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Girls in Abohar take a liking to martial arts by
Avtar Singh Abohar:
Many girls in Punjab's Ferozepur District have developed a liking for martial
arts, and some wish to learn it as a self defence technique to ward off anti-social
elements. Others view it as a career option. Priyanka Karwarsara, a resident of
Ramsara, a remote village of the district, is one such girl. Despite being a high
school student and having parents who are hesistant about sending her alone to
school., Priyanka has enrolled herself in a marital arts training course. "My
aim is to win medals at the national level and make my parents and teachers proud.
My principal motivates me a lot. My parents are satisfied. They know that the
self-defence training that I am taking will help me protect myself. Now, I feel
I don't need anybody's help, I can take care of myself," said Priyanka. Over 100
children, a majority of them girls, are taking karate lessons in Abohar under
the supervision of experts. The 15-day workshop was recently organized by the
Punjab Sports Department at DAV College, Abohar to make rural girls and boys tough.
The free of cost workshop drew girls and boys to learn basic self defence techniques.
There are plans to conduct such workshops in other regions in the coming days.
It is believed that the training will help in controlling rising molestation cases
against women. It is also aimed at helping the sports department to spot talent
in rural areas. "There is a huge scope after learning Judo. At present when most
of the students concentrate only on studies, we show equal interest in sports
also, so that we are as good as anybody in any field. The girls are believed to
be weaker than boys but we want to prove that girls are equally capable in all
walks of life," said Geeta, a judo enthusiast. "Last time, two girls from Judo
team were selected for Olympics. So the other girls can take inspiration and aim
for Olympics too. They should use self-defense techniques in helping girls or
any old person in need," said Ruchi, the trainer. After learning martial arts,
girls and boys turns also become mentally strong. The feeling of being a victim
no longer exists. Training in martial arts also motivates many learners to join
the defence forces and even take up a career in the discipline. Rural youth hold
tremendous talent and if given a chance they can make their mark at the national
and international level. -June
28, 2009
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