Gujarat has the potential to become a sporting powerhouse: Harmeet Desai

Table tennis star Harmeet Desai, who hails from Surat, has always done Gujarat and India proud by winning numerous medals at the national and international levels. Harmeet, who is eagerly looking forward to 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic affected his preparations in the last two years, also says that he is a very proud Gujarati and he expects the state to excel in different sports in the near future. Asked about what he loves the most about the state and its people, Harmeet shares, “I am proud that I hail from one of India’s most developed states and I believe it has the potential to become a sporting powerhouse too. I want to see more players from Gujarat representing India at the highest level and I believe we will get there.” He adds, “As people, Gujaratis are warm, fun-loving and no matter what they decide to pursue, they do it whole-heartedly. There is a lot to learn from the way Gujaratis develop and run different businesses. They are hardworking and stubborn in a good way. There are so many perceptions about Gujaratis; like they are all vegetarians, they don’t like to get into fights and aren’t argumentative, and so on. We love carrying our own food, especially snacks, wherever we go, and I like that. A lot of non-Gujarati friends have told me that having a Gujarati in the group adds to the fun. We certainly know how to live life to the fullest. Due to my commitments as a professional sportsperson, I am not able to celebrate festivals like Gujaratis do, as I am always travelling. But I love everything about these celebrations.”