Alavi Bohra girls shine in ‘goodminton’

Vadodara: It was downright professional badminton that 16-year-old Aafiya Lokhandwala had played while smashing and dropping the shuttlecock in a tournament in the city on Sunday. And, her skills not only stunned her opponents but also helped her clinch the Player of the Tournament award.
“I am so excited. I never thought that I would play badminton in a professional tournament and also win an award. It has been a real motivation for me to take this sport seriously and pursue it professionally,” said a beaming Aafiya, a resident of Ajwa Road.
Aafiya is among the 56 women from Alavi Bohra community who participated in the Alavi Women Badminton Tournament organized by Baroda Cyclopedians. And most of the women were playing the sport professionally for the first time.
“This is for the first time in our community that we organized a badminton tournament only for women. The idea was to involve them in a sport, motivate them to play and also work on their fitness,” said Dr Zulqarnain Bhaisaheb, head of Baroda Cyclopedians.
“Improving health of our women and getting them into mainstream sports was one of the main reasons behind organizing this tourney. We want women from our community to take up different sports and play professionally,” Bhaisaheb told TOI. The tournament was organized under the guidance of Saiyedna Hatim Zakiyuddin Saaheb TUS - 45th spiritual head of Alavi Bohra Community.
The tournament was held at Waghodia sports complex in the city on Sunday. Though it was a one-day event, some of the women practised badminton for nearly two months.
“I used to practice the sport with my father every night. After I complete my Class 12, I will play badminton professionally,” Aafiya asserted. “I practised badminton for three weeks and played in the tournament. But I never thought I would play well. This tourney has given me a lot of confidence and also improved my fitness. Such initiatives work so well for women from our community,” said Dilnaz Rangwala, an entrepreneur.
Bhaisaheb said that the Alavi Bohra community will be organizing many more sports tournaments only for women in the coming months.