Bindra had three 100 scores and his lowest was 98. One thought a gold beckoned. At the same time one felt sorry for Gagan who had shot 96 and 97 and didn't qualify. Billiards great Geet Sethi and badminton legend Prakash Padukone had launched a Gold Quest programme to fund Narang's Olympic medal campaign. But thoughts of shooting were on the back burner as I went out  for shopping in pouring rain. When I came back by wife Smita surprised me by saying ``Congratulations'' but with tears in her eyes. I thought my daughter Devashree had got a job or I some award.

Then she announced with chest swelling in pride:``India has won the first gold, Abhinav Bindra has done us proud at Beijing.'' I was too stunned for words. My first feeling was of relief that those  tears were of joy.

Then it was surfing channels to see the latest. Our Indian TV is famous for carpet-bombing when big news breaks. Like Olympians they stretched their limits of excellence in getting the right bytes. One channel got India's legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar to laud Bindra. She said she knew from first hand how tough shooting is as she had tried her hand at it along with brother Hridaynath at her home Kolhapur which has a tradition for shooting, with Deepali Deshpande who was at the Athens Games hailing from there. She said it is a great feeling when one hits the target and she congratulated Abhinav for doing India proud and praising his efforts and how strange that he had done this at a young age.

Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi said:``In a cricket-mad country Bindra's feat will move our kids to Olympic sports.''

Then came his  parents. Father AS Bindra said: ``India has proved it. He had a passion for shooting, fiddling with guns. When he was five he would place a balloon on the head of his maid and shoot them. We were fearing that a problem would be created if he missed the mark, the maid could get hurt. But he always shot the balloon. He is always cool, never moved by media and publicity. He is a silent killer, silent worker.''

His mother Babli said:``Before he left I told him `you and mamma know that you can win gold,' I will visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar before going to Delhi on August 14 to receive him.''

PT Usha who could have been the first Indian Olympic individual gold winner, being fourth in the 400 metres hurdles at Moscow, said:``He took to  the sport at a young age. I had written in my column that he can win gold. But it is sad that we will spend the next two months celebrating and then forget. I saw a few months ago that our shooters were not getting enough ammunition for training. That's India, one hopes this is not repeated.''

Praise began coming in and Bindra  was being hailed as `The Ice Man' like Bjorn Borg, the tennis legend who was a picture of composure always. Bindra was also cool hardly betraying any emotion as the Indian anthem `Jana Mana Gana' was played at the medal ceremony.

Anjali Bhagwat,  women's rifle shooter, who lost on the first day said:``I have travelled with him seeing his hard work. This is our medal.'' She spoke for a huge shooting family which has a great tradition - Maharaja Karni Singh of Bikaner, Asian Games gold winner, his daughter Princess Bhuvaneshwari and Raja Randhir Singh, another Asian gold winner who headed the Olympic federation.

In Mumbai it was late Capt Solomon Jacob Ezekiel, who set the guns rolling at the Worli Shooting Range who brought the concept of mental training importing Russian methods of developing focus and skill which were like Indian breathing technique of yoga.

In recent years coaches like Sanjay Chakraborty and Sunny Thomas have played their role, also sport spsycholigist BP Bam.
Rajyvardhan Rathore's silver medal at Athens Olympiad gave Indian shooting a shot in the arm.