Ordinary Girls brought laurels for the country by winning Gold in Kho-Kho in South Asian Games 2016 and have emerged as role models for other aspiring girls
The Bharateeya contingents of men and women players took Bharat to a new height by pocketing highest number of gold medals in the South Asian Games held at Guwahati. For the first time the native game of Kho-Kho was introduced in the list of international games. Playing for Bharat, the women kho-kho players who came from ordinary families won the match highlighting the name of
their families and nation. Their happiness knew no bounds as they bagged the gold medal.
Living in a family with a limited income 19-year-old Parveen Nisha of Delhi, the vice-captain of Bharateeya kho-kho team became a star overnight. Nobody in the area she resides would believe her achievements.
When this correspondent reached her rented house he could not believe how these many people could stay in two rooms of 8’ x 10’. But all these difficulties looked so tiny in the face of the victory she fetched for her country.
A proud Nisha told how her two elder sisters had been kho-kho players from whom she drew inspiration to excel in this game. She recalled how the coach Sumit Bhatiya identified her playing with her colleagues and asked her if she were interested in kho-kho. From then onwards she undertook regular practice and became member of the national team.
Nisha’s father Mohd Jumman earns hardly Rs 200 per day by selling biryani in Badarpur. His happiness was boundless on his daughter’s success. “I never imagined that Nisha would bring such a proud moment for us.”
Another proud daughter of Bharat, Deepika Chaudhury of Hooghly, West Bengal comes also from an ordinary family. Her father works as a labourer while her mother is a maid. Deepika saw her brother playing kho-kho and decided to learn the game. She overcome the difficulties of inadequate resources and earned her place in the team. Her father Ranjan Chaudhury says: “I never thought that my daughter would win a gold medal for Bharat. I am more than happy to get fame and name because of her.”
Another member of Bharateeya Kho-Kho team Yashoda Sahu of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh brought glory to her family and country. His father Ghanshyam Sahu is a crane operator
in the Bhilai Steel Plant. Yashoda got interested in the game from 5th standard.
She was selected after her exhibition of skills in the 49th senior national kho-kho tournament in Solapur in Maharashtra. “I am happy that kho-kho is included in the international games and winning the gold is like dream come true”, she said.
All these girls coming from very ordinary families, made their way to the height of glory by sheer resilience and hard work. This success has enhanced their self-confidence and strive for higher goals in the life. They have emerged as role models for other aspiring girls too. What is needed today is an effort to identify such talents from the country.
Suresh Sharma, General Secretary of Kho-Kho Fedration of India said, “The men and women teams of Bharat won the gold medal in kho-kho. The credit of this success goes to
players, their coaches and team manager.” These players from very ordinary families brought laurels for the country.
Rahul Sharma
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