Under the first rays of the morning sun, the young athlete moves swiftly across the tennis court in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Twenty-two-year-old Om Kakad wipes sweat from his forehead, glances quickly at his watch, and serves the ball again. The match continues, the tension remains high. However, while he is focused on the game, his thoughts briefly drift to another rival waiting at home.
This rival is an accounting textbook. In a few hours, he will leave the court, head home, and begin a study regimen that often lasts late into the night. For years, this was his reality: athlete in the morning, CA postgraduate student by day and night.
He told The Better India: 'People think you have to choose between passion and profession, but I always believed I could do both.' Today, this young man, who once rushed from the tennis court to the classroom, has become a winner in both fields: he passed all levels of the Chartered Accountancy course on the first attempt while building an impressive career in squash tennis, which includes national gold medals, three gold medals at the Maharashtra State Olympics, and recognition as Maharashtra's own 'Golden Boy.'
His story is not just about talent. It is about discipline and the support of a family that believed in him. Above all, it is a challenge to the belief that long shaped the lives of young Indians—that passion and profession cannot coexist.
Rejecting the Choice of One Dream
Growing up in a farming family in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Om's earliest aspirations were not much about balance. He simply loved sports. Although education was always highly valued in his family, he was fascinated by the atmosphere of competition. Every tournament became a new challenge, and every victory a reason to dream bigger.
His father, Ravindra Ramdas Kakad, recalls the little boy who was happy playing. He says: 'He always loved sports. But we also wanted him to get a good education and become financially independent. We never wanted him to feel like he had to choose one over the other.'
This support proved crucial in the following years. Om's tennis journey truly began in the 9th grade when he took up squash. This sport was still unfamiliar to many around him, but he quickly showed his potential. In the same year, he won his first national gold medal.
Even today, years later and with dozens of medals, he considers this victory one of the most special moments of his life. He recalls: 'It was my first national medal, and I represented Maharashtra. Winning at that age gave me confidence that I could achieve something big.'
This victory marked the beginning of a path that led him to district, state, and national level competitions. But unlike many young athletes, his academic performance matched his number of medals. He scored 95.20 percent in the 10th grade and later received 88 percent in the 12th grade, studying natural sciences. For most students, such grades would naturally lead to engineering or medicine, but Om's path took an unexpected turn.
Transitioning from Natural Sciences to CA
After completing the 12th grade, he faced a question familiar to countless young athletes: what next? Sports remained his first love, but he also understood that he needed a profession that offered long-term stability. The answer came in the form of the Chartered Accountancy qualification.
Om notes: 'It was a respected course, and it offered nationwide recognition. I knew that if I worked hard enough, the result would depend on my efforts.'
This transition was unconventional. Moving from a science background to commerce, and then enrolling in one of India's most demanding professional programs, was never easy. Nevertheless, this challenge attracted him. Looking back, he believes sports already prepared him for this hard work. He says: 'When you participate in competitive sports, you learn to handle pressure. That helped me during CA preparation. And CA taught me patience and consistency, which helped me in sports.'
Years of Balancing Two Demanding Worlds
If winning medals required physical endurance, obtaining a Chartered Accountancy degree demanded a completely different kind of resilience. For almost five years, Om's life revolved around a schedule that left little time for rest. His days started before dawn. By six o'clock, he was on the court, training for hours. As soon as practice ended, the athlete had to give way to the student.
Om shares: 'There were days when I studied for 14-15 hours. When the internship started, I trained in the morning, worked in the office from morning till evening, and then attended classes at night. It was intense, but I knew what I wanted to achieve.'
The situation was complicated by the fact that neither of his pursuits allowed for cutting corners. Competitive sports demand consistency. Chartered Accountancy demands discipline, and excellence in one often requires sacrifice. Excellence in both requires a level of dedication that can quickly deplete.
Nevertheless, he never seriously considered giving up. He says: 'It was always a mental game. People see the medals and the results, but they don't see the sacrifices behind them. Every day was dedicated to time management and maintaining concentration.'
There were times when exams approached, and tournaments loomed on the horizon. There were times when he wondered if he should skip a competition for studies. There were times when training seemed impossible after long hours with textbooks. Each time, his family reminded him why he started. He says: 'My parents always supported me. Every time I thought about focusing only on studies or only on sports, they urged me to continue both. They believed that balancing them would make me special.'
When One Dream Strengthened the Other
If asked what helped him get through those years, Om would not point to intelligence or talent. Instead, he speaks of pressure. Years of participating in district, state, and national tournaments taught him something that many students struggle with: how to stay calm when everything is at stake.
'In sports, pressure is normal,' he says. 'Every important match comes with pressure. You learn to handle it. When I was preparing for CA Final, I realized it was the same situation. The pressure was different, but the feeling was the same.'
This experience proved invaluable in examination halls. At the same time, the CA path changed him as an athlete. He says: 'CA taught me that hard work is more important than talent. Whenever I felt like giving up in sports, I remembered what CA taught me. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.'
In many ways, these two worlds did not compete with each other at all. They made each other stronger.
The Birthday of the 'Golden Boy'
By 2023, Om was deeply immersed in his CA journey. His internship was in full swing, and balancing responsibilities became second nature. Then came the Maharashtra State Olympics, known as the Mini-Olympics. This event gathered the best athletes from the state. Participating in the senior category, Om competed in several events without much fanfare. He left with three gold medals. He says: 'It felt like a comeback.'
This achievement became one of the defining moments of his sporting career. The following year brought even more success when he won two bronze medals at the 21st State Junior Squash Championship in Punjab, further solidifying his position at the national level. Along the way, he received recognition in the form of the Samajratna award for outstanding achievements in education and sports, as well as thanks from Japanese coaches associated with squash. However, despite all the awards, Om still remembers with the most warmth the first national gold medal he won as a schoolboy. He says: 'That's where it all started. That medal made me believe I could achieve something big.'
The Result That Changed Everything
If there was one day comparable in joy to standing on the podium, it was the day the results were announced. Every CA student knows that feeling: anxious anticipation, refreshing the website, and a racing heart, along with the hope that years of sacrifice will finally be rewarded. Om recalls watching the screen as the results page loaded. He laughs: 'The website usually freezes for a few moments. When it finally opened, I saw the word 'Success'.'
For a few seconds, he could hardly believe it. Then came the realization: he had done it. He recalls: 'I shouted at home that I became a CA. Everyone was so happy. Calls, messages, and celebrations poured in throughout the day.'
Soon after, there was coverage in newspapers, congratulations, and kind words from people who followed his journey. For his family, it felt like the culmination of years of effort, and for Om, it was proof that the sacrifices were worth it. Om's father, Ravindra, still remembers the long days when his son woke up before dawn for training and continued studying late into the night. Family support went far beyond encouragement. There were long drives, tournament expenses, and countless adjustments to ensure Om had the opportunity to pursue both dreams. His mother, Anita Ravindra Kakad, in particular, played a key role in helping manage the hectic schedule. Looking back, his father says he never imagined his son would become both an accountant and a national-level athlete. But as soon as he saw Om's determination, there was no doubt about the support. He says: 'When we realized he could do both, we fully backed him.'
Today, he hopes more parents will do the same. He says: 'Children should be encouraged to follow their interests. Sports can also be a career.'
A Dream That Is Still Evolving
For many people, achieving the Chartered Accountant qualification at 22 would be a final destination. For Om, it is just one milestone. His next goal is clear: to represent India on the international stage. In a country where young people are often told that success requires choosing one path and abandoning the other, Om chose a different route. He carried textbooks and a squash racket with equal seriousness. He learned to live with fatigue, pressure, and uncertainty. And by doing so, he proved that ambitions do not always have to fit into one box.
Somewhere today, a student might wonder whether to give up sports for studies. Somewhere else, a young athlete might think that a demanding professional degree is unattainable. Om's path offers another possibility—the chance to wake up before dawn for training and return home for studying. The ability to embrace both passion and profession without apologizing for either. The ability to understand that success is not always about choosing between two dreams. Sometimes it is about finding the courage to pursue both.
As Om says, in words that perhaps best reflect his journey: 'Education is part of life, but your passion is the art of living.' And for him, this art is still being perfected—one match, one challenge, and one dream at a time.