Hubballi :

Nasreen Makandar, 14, a slum girl in Vijayapura, has proved that true grit pays off in the long run, and picked up a GOLD medal for her efforts. She was part of the under-16 Karnataka team which defeated Punjab in the rural national-level basketball tournament conducted recently by the ministry of youth affairs and sports at the Sports Authority of India stadium in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. There were 20 teams in the girls section.

Nasreen always nursed a passion for the game. Her father Khajamiya was a truck driver but quit his job 16 years ago after three heart attacks. Her mother Khajabi begs on the streets of Vijayapura and gets about Rs 300. They have nine children, including seven girls.

Nasreen, a class 9 student of the Anjuman High School, said she would watch students play at the Darbar High School ground. “My sisters Gousiya and Heena are division-level winners in basketball and they encouraged me a lot,” she said. She’s the first girl from Vijayapura district to win a GOLD medal at the national-level tournament.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / April 27th, 2015