anilsangwan
Active member
I happened to see this article in today's Hindustan Times and thought of sharing with you...
Really inspiring to see that all the 5 girls in this Jat family have played internationally and are medal winners.
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FULL ARTICLE:
Almost a decade ago, when the Phogat family introduced their daughters to wrestling, the village of Balali was up in arms the elders were incensed at the idea of local girls slugging it out in the mud.
But now, the five Phogat sisters Geeta 22, Babita 21, Priyanka 16, Ritu 15 and Vinesh 14 are the pride of the village. Not only this, the villagers even voted the mother of three and maternal aunt of two, Daya Kaur (43), to victory in last month's village sarpanch elections.
“The entire village is proud of my daughters and that helped me win the elections,“ said Daya Kaur. “People here say, my girls have made the village popular in the entire country, and now they say I will also bring luck to the village,“ she said. It's a regular feature in Balali that when the Phogat girls clinch medals in the international arena, the entire village congregates at the family home to greet them.
The latest gathering was on Monday when Priyanka, Ritu and Vinesh returned after winning a silver medal each in the Asian Sub-junior Championships in Thailand. This time too, the gathering was the same, the only difference being that they had congregated at the sarpanch's home.
“Earlier, elders in the village used to discourage me by saying I was introducing Geeta and Babita to a male-dominated sport. They used to tell me I wouldn't be able to find a suitable match for them,“ recalled Daya. “But now, those same villagers have voted me because of my daughters' achievements. They want to see their daughters touching great heights in the sport and compliment my husband (Mahavir Singh) for introducing the girls to the sport,“ she added.
Mahavir's joy now knows no bounds. While Babita, Geeta and Ritu are his daughters, Priyanka and Vinesh are the daughters of his brother who passed away a few years back. Now, they are a family, with Mahavir tending to the needs of all his 'daughters'.
“Earlier, I used to hear sarcastic remarks for introducing my daughters to wrestling. But once they started winning medals, criticism stopped,“ said Mahavir.
Last year, all five competed in international events and brought home medals and glory. A unique achievement, but the girls don't plan to sit on their laurels, having made up their minds to make a still bigger splash this year.
Really inspiring to see that all the 5 girls in this Jat family have played internationally and are medal winners.
View attachment 10455
View attachment 10454
FULL ARTICLE:
Almost a decade ago, when the Phogat family introduced their daughters to wrestling, the village of Balali was up in arms the elders were incensed at the idea of local girls slugging it out in the mud.
But now, the five Phogat sisters Geeta 22, Babita 21, Priyanka 16, Ritu 15 and Vinesh 14 are the pride of the village. Not only this, the villagers even voted the mother of three and maternal aunt of two, Daya Kaur (43), to victory in last month's village sarpanch elections.
“The entire village is proud of my daughters and that helped me win the elections,“ said Daya Kaur. “People here say, my girls have made the village popular in the entire country, and now they say I will also bring luck to the village,“ she said. It's a regular feature in Balali that when the Phogat girls clinch medals in the international arena, the entire village congregates at the family home to greet them.
The latest gathering was on Monday when Priyanka, Ritu and Vinesh returned after winning a silver medal each in the Asian Sub-junior Championships in Thailand. This time too, the gathering was the same, the only difference being that they had congregated at the sarpanch's home.
“Earlier, elders in the village used to discourage me by saying I was introducing Geeta and Babita to a male-dominated sport. They used to tell me I wouldn't be able to find a suitable match for them,“ recalled Daya. “But now, those same villagers have voted me because of my daughters' achievements. They want to see their daughters touching great heights in the sport and compliment my husband (Mahavir Singh) for introducing the girls to the sport,“ she added.
Mahavir's joy now knows no bounds. While Babita, Geeta and Ritu are his daughters, Priyanka and Vinesh are the daughters of his brother who passed away a few years back. Now, they are a family, with Mahavir tending to the needs of all his 'daughters'.
“Earlier, I used to hear sarcastic remarks for introducing my daughters to wrestling. But once they started winning medals, criticism stopped,“ said Mahavir.
Last year, all five competed in international events and brought home medals and glory. A unique achievement, but the girls don't plan to sit on their laurels, having made up their minds to make a still bigger splash this year.
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.....doesn't matter as I've the merit certificate in Javelin throw