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Karnam Malleshwari: The First Indian Female To Win An Olympic Medal!

Written By: Sonali
November 28, 2020
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Indian sportswomen have been the pride of the country! 

Saina Nehwal created history by winning the first medal in badminton at Olympics, 2012 — MC Mary Kom won a bronze in the first edition of women’s boxing at the Olympics — Sakshi Malik and PV Sindhu won bronze and silver respectively, India’s only medals in Olympics 2016.

All of this though would not have been possible without the inspiration and immense self-confidence that weightlifter Karnam Malleswari gave Indian women at the Sydney Games in 2000.

The legendary Indian weightlifter earned a bronze medal on September 19, 2000, to become the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.

Early life

Karnam Malleswari came from a family of sportspeople. Her father Karnam Manohar was a college-level football player while her four sisters had taken to weightlifting. But ironically, it was her mother Shyamala, the only non-sporting person in the family, who encouraged Karnam Malleswari to pursue a dream.

The story goes that a 12-year-old Karnam had been turned away by coach Neelamshetty Appanna, who taught weightlifting at a local gymnasium in the small town of Voosavanipeta, Andhra Pradesh because she was deemed too thin and weak for the sport.

However, Karnam’s mother gave belief to the disheartened youngster. “She told me that if I felt bad about people doubting my ability, then I should prove them wrong by going out there and pursuing weightlifting,” said Karnam Malleswari, who started training on her own soon after.

The turning point

The turning point for Karnam Malleswari, however, came at a national camp ahead of the 1990 Asian Games, which incidentally the Indian weightlifter was not a part of.

She had tagged along as a visitor with her elder sister Krishna Kumari, who had been selected to the camp. It was here that Karnam Malleswari was spotted by Olympic and world champion Leonid Taranenko, who coached the Indian weightlifters.

Taranenko noticed Karnam keenly observing the proceedings, so he approached her and asked her to do a few drills. It was enough to convince him of her talent, and he immediately recommended Karnam to the Bangalore Sports Institute.

In her first junior national weightlifting championships in 1990, Karnam Malleswari broke nine national records in the 52kg category and a year later, she won silver in her maiden senior national championship.

It was the start of the golden period in Karnam Malleswari’s career.

Becoming the champion

Before long success came calling, Malleswari placed third in the World Championships in 1993 and then followed up with consecutive 54kg world titles in 1994 and 1995, before bookending her run with another third-place effort in 1996. She is also the first Indian woman weightlifter to win gold at the World Championships.

A women’s weightlifting event was then added for the first time at the Olympics at Sydney 2000.

Though all eyes were on Karnam, not many gave her a chance because she had not won a World Championship medal since 1996. Moreover, she had also shifted to the 69kg, a category she had never competed in at the world stage. 

However, Karnam Malleswari loved proving people wrong, and she did so once again in Sydney. A gold may have been lost, but it gave Karnam Malleswari an Olympic bronze medal in what was her first trip to the Games. History had been created, and the country celebrated a new hero.

Source

“I was not affected by what people said about me. I know what I should do and what I should not. I have to participate in the competition, go on to the stage and lift the weight,” she told Sportstar after the extraordinary feat.

The historic achievement made her an instant household name and the masses named her ‘The Iron Lady’. She remains, till date, the only Indian woman weightlifter to have won an Olympic medal.

Ending the career

Malleswari was planning to make a comeback at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. However, the unfortunate demise of her father halted those plans. She devised another return, at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, but a severe back injury meant that she was not at her best and she called it quits after that event.

As it turned out, Karnam Malleswari’s Olympic medal turned out to be her last international medal. But it had given her a lasting legacy, and her achievement became the springboard on which more Indian women brought laurels for India.

Along the way, she was conferred with numerous prestigious awards by the Indian government, including the Arjuna Award (1994), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1999), and the Padma Shri (1999).

Aside from that, Malleswari also founded the Karnam Malleswari Foundation, first-of-its-kind weightlifting, and powerlifting academy to see her beloved sport flourish in India.

“I feel proud to have created this pathway for our girls and to see them winning Olympic medals. Some even tell me today, ‘Ma’am you started it all’, so I feel delighted to have changed the perception.”

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Sonali

A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!

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Neerja Bhanot — The Only Women To Get Awarded By India And Pakistan!

Written By: Sonali
September 5, 2020 | 02:19 PM |
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Have you watched the movie Neerja starring Sonam Kapoor? The more I reach the climax, the more my heart pounds — it aches — knowing that she’d die! That it’s not just a movie but the life story of a braveheart who didn’t think of herself, her life for even a second — story of India’s youngest and first female recipient of Ashok Chakra who sacrificed her life for more than 300 people.

Neerja Bhanot was only 22 when she died — just 25 hours before her 23rd birthday. The night of Sept 5, 1986, was the last night of her life. Though that night and that incident still haunt a lot of people, Neerja’s bravery and legacy can never be forgotten.

She was cremated a day before her birthday, i.e., on Sept 6, 1986.

It gives me goosebumps while writing this, an unexplainable pain of loss and grievance — this piece is dedicated to that young life who still inspired and is still inspiring thousands!!

Neerja was born to Harish Bhanot and Rama Bhanot on Sept 7, 1963, in Chandigarh. She worked as a model for brands like Benzer sarees, Binaca toothpaste, Godrej Besto detergent, Vaporex, Vico Turmeric cream, etc. before her stint with Pan Am.

Bhanot was very close to her family — the ‘laado’ of her home and her father’s agyakaari beti. She agreed to marry a Dubai-based marine engineer at the age of 21 because her father wanted to, and she did not see any reason to deny her father.

She moved to Sharjah, UAE after marriage only to face mental and verbal abuse, starvation, threat and verbal taunts. “If you can’t cook, stop eating” is what her husband told her. She lost five kilos in two months and was really shattered. She came back to Mumbai, leaving her husband and marriage behind and decided to join the airline services.

She was selected in the top 80 out of 10,000 applicants for the job of a flight attendant with Pam Am. She was appointed the senior flight purser on Pan Am Flight 73 flying from Mumbai to the United States via Karachi on that fateful September day.

The flight was hijacked by terrorists who belonged to the Abu Nidal Organisation, backed by Libya. Neerja was at her best during the entire incident and tried to calm all the passengers and her colleagues. She alerted the pilots who then were able to escape out of the cockpit and save their lives. It was her smartness that ensured that the flight couldn’t take off.

The hijackers asked her to collect the passports of all the passengers so that they could identify the Americans. Smartly, she hid the passports of the Americans and saved their lives. She was shot by bullets while saving three children from the terrorists. One of them, then a 7-year-old, is now himself an airline pilot. He considers Neerja to be his role model. 

Neerja proved that no job is big or small and all you need is the dedication to your work. Her calm courage and quick instincts saved several lives. She was awarded Ashoka Chakra. Her citation states: “Her loyalties to the passengers of the aircraft in distress will forever be a lasting tribute to the finest qualities of the human spirit.”

She is also the first civilian who was awarded Ashok Chakra. She also received “Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat,” the civilian award for bravery from Pakistan. She is the only woman on the face of the earth to receive a peace award from both India and Pakistan. She also received the Justice for Crimes Award 2005 and Special Courage Award 2006 from the USA Government. The Indian Postal Service released a stamp in her memory in 2004.

For her fearless act, Bhanot was recognised as ‘The Heroine of the Hijack’ internationally.

She chose others over her life — she died for others. 

She was cremated with the chanting of ‘Goodbye darling, please keep coming’, her favourite mantra.

The airline hero of the country, Neerja, was a star. Her story, her life continues to inspire young women. Her family used the funds from Pan Am to set up the Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust to commemorate her courage.

She wrote “I will make you proud” in a letter to her father a year before the incident. And yes, she did!

Cheers to you Neerja! Thank you for being an inspiration to our generations. You will always be loved, and your legacy will never be forgotten!

Featured Image: Various Sources

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Sonali

A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!

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