Anas Mohammed/New Delhi

Nawreen Zahoor and Sadiya Mushtaq of Ganderbal, central Kashmir have brought laurels to Jammu and Kashmir by winning gold and bronze medals respectively in the little-known Pencak Silat championship held in Haryana. awreen and Sadiya study in the fifth standard and are classmates in RP School in Nagarbal, Ganderbal. They started practicing for the game when they were in Upper KG.

“These girls showed a passion for the martial arts in their households. Seeing their penchant for the game, we decided to promote them and got them admitted in a local academy run by coach Murtaza Bhat,” said Zahoor father of Nawreen. Saniya Mushtaq, the elder sister of Sadiya, said the same.

Nawreen and Sadia with their coach Murtaza Bhat and other students of his academy

Pencak Silat is an umbrella term for a class of related Indonesian martial arts. It is full-body fighting incorporating strikes, grappling, and throwing in addition to the use of weaponry. Every part of the body is used and is subjected to attack. Pencak Silat has been in practice not only for physical defense but also for psychological ends.

Nawreen and Sadiya had to spend one to two hours at the Iron Fist Wing Chun martial arts academy run by Bhat. “I knew these girls have strength. I only have to teach them basic nuances of the game and tricks to manoeuvre opponents. They picked up these skills well,” said Bhat.

Coach Murtaza Bhat

Bhat added that there are around 80 students, the majority are girls, at his academy in Ganderbal. “It is not a very state-of-the-art kind of setup. It’s just a make-shift arrangement in a school. There are not even indoor facilities and athletes have to sweat it out in the open. Yet, they excel. They are determined to pursue their dreams. Around 32 such athletes from J&K have won 32 medals in 2021. It’s a huge achievement. Albeit, it has not been celebrated in the media as it should have been,” said Bhat.

Sadiya displaying her medal

Bhat says the administration’s support has come only in terms of grant of approval to his academy and that enables him to take athletes to take part in the national championships. “Otherwise, only the CO (Commanding officer) of the Army has supported the players monetarily from time to time. He also came to congratulate and encourage these girls when they returned with medals,” said Bhat.

After their stellar performance in the national championship, Nawreen and Sadiya say they look forward to participating in international championships. “We have proved our mettle at the national level, now we want to perform in the Olympics and win medals for our country,” they told Awaz-the Voice almost in unison. 

Nawreen in the arena

When asked how they manage sports and their education, Nawreen and Sadiya said that they always practice after their classes are over. What is their diet regime?

They said they eat whatever our parents serve them. They take a heavy breakfast. “We know, we have to be strong enough for the martial arts and life,” said Sadiya.

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However, coach Bhat said that since they are young they would have to wait to participate in the international tournaments.