Lovely Professional University (LPU) takes immense pride as Nasreen Shaikh, a first-year MPEd student and the Captain of the Kho Kho Game at LPU and the nation, has been conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award by Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
This recognition by the Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs is a testament to Nasreen’s exemplary leadership, sportsmanship, discipline, and outstanding performance over the past four years.
The Arjuna Award is the second-highest athletic honour in India and is bestowed upon exceptional athletes who have consistently excelled in their respective sports. Among the recipients of the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2023, Nasreen stands out alongside other renowned athletes such as World Cup star cricketer Mohammed Shami.
Nasreen’s remarkable achievements in Kho Kho have earned her numerous national and international medals, highlighting her exceptional talent and dedication to the sport.
Her impeccable skills and unwavering determination have been evident in countless competitions she has participated in thus far. Nasreen is set to lead her team in the upcoming world games, showcasing her exceptional leadership abilities.
Nasreen’s journey to success has not been without challenges. Initially, she faced societal pressure and family objections, hindering her pursuit of her passion for Kho Kho.
However, she defied all odds and emerged as a source of immense pride for LPU and India by winning several top medals. Nasreen vividly recalls the overwhelming joy she experienced when she won her first gold medal for India, with the Indian national anthem resonating through the stadium.
Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, Founder ChanUcellor of LPU and Rajya Sabha Member, commended Nasreen on her national honour and expressed his pride in being associated with esteemed sports personalities like her.
He conveyed his heartfelt congratulations and expressed his belief in Nasreen’s ability to continue bringing honour and glory to the nation through her future endeavours. Dr. Mittal also expressed his delight at the Ministry of Sports’ announcement of the MAKA Sports 1st Runner-Up Trophy in the name of LPU.
Nasreen’s accomplishments serve as a testament to the significance of providing support and infrastructure for aspiring athletes. LPU’s unwavering commitment to nurturing sports talents is evident through its world-class sports infrastructure and support systems, including scholarships with 100% fee waivers.
The university boasts a roster of illustrious sports personalities, including ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, accomplished wrestler Bajrang Punia, skilled boxer Jaismine, Indian Hockey Team Members, and many more.
By winning the prestigious Arjuna Award, the 25-year-old India women’s kho kho team captain has brought joy to her struggling father, who dedicated himself body and soul to fuel her passion.
Nasreen Shaikh, a 25-year-old from Shakurpur, will walk down the iconic Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 9, to collect the Arjuna Award in Kho Kho, a sport that is not considered mainstream since it isn’t part of Commonwealth, Asian or Olympic Games.
She will become only the second kho kho player to win the National Sports Award in the last 25 years – the other being Sarika Kale Sudhakar in 2020 – after the indigenous sport became irrelevant at the turn of the century and struggled for recognition with the Union sports ministry backing Olympic sports heavily to eye medals in the quadrennial international multi-sports events.
“Kho Kho has changed my life. I have been able to support my struggling father,” said Nasreen as she flipped through a file looking for documents for police verification required to be sent to authorities ahead of the Arjuna Awards ceremony.
Nasreen’s father, Mohammed Ghafoor, came to Delhi in 1980 from Araria in Bihar, polished utensils for a living, worked as thekedaar (contractor) before losses forced him to try his luck at weekly markets. The father of 11 doesn’t rest even a single day and sets up shop in morning and evening all seven days of the week. He sells his wares – mostly utensils — in patri bazaar (roadside weekly markets) in Inderlok, Inderpuri, Minto Road, Patel Nagar, Ranjit Nagar, Karampura, Nangloi, Tri Nagar, Kishan Ganj, Shastri Nagar among other places.
“Generally, people focus on one market a day but I have been taking my wares to two bazaars every day for the last many years since household expenses are huge. I had to bring up kids (seven daughters and four sons) and also fuel Nasreen’s passion,” says Ghafoor.
“I worked a lot for her. It was my responsibility to provide her with the diet. She requires [protein] powders, chana, peanuts, nuts and almonds. I’d go to Lahori Gate to fetch all this and it would cost 5,000-6,000 rupees every time,” explains Ghafoor.
Nasreen is extremely grateful to her father, who is chuffed to see her daughter win the Arjuna Award.
“He even stopped visiting his hometown as it would set him back by a good amount. He made many sacrifices.”
There was also some resistance to her taking up the sport, especially kho kho, but when Nasreen began earning accolades and people around her saw prospects, all of that subsided and she started getting acknowledged in the family and among relatives.
(R to L) Mohammed Gafoor, Nasreen Shaikh and her mother
Hard Worker :
Nasreen’s father Mohammed Ghafoor) sets up shop all seven days of the week in patri bazaars to help fund her daughter’s training. To Nasreen’s right is her mother
“She was committed right from the start and I thought she should be given a chance,”adds Ghafoor.
Nasreen started playing kho-kho when she was in third standard at the Government Senior Secondary School in Kohat Enclave. She was also a very good athlete, winning gold medals in 100m and 200m sprints at school level. By the sixth standard, she was participating in the school nationals as well as the nationals in kho kho.
“Since we were financially vulnerable, I couldn’t play any sport that involved equipment. So, I had to pick kho kho and athletics,” says Nasreen, who graduated from Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College with BA (Pass) degree and is now doing M.P.Ed. (Masters in Physical Education) from Lovely Professional University in Punjab. She also completed B.P.Ed. (Bachelors in Physical Education) from the same university before this.
The big moment for Nasreen came in 2019 when she became captain of the Indian kho kho team for the South Asian Games. India won gold under her captaincy. She has so far competed in 50 national events and six international events. Even though the sport isn’t popular, still it is played in 38 countries.
While KKFI has started Ultimate Kho Kho, a franchise-based tournament that provides a platform for youngsters to earn and play, it is restricted only to male players. There are talks of having a women’s league on similar lines too but getting sponsors remains a struggle.
A few months after the high of becoming the national captain, her family struggled through Covid as her father had to sit at home without work. Kho Kho Federation of India, the governing body of the sport, chipped in with Rs 1 lakh and DYWA, an organisation based out of Delhi-6 also gave her Rs 50,000, to help her wade through the difficult time.
She worked on a stipend with Airports Authority of India (AAI).
“The stipend helped my family. But it had to end last year since the support is for only junior players,” says Nasreen, who is currently looking for a job and is hopeful that the Arjuna Award will help her land one.
“The sport has grown. It used to be considered a gali-kucha game. Earlier, we used to put money from our pocket for even travelling but now we are getting something back. Mittal sir (Sudhanshu Mittal, the president of the federation), announces cash prizes after tournaments and that helps. Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed the sport too in one of his speeches and it has boosted our confidence, given us recognition,” she adds.
Nasreen’s success has already inspired her two younger sisters to take up the sport. The four older ones are married and settled as home-makers.
The 18-year-old sister is studying at LPU in Punjab while the youngest, who is 14 years old, is studying in a school in Delhi.
“They both want to play kho kho.”
Her younger brother even gave up studies to cut down on their household expenses and ensure that Nasreen is left with as much money as possible for her training.
When at home, Nasreen leaves her home in hijab every morning on a scooty that she purchased recently and goes to a park in a different neighbourhood to work on her fitness.
“It (Hijab) is a norm here in our locality. But I take it off at the park during workout,” she adds.
The morning session is dedicated to endurance and fitness. She works out between 5 am and 8 am in the park before returning home.
“You need athleticism, endurance, stamina, and flexibility in this game. Everything. That is also a reason why I got hooked to it. If we play this game and become good players, we can participate in other games too like I participated in athletics.”
She works on kho kho skills in the evening session from 4 pm to 8 pm.
The set-up at LPU, she says, has helped her in training immensely.
While the Arjuna Award will be a feather in her cap and give her recognition, there is every likelihood that she will be celebrated as a star athlete in years to come. For the KKFI is planning biopic on her on the lines of those made on MS Dhoni and MC Mary Kom.
Special Player :
Nasreen Shaikh is the second kho kho player to win Arjuna Award in the last 25 years
“We are making a biopic on her. The plan is still in a nascent stage and we are working out the details like who will write the script, and who will direct the film among other things. She could play the protagonist herself or we could hire another actor to play her,” said Mittal, the KKFI President to Patriot.
source: http://www.thepatriot.in / The Patriot / Home> Delhi NCR / by Khurram Habib / January 09th, 2024
