000 on just the right supplements.

‘We’ve approached the administration,’ he says. ‘All they’re willing to provide for are bananas during the competition.’

He’s out to prove a point. ‘I’m the only vegetarian on my team. I don’t even take protein supplements. Natural is the way to go!’ he beams. With supplement abuse commonplace, and athletes succumbing to steroids, it’s an example like his which is refreshing.

‘I want to prove to people that nature provides for everything we need. We don’t need meat; black chana, moong, and other pulses have all the protein required.’

It’s a punishing schedule pre-BOSM, he admits. It’s particularly difficult within BITS, considering how often tests are scheduled, and the lack of holidays during the competition. Couple that with gruelling three-hour sessions lifting weights, the extreme exhaustion that follows, and the refusal of college authorities to academically prop college sportsmen, and it’s a pretty daunting task.

He stays firm on his path, not allowing these setbacks to faze him. He’s had his share of problems – last year’s team consisted almost entirely of fourth-years. When they graduated, he had to build back the entire team from scratch. Through all this, he’s held his composure, and won individual medals at national meets.  

‘It’s a difficult competition this year, with there being colleges famed just for their powerlifting teams. After all we’ve been through preparing, we still will give the best teams a tough run, and nothing about that has, or ever will change,’ he signs off.

We admire his tenacity, and hope that the Powerlifting team achieves the success it deserves.