Introduced To Judo For Self-Defence In School, These Girls From Gurugram Village Are Now Winning Medals In The Sport

The Uber NDTV Roshan Dilli campaign is working towards making cities safer for women and self-defence is important towards achieving it. The students in Vidyapeeth School at Gurugram's Bajghera village are not only focusing on the school curriculum but also on implementing the lessons of self-defence in real life. Currently, over 55 girls learn Judo and 300 have mastered the sport. Judo is considered as a benchmark sport for self-defence that helps one prepare for unexpected situations and helps improve mental and physical health. Something that started as self-defence has taken the girls of the school to another level of competitiveness; these students have made a mark in Judo.

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The girls are extremely dedicated, hardworking and the sport has got many of them a scholarship, Pradeep Jhangoo, the Judo Coach told NDTV,

The children from here have gone for international matches, world championships, Asian games and even won medals at the South Asian and common wealth games. Their talent needs a little help with learning the correct technique which we are working on and gradually we are also refining their diet.

Since the school introduced Judo, over 100 girls have made it to the nationals and 20 girls have represented India at various international competitions. Self-defence not only allows one to defend themselves against physical attacks, it also sparks various benefits in everyday life.

Judo can help teach important values and principles such as hard work, dedication, and perseverance, among others. Girls today are very concerned about taking charge of their own safety. Annu Kumari, a tenth-grader and topper at Vidyapeeth School is a Judo expert, with 4 gold medals bagged by her at the national level.

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Annu Kumari said,

I love Judo as it has made me bold, brave and confident but along with fighting my fears, this sport has also made feel proud by winning at the national level and now I dream to participate in the Olympics.

Taniya Rana, another Vidhyapeeth student, has been playing the sport for over four years, she shared,

I have learnt a lot! Before I started playing judo, I wasn't self-dependent but now I can face anyone or any situation. If someone speaks out of line, I can reply back with confidence as I believe I'm totally self-dependent now.

By learning the basics of self-defence, one definitely can help prepare themselves against dangerous and unforeseen circumstances. With basic facilities along with guidance, it is the sheer hard work and determination of these young girls that has taken them to another level. A little support and encouragement is enabling them to fulfil their ambitions in life and helped the school team win medals from State to National levels.