Sruthi Vibhavari
Rohtak: In a country that deifies cricketers and has no respect left for other sports personalities, athletes like Shiksha suffer.
Shiksha is a Wushu player hailing from Indergarh in Rohtak district, Haryana, who is currently working under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) for daily wages.
She is a national champion. She won three gold medals at all India level, won nine national championships and twenty-four state championships. Governments and state federations made many claims of offering her a fancy cash prize but in three years of her participating in various championships that cash prize never reached her.
The COVID-19 lockdown added to her miseries and she is forced to take up daily wage work in fields.
The Wushu champion mentions that she is unable to fund her practice and diet during the lockdown due to financial difficulties at home. However, she keeps her spirit high. “I can play even further and win gold for the country. I only expect help and encouragement from the government,” she says.