This is the story of one of my students. A deplorable but extremely motivating tale about a 16 year old girl who overcame her ordeal to achieve remarkable feats in Indian gymnastic arena.
I had started giving tutions for pocket money at a very early age. I recall the day when this shy girl called Jhinuk with her father came to me for some assistance in humanity subjects. She was simple looking Bengali girl with fair complexion and curly short hair. Jhinuk like her name, was not an ordinary girls, she has achieved incredible feats in the field of gymnastics though she underwent a fatal accident at the age of 11 almost threatened her dreams become a gymnast.
While performing on a vaulting horse, Jhinuk met with an accident, which resulted in her right hand being broken. It was a terrible time for her and the traumatic experience almost threatened her sports career. With a steel plate inserted in her arm, doctors felt it was nearly impossible for her to continue her gymnastic dream.
However, undeterred by the obstacles that lay before her, her enthusiasm, inexorable spirit and love for gymnastics saw her through the traumatic times as she finally returned to the sport she loved the most, and managed to carve a niche for herself.
Though average in studies and coming from a modest family, her hard work and ‘never say die’ attitude stunned me and earned the respect and admiration. After she came back from her forced exile, she won consecutevely three national championships, one on sub junior level and two in junior level. She also secured sixth position at the third Children of Asia Games in Russia in the year 2005. Not only that she stood fair rank in 18th Commonwealth games in Australia.
I always admired her parents whose improbable hardwork that helped her turn an almost impossible dream to reality. Unfortunately, in India focus lies mainly on cricket and tennis and inadequate support from the government as well as the media forces people to think twice before taking up a sport like gymnastics at a professional level. however, Jhinuk wanted to dispel all negative thoughts and concentrate on her career and be an illustrious sportperson.
I don’t know where she is right now and whether she is continuing with her gymnastics or not? I can only wish her a fruitful and happy life.
( While my brief stint with Times of India in Kolkata, I published a story on Jhinuk Basu on December 29 in the year 2006)
- Shubhajit
I had started giving tutions for pocket money at a very early age. I recall the day when this shy girl called Jhinuk with her father came to me for some assistance in humanity subjects. She was simple looking Bengali girl with fair complexion and curly short hair. Jhinuk like her name, was not an ordinary girls, she has achieved incredible feats in the field of gymnastics though she underwent a fatal accident at the age of 11 almost threatened her dreams become a gymnast.
While performing on a vaulting horse, Jhinuk met with an accident, which resulted in her right hand being broken. It was a terrible time for her and the traumatic experience almost threatened her sports career. With a steel plate inserted in her arm, doctors felt it was nearly impossible for her to continue her gymnastic dream.
However, undeterred by the obstacles that lay before her, her enthusiasm, inexorable spirit and love for gymnastics saw her through the traumatic times as she finally returned to the sport she loved the most, and managed to carve a niche for herself.
Though average in studies and coming from a modest family, her hard work and ‘never say die’ attitude stunned me and earned the respect and admiration. After she came back from her forced exile, she won consecutevely three national championships, one on sub junior level and two in junior level. She also secured sixth position at the third Children of Asia Games in Russia in the year 2005. Not only that she stood fair rank in 18th Commonwealth games in Australia.
I always admired her parents whose improbable hardwork that helped her turn an almost impossible dream to reality. Unfortunately, in India focus lies mainly on cricket and tennis and inadequate support from the government as well as the media forces people to think twice before taking up a sport like gymnastics at a professional level. however, Jhinuk wanted to dispel all negative thoughts and concentrate on her career and be an illustrious sportperson.
I don’t know where she is right now and whether she is continuing with her gymnastics or not? I can only wish her a fruitful and happy life.
( While my brief stint with Times of India in Kolkata, I published a story on Jhinuk Basu on December 29 in the year 2006)
- Shubhajit
