E-Paper
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Even as a kid, Mukuljit Singh wanted to handle the rifle that belonged to his father Raja Satayjit Singh?ace trap-shooter of his days. So, the day, Mukuljit was ?allowed? to touch the ?beauty?, he was ready. Within a few minutes and in a few tries, he smashed the target to pieces.
Even as a kid, Mukuljit Singh wanted to handle the rifle that belonged to his father Raja Satayjit Singh—ace trap-shooter of his days. So, the day, Mukuljit was “allowed” to touch the ‘beauty’, he was ready. Within a few minutes and in a few tries, he smashed the target to pieces.
And, that was the beginning of his journey in the sport. At the age of just nine, Mukuljit won the .22 rifle shooting gold medal in the Sitapur District Shooting Championship before going on to become the State champion in the junior boys category at the age of 12.
“My father’s gun was very special for me. I always accompanied my father on his shooting missions. Today, I am proud to carry his rifle with me. It’s a family legacy,” says Mukuljit Singh, who is now teaching his son Samarjit , the art of shooting.
Forty-four-year-old Mukuljit belongs to Kapoorthala State, and his grandfather Baba Jasa Singh Ahluwalia was the ruler of Punjab, almost a generation before Maharaja Ranjit Singh. His grandfather played the key role in rebuilding Amritsar’s Golden Temple after it was ransacked once.
Family responsibilities after his father’s death in 1980 ended Mukuljit's love for arms and ammunitions and till 2004, he didn’t touch his rifle. But, in September 2004, he was inspired to take up shooting again. Once again, he’s a regular face in the pre-Nationals.
So far, the ace shooter has won 15 medals, including three gold, eight silver and four bronze medals. And now, he wants to do something special at the Nationals. “The upcoming single and double trap pre-National shooting at New Delhi will be a good opportunity for me to qualify for the Nationals,” says Mukuljit, who has bought a house in Dehradun to continue his passion for the game while training daily at the Jaspal Rana Shooting and Adventure Academy there.
A Class III student at La Martiniere School in the State Capital, Samarjit is mild-mannered. But, when he gets down to shooting, he’s a fighter. “I love shooting and I am happy that I am following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather,” says Samarjit, all of eight and already winner of five medals in the just concluded Uttaranchal State Open Shooting Championship last week.
He bagged two gold medals in the team events of air rifle and air pistol, besides winning two individual silver medals in .22 rifle shooting and one bronze medal in rifle shooting. Interestingly, his school, just to help him participate in the event, gave him a five-day special leave.
And when he came back with five medals, all his classmates and teachers gave him a hero’s welcome.
But all this is surely just the beginning for the first family of the state when it comes to shooting. Carry on boys!
