A War: Preksha Mittal
I used to stray away from sports day like it was some disease. I was reluctant to break my comfort zone. But my mom said, “You won’t hit if you don’t shoot”. Albeit hesitantly, I joined Karate classes, and it sparked some flames. In my 8th grade vacations, there was a senior black belt camp. That camp turned my life 360. 7-8 kilometers of running and religious training, made me transform my body and soul. A lazy unenthusiastic kid was now a passionate lover of Karate. In 2014, I openly challenged a player twice my weight and won. The feeling of winning was my drug, and I wanted to chase this feeling. So I entered my National school games and represented Haryana for the first time as a girl. Also, Won gold for the first time. Call it beginners luck. I’ll call it a hard-earned fruit of dedication. In my Ambala camp, my coaches used to poke taunts because I wasn’t accustomed to the village meal. “What will this city-dwelling diva do?” they laughed. Well, this city diva snatched gold from your best players. In a hat trick, I scored gold in 10th, 11th, and 12th, keeping the streak unbroken. Performed nationally. Played and won on international soil too. Lost some, won many, repeated the cycle. However, my granddad never looked up to my karate with proud eyes. But my granny came to the rescue, she hid newspapers which reported my winnings, made stories for my whereabouts. My parents were never backed down from my aid too. My mom pushed me, and my dad traveled with me for every match, to just be there.My coach helped me overcome to difficulties and injuries. Politics is a leach that sucks the life dry. It’s have been bitten by this leech too, a hell lot. But time has taught me the value of pain and acceptance. I don’t like it, but I can deal with it. I want to set an example for girls of my age to pursue their dreams. It might be easy in theory, but I want to guide them and also find them. Give life back something which it gave me. A shot.
After scoring 94.5% in my 12th, I had to set on a path. It was tough. But I thought, without war, the only way to host your flag in other countries is by sports. Knowing me, you know which one I took.