Out of the box, inside the ring

Subhash Rajta

Something within her stirred when 12-year-old Jyoti Gulia saw a boy from her neighbourhood being praised after he won a gold medal in a district-level boxing championship in 2012. “He was honoured, and everyone in the village was talking about him and his medal. It was there and then that I decided to take up boxing,” said Jyoti. But soon she realised it was a tough ask carrying out this wish in a patriarchial society like Haryana.  

Five years down the line, the girl from a modest farming family in Rurki, a small village near Rohtak, is a Youth World Champion. She won the coveted gold and the title about a month back in the women’s Youth World Championships in Guwahati in the 51 kg category, and also qualified for the Youth Olympics to be held next year. But the question is: Has she been able to get the respect and praise she yearned for — the reason she took to  boxing gloves? “Yes,” she said, laughing. “A function was held in the village to honour me. A lot of people had also turned up at Rohtak.”

For this village girl, winning a medal in a top-flight international event was a huge achievement. However, Jyoti’s feat became even more praiseworthy because it came without the support of her family, especially her father and brother, who were opposed to her taking up the sport. “When I told my family that I wanted to start boxing, they flatly refused. But I had made up my mind, so I started practising secretly at the village stadium,” said Jyoti.

“I would tell my family that I was going to a friend’s place to study. I, however, told my mother the truth but pleaded with her not to reveal it to anyone in the family,” she said.

Four months later, however, her secret was out. She had to go out of her village to take part in a district-level boxing tournament. For this, she needed her father’s permission. “When my father learnt what I had been up to, he was very upset.  He refused to send me and relented only after my coach persuaded him and promised that I would give up boxing if I didn’t win a medal,” she said. Jyoti won a gold medal, and several others followed at the school, state and national level. So did the opposition from the family stop? “Yes, they didn’t stop me when I started winning medals, but they were still not completely supportive. They thought it was just a passing phase”. However, things changed after she won a gold medal at the Guwahati World Championship. “They are happy now, and want me to do well,” said Jyoti.

Jyoti has set her eyes on the ultimate glory in the world of sports — an Olympics medal. “I want to win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” she said.  “I am playing well. We are getting a lot of facilities, training, competition and exposure trips from our federation. I will be ready to win a medal in Tokyo,” said Jyoti.

If this happens, she will earn the respect of the entire country, not just her family and village!