Sanjay Shukla

Boxing taught me what schools and colleges never could.

It didn’t just teach me how to throw a punch.

It taught me how to take one—straight on the face—and stay calm.

How to lose/fail in front of a crowd and keep going.

How to stand back up when every nerve, every muscle and every fiber of my body screamed for me to quit.

It teaches patience—because success isn’t instant.

It teaches discipline—because talent alone is never enough.

It teaches dedication—because commitment defines winners.

It teaches respect—for opponents, for mentors, for the struggle itself.

And above all…it teaches resilience—because life, like the boxing ring, will knock you down. The only question is: Will you rise again?

In the ring, there’s no hiding. No one to blame. No excuses. Just raw, unfiltered truth. Every decision I make, every move I execute, has consequences. And I own every single one of them.

Such honesty is rare in the outside world. That’s why, for me, boxing was more than a sport—it was a classroom.

Every round was a lesson. Every punch, a test. Every fall, an opportunity to prove I could rise again.

While most people spend their lives running from pain, boxing taught me to walk through it—to embrace it, to transform it.

I was nurtured by this fire and in that fire, I emerged stronger.

• Shukla ‘Jigyasu’ (S.J.)