Ujjain : It is often said that perseverance and success go hand in hand. Bridging the chasm of inequality between man and woman, a sportswoman, Gayatri Parmar is creating ripples in our otherwise patriarchal society. She happens to be a national power-lifting and weight-lifting champion, having devoted over 3 decades of her life span to this form of sport. We spoke to her where she candidly gave us an insight into her painful journey towards success.
Revealing her passion for the game Parmar said “When I was about 14-15 years old, I would go every morning to the Vikram university ground in morning where I would spot many young boys indulging in hardcore physical exercises. I wanted to be included in their group and I really do not know why. Somehow, I mustered courage and approached them. At first, they were all wary of my intentions and looked at me suspiciously. However, at last they consented unwillingly. Later on, I got so much acclimatized with them that it became too difficult to even differentiate between them and me, as I had started dressing up and behaving like boys. That’s how I fell in love with the game.”
Sharing the tumultuous nature of her life Gayatri says “No success story can ever be written without struggle and failure. Mine was no different either. We were a big family of my parents and 7 brothers. We could barely eke out a living and survived on scarce resources. My father used to do petty jobs and earn just enough to keep us going but it was not enough for my dreams to materialize.
My hard work and stubbornness bore fruit soon as I bagged job in CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) as a a constable, but soon after joining CRPF, my father passed away and with his untimely demise all responsibilities of my family fell on my shoulder. I tendered my resignation there and came back to Ujjain”.
Continuing her inspiring tale Parmar said “I was heart-broken and shattered after my father’s demise. A couple of days later, I heard about a recruitment drive being conducted by the MP police. I appeared for the exam and came out with flying colours. I topped all physical tests and the personal interview also. I even impressed the then superintendent of police (S.P) Mr. Tiwari and bagged a job as a constable in MP police. I represented the police department for the nationals for two years. Once we had a match against the civil services department’s team where I met few of my opponents who advised me to join civil services based on my sports credentials. I applied for it with all the testimonials and after due diligence I was announced as “excellent athletics player” due to which I bagged job as L.D.C (Lower division clerk) at the Ujjain collectorate. Even after securing a good job my struggle continued, I gave birth to my only son through cesarean and suffered prolonged complications. Later on, my left knee got badly injured during a competition and I had to get it operated. So struggle was very much part of my journey but I never gave up.”
Showing her indomitable spirit and undying passion for sports she elaborated “I have a tremendous passion for power lifting and weightlifting. Even after coming back from office and discharging my all household duties I don’t sit idle. I am 51 years old but even now I daily undergo a grueling 2 and half an hours’ practice to keep myself fit and agile.”
Attributing the credit of her success to her son, Parmar said “Today whatever I am it is because of my son Akshay as he constantly motivates me do something better every day. I owe a lot to him.”