Anju Bobby George’s leap of faith

Halfway through a chat with athletics coach Robert Bobby George, his wife Anju, India’s lone medallist at the World Championship, walks in with a bright, warm smile. She seemed to possess a telepathic understanding of the line of interaction. Bobby was devotedly talking about sports, and nothing else, despite futile nudges. Flashing a knowing smile, she says: “That you can’t expect from him. Good Luck!”

Georges, after a period of deliberate hiatus from active sports, are back in the news. Together, they are moulding Shaili Singh, India’s brightest hope in long jump since Anju herself and whose early promise was vindicated by a silver medal at the 2020 U-20 World Championships in August. Three months after the feat, the World Athletics Federation adjudged Anju as the Woman of the Year for her contribution to the sport and gender equality in the country.

After Anju’s retirement, a decade ago, Bobby decided to take a break and recline to their quiet life, raising children and building his dream house. The rigours of the past decade needed an outlet. “It was a much-needed break. Both our children were born. I bought a small patch of land in Wayanad and tried tea plantation,” he says.

But not for long could they keep sport out of their heart. Their comeback, but in a different avatar, was inevitable. “My passion, my work, everything is athletics,” says Bobby, younger brother of the inimitable Jimmy George.