Gurdaspur’s judo centre breaks barriers

In a room in Gurdaspur, far from the glare of stadium lights, a quiet revolution is unfolding, led by young judokas. What these girls endure in sweat and pain today is shaping the steel they will carry into tomorrow. Once seen as fragile, they now flip opponents with fearless precision.

After the coaches of the famous Shaheed Bhagat Singh Centre enjoyed stupendous success by producing 40 international and more than a hundred national-level male judokas, they thought it prudent to put their judo knowledge to optimum use by spotting and consequently training girls.

Rani Lakshmibai, one of the most prominent figures of the Revolt of 1857, will now cast her shadow over the training centre. It was the choice of the girls and their coaches to name the centre after the warrior.

In the border city of Gurdaspur, known more for high-flying drones and deadly drugs than anything else, people now proclaim with pride that their city has produced Olympians and participants in World Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World University Games and World Police Games, the list goes on. If drones and drugs have made the city infamous, the judo centre has made it famous.

Head coach Amarjit Shastri worked hard to convince the government girls’ school authorities, a stone’s throw from the boys’ centre, to let them use a room to train girl judokas. Seeing the success of the boys’ centre, the school took no time to let them in and open a room. “If I can produce Olympians from a place that has no proper judo mats, no infrastructure, no basic facilities or resources, who can stop me from producing champions from a room?” asked Shastri.

The girls’ centre, which was inaugurated by DEO Rajesh Sharma in June last year, has already started producing results. Several girls aged between 10 and 18 are now regularly winning medals in junior and sub-junior category tournaments.

The girls belong to poor and lower middle-class sections of society. The first lesson that is drilled into their minds by coaches Balwinder Kaur, a former judoka, and NIS-qualified Atul Kumar is not to be better than their competitors, but to be better than they were yesterday. The second is that it is fine not to win medals in tournaments because you still beat somebody who lacked the courage to compete. These are purified words of wisdom, indeed.

Niswanjit Kaur is a talent to watch out for. Her father, Satish Kumar, is a textile engineer in Gurugram. Come what may, he wants to see his daughter on the Olympic podium. Even at such a tender age, her throwing, grappling and striking techniques attract judokas from nearby centres to watch and emulate. Her coaches say she is a quick learner, a quality that is bound to take her places. Satish recently donated 200 tracksuits for the centres and plans to give more.

Talent exists in isolation and will only work if channelled in a professional manner. And that is precisely what is being done here. Coach Balwinder’s daughter, Harpuneet Kaur, has already picked up medals in her age group. Coaches are focusing not on one, but on the 30-odd girls who come to the centre. However, judokas like Niswanjit Kaur, Harpuneet Kaur, Ruby (10), Pinky (10) and Pooja (16) are seen as the flag bearers of the nascent yet emerging centre.

“Some people lift weights, I lift opponents,” says Pooja.

Coaches pool money, as the majority of the girls complain that they are unable to pursue the sport because of financial constraints. The mat on which they practise is archaic. Injuries to fragile bones are common, but the train chugs on. The trainees are oblivious to the fact that injuries in judo, especially those from falls, are exacerbated by the condition of the mats. This can lead to a higher risk of chronic injuries and pain. Still, they carry on.

“Old or worn-out mats may not provide adequate cushioning, hence increasing the risk of injury,” said coach Atul Mahajan.

Reason enough why the centre is now eyeing SPS Oberai, a Dubai-based construction magnate and a man known worldwide for donating to noble causes, to pull them out of the woods. In the past, Oberai came to their aid when he financed international judoka Jasleen Saini for his foreign training stints. Saini was on the cusp of selection for the Tokyo Olympics and had to compete in some foreign Grand Prix tournaments. He went to Georgia, courtesy of Oberai, and accumulated enough points to be selected on the basis of the continental quota. However, Covid played the villain and all his hard work came to nought.

Shastri says women’s judo is the result of a long struggle for equal rights. “These days, the female medal-winning champions are on exact parity with their male counterparts. Their titles are appreciated at their true value and many women champions are the pride of their countries,” he says.

Amritsar