By Abhishek Dubey and Sanjeeb Mukherjea
The women of the family and society form the fulcrum of many of the rituals related to the weddings in Kodagu (Coorg).The conducive ecosystem for the growth and development of the girl child manifests itself in the personas of the two Ashwinis who hail from this region - Ashwini Nachappa, in the closing decades of twentieth century India, and Ashwini Ponnappa in the opening decades of twenty-first century India.
As Ashwini Nachappa says, ‘The name “Ashwini” means “a female horse”.’ The two mares from Coorg have been brand ambassadors of Indian sports in terms of talent, strength, articulation and finesse. If Ashwini Nachappa galloped to success in athletics, Ashwini Ponnappa has been the stable and consistent force in the Indian badminton story. The two Ashwinis spread across generations give us the trailer of what the daughters of the country can achieve if they get a congenial environment for their growth. We have been through the pages of the sporting journey of India’s Florence Griffith Joyner or Flo-Jo, i.e. Ashwini Nachappa. It’s the turn of Ashwini Ponnappa now.
Born on 18 September 1989 in Coorg, Karnataka, Ashwini Ponnappa has sports flowing in her genes. ‘My dad M.A. Ponnappa was a hockey player. We have uncles who were hockey players and relatives who were into athletics and cricket. So, yes, we do belong to a sporty family. This has helped in my career as well. Dad was pretty fit and helped me with my physical fitness during tournaments, and in the off season when we didn’t have any training. Mum helped me with my diet and made sure that I ate right. More importantly, she helped me in keeping calm. The most important aspect is that they were with me always, irrespective of what happened in the match, and encouraged me to follow my dream of playing badminton and doing really well,’ says Ashwini.
Sports teaches us many things in life. And this is what one expects from parents who understand the meaning of sports. But did she take up sports as she happened to be from a sports family? ‘More than the sports family itself, I was a hyperactive child, and to keep me busy, my parents put me into sports. One thing followed another. Both my parents were working, and to keep me engaged, they put me in badminton. As is common amongst many of the players, I began with enjoying the game and playing with my parents. Thus, it all started as fun with badminton. Then I started attending coaching sessions. Actually, right next to Dad’s bank, there was a single badminton court which also had a coach. So it was convenient, as Dad used to drop me off there and then pick me up. After this, as this became part of my routine, Dad and mom started taking turns to pick me up and drop me off.’ Ashwini takes us down memory lane. This picking up and dropping off continued in the coming years with a new set ofchallenges. Professional sports demands frequent travel. In the case of a girl child, this becomes critical. For Ashwini Ponnappa, it was more challenging than usual—especially with both of her parents working. Her father used to travel with her for most of the tournaments, as her mother was at home looking after her younger brother who had asthma.
Among other things, what sports teaches us in life is the ability to take both victory and defeat in stride and move ahead. This lesson of sports, if learnt well, helps the best of the sportspersons not to take or put undue pressure. When a sportsperson is able to reach this zone, they perform their best.
Ashwini Ponnappa says, ‘There was no pressure as such from my parents to take up badminton. Most of us start as singles players and it was the same in my case. Gradually, I started moving up through the different age categories. I was runners- up in under-10, but the champion in under-13. Actually, it was from there that things started picking up for me. The state championships was followed by the nationals. I still remember that when I actually beat my partner, there was a change in the way I approached my game.’
Professional sports demand that one peaks as one starts entering the prime of one’s youth. This means forgoing many things that look like a sacrifice in the eyes of others. But for those who take up sports as their passion and a way of life, these are not sacrifices, but the means to achieve their end. Ashwini Ponnappa says, ‘I saw the best of both the worlds—school life and badminton. I was fortunate to have very good teachers in school. It was in the later stages i.e., when studies started getting serious in class VIII, that I started paying all my attention to badminton. And the fact that I was just an average student and more inclined towards badminton made my decision of taking up sports easier.’ And then she goes on to elaborate this further when she says, ‘I do remember my prelims happened when I was busy with my nationals. I fared badly in my prelims, but my teachers were very confident that I would do well in my board exams. They would say, “Don’t worry, you will do well.” My parents also did not put any pressure on me. It was during this time that I put in a lot of effort in my studies and I felt really happy when I did well.’ Ashwini does understand the significance of easing off the pressure during this crucial phase.
She says, ‘I had no pressure. I have seen my peers struggling to get permission to go for tournaments. But contrary to this, I easily used to get my leaves and had the liberty to leave the class early for my training sessions. For instance, my school closed at 3:30 pm, but I was allowed to leave at 2:30 pm. so that I could get an hour extra for my practice.’ Sports teaches us to be multitaskers in the formative years of our life. ‘At a young age, you learn how to juggle between your studies and sports, and I think this toughens you,’ she says. What was the regimen that gave her the initial rigorous training in multitasking?
‘My daily routine then was quite different because I had to manage both, my school, and then my college, along with training. Luckily, I had wonderful principals both in school and college. I was given permission to take off early from college to train. So my daily routine was waking up and starting my day with physical fitness exercises at the ground at around 6 am, then rush home to get ready for school which started at 8:30 am ‘Then I would leave school at around 2:30 pm for practice, even though school got over at 3:30 pm. I would finish practice and head back home at around 6:30 pm. So my entire day was filled with training sessions and practice, along with resting and eating,’ says Ashwini. If youngsters try multitasking as a routine early in life, it helps them in so many other aspects later on in life. One aspect follows another and eventually a beautifully-crafted success story emerges.
Excerpted with permission from She Dared: Women in Indian Sport published by Rupa Publications India. The book is available on Amazon for Rs 242 only.