A sport for all seasons

Restaurateur A D Singh plays a wide variety of games during his free time.

A D Singh over the years as the owner of Olive restaurant has been a fixture at some of the glitziest events in three of India's major metros "" Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore "" many of them hosted at his properties. And then there is the daytime job, the actual, behind-the-scenes, unglamorous role of running restaurants in three cities at the same time.

You would imagine that someone with that schedule and shuttling between three cities would find it impossible to sustain any passion outside of work. But Singh is made of sterner stuff. Not only does he nurse more than one passion, his prime one "" sports "" is physically very demanding. And yet, Singh stays true to this passion no matter which city he is in.

Singh has a simple one-line explanation for his continued love for sports: "Sports is the great balance in my life." Singh shares this interest in almost all sports with some of his friends and it has become one of the ways for him to keep in touch with them, even as his work becomes more and more frenetic.

Giving a rough itinerary of his sporting activity he says, "When I am in Mumbai I play volleyball and have been playing this game for the last 15 years with one set of friends. I have been able to maintain these friends because of volleyball."

The venue for Singh's volleyball games is the Breach Candy Club that he says has an excellent volleyball court. Singh's interest in this sport was sparked when he was studying at St Xavier's College in Mumbai. He says, "In Xavier's there was a tradition of volleyball."

If it is Delhi, then the sport that Singh is most likely to play is badminton at the Siri Fort DDA Sports Complex. Says Singh, "I am at the badminton court by about 6.30 in the evening if I am in Delhi. I end up playing about six hours of badminton every week."

And it's not all play at the badminton courts, as Singh also encourages his staff to join him and his friends at the courts. Says Singh, "Many of my managers also join in."

The third sport that Singh is regular with is golf. Says Singh, "My handicap right now is 12. I am hoping to bring that down." Singh started playing golf at the relatively young age of four. Recounts Singh, "My brother and I would trail behind my father at the golf course. That's how I got interested in the game."

As if all this wasn't enough, Singh also finds time to go to the gym. It is a habit he picked up when he moved to the US to study. And then there is more: Singh also dabbles in yoga and meditation, inspired by his wife, who is devoted to both. Says Singh, "I flirt with yoga and meditation from time to time."

Singh says that for as long as he can remember he has played some sport, and adds candidly, "I have never been excellent at any game but I would say that I am reasonably good at many sports." In the US, Singh also picked up American football, in which he got intensely involved as a spectator.

Are there any sports that Singh has had to stop playing over the years, as the demands of his working life have become more insistent, and as the body ages? Says Singh with a hint of regret lacing his voice: "I used to play rugby but I gave that up some time ago. I also used to play squash a lot but I have had to give that up as well. Both these sports are very demanding."

Singh says that he prefers to play sports that are team-based and not focussed on individuals. Giving his reason for this, he says, "Team sports incentivises me. I then try harder."

Singh's interest in sports has made him an avid spectator, one who is willing to travel far and wide to catch the excitement of a sporting event. He says, "From my interest in playing sports grew my interest in travelling to watch it live."

Of the many sports that Singh follows religiously, cricket is his all-time favourite. Singh travelled to the cricket World Cup in South Africa five years ago. He almost made it to the West Indies last year but cancelled after India was knocked out early in the series. And he made it to Jaipur recently to watch an IPL game as well. Clearly there is no rest for this restaurateur.