THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 202112Biff Hutchison from Idaho, USA, holds the world record for highestjump on a pogo stick at 3.36 m; twice the height of an average human.

All top quotes contributed by Pragati Singh, AIS VYC Lucknow, X ABag Pack Variety

Anika JoshiAIS Vasundhara 1, XII

Aah, the life of a politician- full of ups anddowns and plenty of turnabouts, quiteliterally. Their lives constantly change,

as do their political alliances and when it comesto their daily grind, even a psephologist couldpoint out the differences that come over a politi-cian before and after Judgment Day aka elec-tions. Read on to know what goes on in the lifeof a politician before and after.

6:00 amUnassuming morning walks

A rite of passage for almost every politician is totake an almost-ceremonial walk through theneatly trimmed hedges of the lavish governmentquarters (starchy white khadi kurta and na-maskars mandatory). Before: A pre-election morning walk meansgoing beyond the usual path and heading to thenearest impoverished area, with carefullyplanned photo ops of course. Sitting with the peo-

ple and looking like a ‘man ofthe masses’ means extrabrownie points among theelectoral population.

After: Once the big day is over,early morning walks give way to grace-

ful hand-waving from the balcony, if youwin. If not, go take a stroll like a common man;

it’s a free world, after all.

12:00 PMRowdy election rallies

For a politician, rallies are the hub of all the ac-tion. It’s the heart of any political campaign andis packed to the brim with people, sitting onchairs, on the ground and even on the nearby fo-liage and water tanks. Before: Taking out a political rally right before

an election means only one thing- promises, andmore promises, intertwined, of course, with theoccasional dig at the opposition. A pre-electionrally has the politician on his toes and constantlyon guard for stray questions. After: Applicable only if the odds were in yourfavour. Loud slogans and louder cheers resonatethrough the streets as garlands and more garlandsare thrown in the air.

4:00 pmPrimetime screaming matches

We all know the intense political debates that ourparents crowd around the TV for; the ones withthe sombre silences and questions directed topoliticians that lead to a lot of fresh memes. Before: Nonsensical arguments run amok whena politician goes on TV for a semi moderated(read unmoderated) debate. As all roads lead toRome, guess what? All questions lead to one an-swer- it’s the opposition’s fault. After: As the elections come to a pass, so do thenational debate appearances. Answering straightquestions with looped answers is a must for apolitician when (rarely) appearing for primetimedebates, especially after winning the election.

It is said that change is inevitable. Is it true? Well,ask a politician!

Koyal Das, AIS Gurugram 43, X B

With our eyes glued to the televi-sion screens, we watched withrapt attention as PV Sindhuearned her last point at the bronze

medal match, as Neeraj Chopra made his goldenthrow, or as the Indian men’s hockey teambrought a medal home to India, all resultingin the nation’s high-est-ever haul inOlympic history.These momentsand many more atthe 2020 TokyoOlympics have madethe last few weeksmagical for us Indi-ans. What else thencould be a better In-dependence Daygift for our patri-otic population?Nothing that wecan think of. So,this Independ-ence Day, let’s delvedeep into the moments that broughtglory to the country and celebrate those whomade it possible.

The miracles began on July 24, 2021, withSaikom Mirabai Chanu as she lifted a total of 202kg weight, winning the silver medal in women’s49 kg weightlifting competition. Chanu’s firstbreakthrough, however, came at the Glasgow edi-tion of the Commonwealth Games in 2014, whereshe won the silver medal in the 48 kg weight cat-egory. A few years post that in 2017, she won thegold medal in the women’s 48 kg category by lift-ing a competition record 194 kg in the WorldWeightlifting Championships held at Anaheim,United States. Her growth as a weightlifter hasbeen commendable and we are here for it, every

bit of it!Next Olympic legend to bring laurel to thecountry was PV Sindhu, who, having played thewinning round with her ready stance and attentiveeyes, won a bronze medal in women’s singlesbadminton on August 1, and became the first In-dian woman ever to win two individual Olympic

medals.She alsorepresented India atthe 2016 SummerOlympics (Rio), whereshe became the first Indianshuttler ever to reach a final andto win the silver medal at that. Talkabout girl power!Nation’s hearts swelled with pride as LovlinaBorgohain won the bronze medal on August 4next, becoming the third Indian boxer ever to wina medal at the Olympics. Borgohain is the firstfemale athlete and the second boxer from Assamto represent the state in the Olympics. Breakingfree from the norms thus, this boxing sensation

is here to slay! Are we ready? Hell yes!As Wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya secured thesilver medal in the men’s freestyle 57 kg eventon August 5, having endured a painful injury inthe semi-finals a day before, the nation could nothelp but appreciate in awe. Dahiya startedwrestling in his early teens and has previously

won a silver medal in the 2015 Junior WorldWrestling Championships at Salvador de Bahiain the 55kg freestyle category. He was born toshine and we have no doubts regarding it!August 5 next saw the Indian men’s hockeyteam make history as they delivered the greatestpuck of victory into the goal and won the bronzemedal for the first time since 1980. Under thecaptainship of Manpreet Singh, the group of 18

triumphant men have become the most success-ful hockey team in Asia. And so to say that weare proud of them, would be an understatement!Carrying on the legacy, Bajrang Punia becamethe bronze medalist on August 7 in the Men’sfreestyle 65 kg wrestling event. The bronze medalmatch ended in an 8-0 score line in favour ofPunia, making him the only Indian wrestler to win

3 medals at the World WrestlingChampionships.That’s hispower!Last but notthe least, NeerajChopra truly wonthe hearts of theentire nation withhis magnificent‘Golden Throw’ atthe Men’s JavelinThrow Finals, thatwon him a goldmedal and made

him the second Indi-vidual Indian ever to win a Gold inOlympics after Abhinav Bindra.The spectacular jump right after thethrow and the javelin reaching

87.58m proved that Indians are indeedthe best in the game!

But as we appreciate the winners, here’s a toastto all those who missed out on a medal but stillwon hearts. For, be it the Indian women hockeyteam’s semi-final debut that quenched India’slong-starving Olympic dream of qualifying forthe semi or Golfer Aditi Ashok’s near brush withvictory and the subsequent massive jump in herglobal rankings from 200 to 154, we, Indians,have proven once again how our nation’s athleticprowess and self-worth is not something that canbe measured by the number of medals we score,but by the efforts, the hard work we put in to giveour best in everything!

An Enthusiastic Tribute To The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Legends Of The Nation

A political spectacleLooking Into The Ever-Changing Lifestyle Of A Politician

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