I read 80 books last year to break bio-bubble monotony, says Sreejesh

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the sports world - and for professional athletes who are missing their beloved sport, it has been a tough time.

Though professional sport restarted a few months ago, the requirements of a bio-bubble posed an entirely new challenge for players as they are neither used to it nor have they experienced it before. It is easy to pass it off as the 'new normal', but, as per accounts from players, it’s far more complicated than that. 

In this series starting today, some of the elite sportspersons who spent months in bio-bubble environments will share their experiences of passing through fear and change and narrate personal accounts that inspire and heal. 

Let's start with Indian national hockey team goalkeeper P R Sreejesh.

"For the past one year, my life has been restricted within the perimeters of the bio-secure bubble at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru. As there were strict restrictions on mingling, I spent most of the time reading after the routine training sessions. I have also picked up the habit of taking notes from books as I read them. I have finished about 80 books during my stay in the bio-bubble.

I love reading motivational books, autobiographies and biographies. It used to take me about 4-5 months to finish a book but now I can read two or three books at once. Currently I'm reading the Audacity Of Hope by Barack Obama, which outlines his vision for a new America, the Buddha In Daily Life by Richard Causton, and Carmine Gallo's Talk Like TED.

I really enjoyed reading the 5am club by Robin Sharma. It is a great book which deep dives into oneself and helps elevate one's mindset and overall wellbeing.  

Another good reader in the squad is goalkeeper Suraj (Karkera). I share books with him and discuss them. 

An open jail

When last year's nationwide lockdown was declared, members of the Indian hockey team and athletic team were at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. We remained confined to the centre for more than two months. It was like an 'open jail'. We were allowed to roam the campus, but were banned from going out.

In the initial days of the lockdown, the players were not even allowed to train together. Some of the restrictions were being eased later. At present, we undergo 2-hour-long training sessions split into 10 sessions a week. 

Two players have to share a room and it is ensured that both of them do not play in the same position. The team will be in deep trouble if both get infected. My roommate is defender Birendra Lakra who hails from Odisha. Despite all these restrictions and protocols in place, 18 players from the women's hockey team and 14 from the men's team were tested positive for COVID-19 over the period. Almost all of them contracted the virus when they left the facility after being granted a month’s break. Even after their test returned negative, they had to be in quarantine in another hostel before being allowed to join the camp.

Life on the second floor

We left the SAI Centre in February to tour Germany and Belgium. All of us were excited to the core, but the tour was held under strict biosecurity protocols. We were not allowed to step out of the two-storey hotel and our lives were restricted within the perimeters of the bio-secure bubble. Food was served at a separate hall. We had to undergo an antigen test every two days and RT-PCR before every match. Life in such a restricted space was repetitive, but luckily none of us got infected. 

We were permitted to leave the hotel only for training and attend matches. We had to do workouts within the confines of the hotel room. Players were granted a three-day break to visit their family when they returned from the three-week-long tour. After that we went to Argentina to take part in the FIH Pro League.

A fruitful experience

Regardless of the hardships and monotony of life in the bio-bubble, it was a great experience for all of us. If you look on the bright side, it was an opportunity to spend more time with each other. It definitely created a sense of bonhomie and camaraderie and enhanced our performance on the field. We could win three out of four matches in Germany and draw one. Against Belgium and England, we managed to win and draw one game each. In the FIH Pro League, the team could win two matches. In fact, the bubble made the players understand each other better and it reflected in our performance. We are working hard with the hope that we could carry that form into the Olympics."