Indian women relay team has won Gold in 400 M relay - comprising a team of (L to R) Ashwini Shetty, Mandip Kaur, Manjit Kaur & Sini Jose. Ashwini ran the cruicial 3rd leg in the finals.
Ashwini hails from Karantaka's coastal area. Coming from financially poor farmer's family in rural village of- Jansal, near Siddapura, Kundapur Taluk – Udupi district. Her father owns few acres of paddy growing farms which is again completely dependent on rains. In her childhood she used run around the cattle at home – taking them out for graging, to her father's fields. Running behind them she realised her speed and increased it herself running in school competions. She later started participating in inter-school, district level and many other local competitions; couple of which she won running on barefoot. On barefoot she went on to pursue her dreams of running in state level and national level games. Today India won GOLD after 50 yrears in a track event. Ashwini recalls “today everyone congratulate me on CWG Gold – but many do not know that when I used to participate in national competitions I did not even have good pair of shoes to run!!”
She also recalls today “bearing my travel and coaching expenses was a big challenge for me – we used to keep my mother's bangles at the Pawn Broker's for money”. To stay at Sports Hostel in Bangalore was another bigger challenge; when her father took a big call of pawning his farms to pay for her hostel fees and sports expenses. How many rural folk can take this big risk for their daughters career?
Like other athletes Ashwini also complains about the lack of sports facilities at the district and the rural level in our state. Lack of support from the government, from the sports authorities towards promising sports person is not reaching to the most deserving lot – especially the rural folk. When will the government hear their pleas? Coming from rural areas these guys know what is the real challenge for a sports person. For a sports person from India :- A real Challenge is not on the field; but it there outside till they get to reach the field. Almost every athlete of every sport apart from Cricket & tennis after winning in a major event endorse the same views of Ashwini. Even after all of them raising these issues, how much work has been done?
(A small excersise for you reading this – type in google “sports authotirites in India” you will find many. Then recollect how many sports we have won under these sports bodies)
Today Ashwini works as a ticket collector with South Western Railways. Had she not been encouraged by her employer with extended leave and Guaranteed Salary probably she would not have participated.
The blessed few, who manage to overcome all the obstacles and the hardships on their own have been able to excel in their field. Once they become successful in the events like now in CWG, the state governments announce few lakhs of rupees to the sports person and send out the garlanding snaps in Media!! Would the govt show the same care if they had lost even after participating in an international games? We all know what is the answer!! There are thousands of sports persons in India who could not manage to overcome their hardships like Ashwini. Again there are hundreds of them who could not win like Ashwini. Who is going to support them? Because of our bureaucracy, much of India's talent is lost out in the rural woods – we rather believe watching a reality show “India's Got Talent “ itself is the only platform where we can see and recognize the real Indian Talent.That's “A” clear picture of how realistic we ourselves are as citizens of this billion population country!!
For the moment, lets salute Ashwini and all the brave 101 medal winners of CWG – they have made it despite all their challenges.
