Tanvi Jagdish
International Surfer
I started surfing at the age of 9 when in 2009, I went to the ocean with my grandfather, and the joy of seeing the ocean was next level. Coming from a really small village, girls are usually not allowed to surf - as it’s considered to be something that only boys are capable enough to do. In fact, when my mom found out in 2012 that I was serious about surfing, I was not allowed to leave my house for a year. Other family members and my neighbors also constrained my dreams by telling me that I can’t wear such kinds of clothes in front of everyone. However, my grandfather was incredibly supportive of me and he told me, 'Tanvi, if you feel what you are doing is right, from your heart, then just go ahead and do it, be the best, and work hard. Don't listen to anything because when you have great determination, nothing will come in your way, no matter what! Passion, determination, and the attitude of never fearing failure will always make you reach your goals”. Eventually, my parents also started supporting my journey as a surfer, and I India twice in 2017 and won third place in both the instances at the SUP surf pro events, under-17 category.
What the government can do to help woman athletes:
Since I am experienced in surfing, I will speak for surfing. It is a relatively new sport, so the government should start recognizing national athletes. India has the potential to do really well in this sport, and currently, we have no support from the government, so sponsoring athletes and providing funding for training equipment will go a long way to help talented surfers with massive potential. In fact, I think surfing is also great for the national economy as it promotes tourism so the government should definitely invest more in surfing. Additionally, we as a society need to change our mindsets: Girls can surf too. The ocean is for everybody. Governments can use their platforms to run information campaigns with this messaging.
The biggest problem facing woman athletes in India:
According to me, the safety of women athletes is a really important issue that is still unaddressed. A lot of women athletes can’t really travel because there are only male coaches accompanying them so their families don’t really allow them to. There is also, obviously, the funding problem. The government does not really recognize the effort that women athletes put in on a daily basis and does not provide adequate funds for training and traveling.
Richa Gaur
International Taekwondo Player
I was born a premature baby, and most doctors said that my survival would be incredibly difficult. Even when I survived, I was an underweight baby for months before I was able to fully recover. I was - and still am - a tomboy - I used to dress and talk differently than most other girls my age. Often, I used to get bullied for being different, and sports was my safe space from this bullying. I had natural strength and power ever since I was young, so I was drawn to taekwondo from the start. I started winning inter-school tournaments in both taekwondo and basketball and gradually started collecting medals in inter-state tournaments as well. However, I could not play out of my state (Rajasthan) because of familial pressure and even quit taekwondo for some time. My time away from the sport only confirmed how much I love it, and I gave an ultimatum to my parents that I would only give my 12th-grade exams only if I am allowed to play taekwondo. My parents agreed, but then I faced more hurdles. There were not any well-developed taekwondo academies and the government did not provide any infrastructural support. Luckily, Mr. Sanjay Devnath took me under him, and I went on to win districts, states, and then eventually became a black belt player in college 2nd year. While all of this was happening, I also learned about a new style called freestyle fighting and started learning that as well. I have always had the instinct to help people, so I became a volunteer to teach young girls self-defense through freestyle fighting. In my last year of college, I got selected to represent India at the World Championships for freestyle fighting, but the government did not provide any money for traveling and staying abroad. My college also was unhelpful as they did not agree to shift exams. However, my father supported me. He applied for a provident fund and sent me to the world championships. I won a bronze medal there and made my country proud. In 2016, I won a gold medal in taekwondo in the South Asian Championships and received the President’s Award for my work in self-defense as a coach, and as a Taekwondo and Freestyle fighting player. I now have my own academy and I function as a national coach - traveling city to city with students and helping them realize their full potential.
Nisha Pathak
National Level Football Player
The biggest problem that I have faced as an aspiring female athlete is the lack of competition. Playing football, I have had to convince girls to play on the team even when they were not experienced because not many parents allow their girl child to play a sport like football. In fact, my team had to cancel our participation in various competitions because there were not enough players. My school’s boy’s team plays around 40 matches a year, while we are only able to play around 20. The primary reason that most people provide for not showing up to practice is academics - which is a huge barrier to playing sports, especially in India.
What needs to change:
One important thing that ought to change is the provision of facilities. For girls especially, the government needs to provide safe facilities so more parents are comfortable in sending their girl children to play. The provision of medical facilities - especially sanitary napkins - would help too. Change starts from the grassroots, so from the school level itself, more girls should be exposed to sports by at least providing 2 periods of sports per week with coaching.