LEH: Renowned Indian Ice skater Vishwaraj Rajen Jadeja overheard a conversation his coach, Wim Nieuwenhuizen, was having with someone in the Netherlands. That gentleman asked Wim, in Dutch, if Jadeja was talented, as per a release.
Wim replied, “No, he is not, but is a Rajput. They don’t give up no matter what.”
And that’s exactly what Jadeja has done over the last 18 years he has spent in ice skating. Vishwaraj Jadeja has not given up! He has royal roots and comes from the Dhrol family — back in the day, a small kingdom in the Jam Nagar district of Gujarat. His palace is now a school for women, where they pay a nominal fee. Practically, free education as part of the family’s empowerment initiative!
But just because Jadeja has royal roots does not mean he grew up rich. Royalty was formally abolished in India in 1971, and the government withdrew a very large part of their privileges. Jadeja was born 14 years later.
Despite a modest upbringing, Jadeja, now 40, never made money more important than anything else.