Politicos are setting fitness goals

At 45 plus, Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju’s fitness levels haven’t changed substantially over the years from the time of his Delhi University days. Blessed with healthy genes and having grown up in the pollution free and oxygen-rich environs of Arunachal Pradesh, Rijiju’s punishing and intense work schedule hasn’t been able to take away the minister’s boyish good looks or even dent his robust physique.

“In my line of work, intense working hours and lifestyle is an understatement. There is simply no free time. So even the fitness regimen has to be intense although I don’t get time for it the way I would have liked to,” he says.

Recently, Rijiju and former Olympian and Junior Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had set twitter abuzz with pictures of their smart work out sessions. It had attracted a lot of gushing tweets from fellow ministers.

Praising the physical fitness and mental agility of the yoga-practising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rijiju says, “Without doubt, the PM has set high standards in terms of physical fitness. He is an inspiration for me.” He adds, “I don’t have a gym at home but when I’m travelling I try to hit the gym whenever possible. I take out 30 minutes of time and do rigorous exercises from freehand to weight training. Otherwise even if I can do 40 pushups non-stop for three-four times a week, I’m happy.”

The benefits of physical fitness spill over to the other aspects of Rijiju’s life. “When you are physically in top form, your mental and physical alertness levels rise. In turn, as in my case, it is good for the police and security forces too. Then there is yoga for solace whenever workouts are not possible. So usually it boils down to two-three yoga sessions a week,” he says.