IX-I
Kimberley Guilfoyle once said, “Through determination, self-focus and discipline you can accomplish anything in life.”
This was proven true by the girl who clinched onto India’s First Gold Medal ever- male or female-in a global track event whose name shall now be written in golden letters in the history of Indian sports.
Her determination and perseverance towards her goal led to accomplishing it, even after having innumerable obstacles that could have kept her from where she has reached today. Along with the power and strength to overtake champions from all over the world, she also had the courage and consistency to overtake the hardships and obstacles she came across in the race of success.
This spirited girl is no one but the inimitable ‘HIMA DAS’.
FIRST LOVE
Hima’s first love was for football, which she played with the local boys at the rice fields of her father, Ronjit Das. She had even thought of representing India as a footballer. But that’s when her potential in athletics was spotted by Nipon Das, who is an athletics coach. Her rise has been nothing less than meteoric as she took up serious running only last year when she wore her first spikes.
PARISHRAM KI BHOOMI #THE RICE FIELDS
Rice Fields
Hima’s dreams started to take shape in the rice fields of Assam where she trained. She ran in the fields where her father spent hours farming. While her father did not have the money or the resources to get her the required training, her village did not have any infrastructure either. Her father could only afford to provide her with his rice fields, which later turned into her “Karma Bhoomi”.
SHEER POTENTIAL
Nabajit Malakar and Nipon Das, the two coaches, talked to Hima’s family about letting her stay in Guwahati to start the training that would make her an athlete to watch out for on a global scale. Her supportive parents were more than happy to let their daughter power up her wings to success, as long as she had a bed to sleep in and three meals to feed on.
THE NEVER DYING ATTITUDE
At the IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships that she has recently won, making history and earning so much glory and fame across the world, it looked like the gold would not be in the hands of Hima in the first 300m of the 400m track event. But the 18 year old Hima Das from India surged ahead suddenly during the last lap as she aimed for nothing but a gold for the country. “The last 100m has always been my strength,” says the champion.
TOP-NOTCH PATRIOTISM
Watching emotional Hima sing the national anthem with so much affection for the country was touching. She was captured on camera shedding tears of joy and pride as she stood on the podium while the national anthem was played at her medal ceremony.
THE PROMINENT ‘GAMOSA’
Hima, with a Gamosa draped on her shoulders
While we saw Hima flaunting the traditional hand woven towel called ‘gamosa’ in Assam, no one knew how precious it was for Hima and her family. It is the symbol of her state’s cultural heritage. Her father proudly expressed how glad he was that now the whole world would not only know Hima but also her hometown of Dhing in Assam.
The whole country aspires that Hima bags another gold for India at the Olympics of 2020. Even the Indian Government has promised to bear all the expenses for her training and support till the 2020 Olympics.
Such tough-nut people who withstand anything at all irrespective of the consequences and strive for nothing but success, just like Hima, are born one in a million.
~Ishani Singh, AIS Noida
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I like this!
Superb!!!