Jagdish Singh was my basic coach and he trained me from my very early days in boxing, teaching me the fundamentals of the sport. He was the one who shaped me into a boxer, disciplined me when I required disciplining.

I don't watch cricket much but I admire Sachin Tendulkar. I like the way he has conducted himself over the years. He has been such a huge star for so long but has not had a single controversy against his name.

I've grown up with Bollywood, and I continue to enjoy it. But boxing remains my passion.

An incident that left an impression on me was the 1999 sub-junior national boxing championship held in Calcutta. I had trained extremely hard to get there but got kicked out in the first round itself. 'If others can win, why can't you?' I repeatedly asked myself.

I train for around 3-4 hours everyday. It can go up to 6-7 hours when a competition is approaching.

I do a lot of yoga and meditation. It calms my nerves and helps me channelise my energy.

I believe, whatever God does, he does it for the good. I always try to look at life like that.