The achievements of Syed Rashida Simnani in the field of wrestling without any basic coaching and infrastructure prove the maxim, where there is a will, there is a way.
Rashida belongs to Drabgam village in Rajpora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
She said she was interested in wrestling right from childhood and after winning a few competitions at the school level got enough encouragement to keep her passion alive.
She did an eight-week certificate course in health and fitness from the National Sports Authority of India (NSAI) Patiala.
She was appointed on a contractual basis as a fitness coach at Government women’s degree college in Srinagar where she pursued her graduation degree.
She became part of national team in 2017. She told reporters she has represented J&K at the national level in baseball and wrestling where she won a bronze medal in the wrestling competition.
After her training at Patiala, she was selected to represent India at international stage in Taekwondo where she won a silver medal.
Simnani is presently working with the J&K sports council. She told reporters that as crimes against women are increasing in the society there is an urgent need for the government to start self-defence and awareness courses for women.
“I strongly believe that girls should have a free choice to choose their vocation for which they have passion.
“Once you select a profession for which you have passion, you will naturally excel in that field”, Simnani said.
She also said that the Sports Authority of India and the local sports council must reach out, especially to rural areas to ensure that the budding talent of young boys and girls does not go waste because of lack of infrastructure and training.
