Acclaimed Director Ravindra Gautam is a ‘proud’ father, with his son Aaroh making it big in the kart racing arena. The Director who recently directed the movie Ekkees Topon ki Salaami, recollects the moment when his parents allowed him to follow what his heart said, and choose the profession he wants.

In the same way, Ravindra says, “I followed their footsteps and as a father, I let my son Aaroh do what he loved, that is racing. And today, we are extremely proud of him.”

Taking us through his son’s career graph as a racer, the Director explains, “From his childhood, he had a strange fascination for cars which my wife and I noticed. By age 10, he was an encyclopedia on cars, and on seeing any car he would tell the ‘in and out’ of it, from its make to engine capacity to torque. Soon he started go-karting at an entertainment track for fun, and one day at 13 years, he told me that he is the fastest 13 years old at the track. I was pretty surprised to know of his track performance, and this gave me a serious thought of looking for racing clubs and racing tournaments in India.”

He goes on, “We zeroed on to 'Rayo Racing Club' managed by the eight time national champion Rayomand Banerjee. We were bowled over when we heard that motor racing is not considered a sport in India and the cost of this sport is extremely high, around 10-15 lakhs a year. Above that, we had to buy a kart that cost as much as a premium hatchback car. It was a tough decision for my wife and me, but we thought of giving it a shot. We told our son that we will somehow fund him for a year, but from thereon he has to perform and get sponsorship. And he said he will try his best and actually put his heart and soul into it. He religiously followed whatever his coach Rayo told him.”

Well, the results are in front of the parents today!!

“Under the guidance of a champion driver like Rayomand, our son proved his mettle in his 1st ever racing competition 'National Kart Open Championships Rookie Cup-2013'. He surprised us by coming 3rd in the competition. That was the day when we knew he will go far,” states a proud father.

It's been just two years of his extreme hard work and Aaroh, we hear has been giving stiff competition to drivers far more experienced than him, drivers who race much more than him internationally and spend a fortune on the sport as compared to him.

Ravindra adds, “He made us proud last year by coming 3rd in the junior category of 'JK Tyre National Karting Championships-2014'. We hope that very soon he will be a National Champion too. And whether or not he pursues this as a career, we are happy that this sport has helped him become a better human being, a disciplined and a focussed young man. And this I think is our success as parents.”

Three cheers to the proud parents, and of course here’s wishing a great future to Aaroh!!