Ladies First

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1

Girls belong at home,

not on the sports field.

Sports are meant only for boys.

Girls should cook,

look after their home and raise children,

that's their role.

I won't allow my daughter to work.

If she wishes to,

she can work after marriage.

That's for her husband to decide.

I won't allow my daughter

to participate in sports.

Often I feel like answering back,

but then I feel

if I respond with words,

people might forget.

But if I respond with my arrows,

they'll never forget.

I hope girls in India

who face many obstacles

look at me for inspiration to rise above

their problems

and fight to follow their dreams

to pursue their ambitions.

My name is Deepika Kumari

and this is my second Olympic Games.

My ultimate goal is gold.

Because nothing is greater than this.

Once more.

Please don't say that.

Olympics, nothing is greater than this!

When you think about standing

on that podium

what goes through your mind?

Can you describe that hunger?

Obviously, no one fights

for Silver or Bronze.

Everyone dreams

of winning a gold medal.

You have to work extremely hard

to achieve that gold medal.

I always dreamt...

that the coach who taught me

when I'm on the

podium accepting my Olympic medal,

I would like to receive it from my coach.

Well, that's my dream.

And now,

another Olympics is approaching...

So I'm ready.

So, take us back in time. Tell us

about your background and your journey.

I'm from Ratu.

There's nothing for girls to do there.

I always felt like playing,

but my Mum never let me out of the house,

because I'm the eldest child.

I had to help with house work

like washing clothes and other chores

which is why my Mum never let me play

for fear that people might say,

"She's left her daughter out."

That's how narrow-minded they are.

My Mum works in a small village hospital.

There are no working women in Ratu,

only housewives.

-You see that yellow one?

-This one?

My Mum is my biggest inspiration. Like

her, I wanted to stand on my own two feet.

I loved stealing vegetables

from the fields, especially corn.

My friends and I were experts

at stealing vegetables.

Stolen food tastes so much better.

Then...

we would fry and eat this.

Mum left early in the morning,

which is why I'm closer to my dad,

as I've spent more time with him.

What are you doing?

Enough!

There's no need for you to sweep the road.

My dad drives a rickshaw.

He's not very educated,

but he knows a lot about

the little things in life.

Whenever he speaks,

I just feel like listening.

We were very happy

when Deepika was born.

She was a healthy child at 5 kilograms.

She had curious eyes.

She was born on the roadside.

My Mum was never paid on time.

She would get her salary once

in three to four months.

That's why we had far too many problems.

There were days

when we didn't have any food.

Our house was made of mud.

Whenever it rained

or there was a thunderstorm,

the roof would leak.

So we would keep pots and pans

on the floor to avoid flooding.

We lived... in this half

and my Uncle and Aunt

lived in the other half,

They didn't like the fact that my Mum

worked and that caused a lot of fights.

At times, they would beat my Mum.

Yes, I used to beat her.

It's no big deal.

When she was three years old,

we passed by a roadside vendor

who was selling a small clay house.

We still have it.

So, Deepika picked it up and said:

"Papa, this is a helicopter."

She lifted the roof and said,

"Papa, you,

me and Mum will sit in this

and fly away from here."

I'm probably the only girl

who left the village at such a young age.

Girls have no opportunities there.

Their parent marry them off

by the age of 18.

If I hadn't left, I'm sure

I would have been married

off by 18 or 19.

I wanted to get far away

from that village life and escape from that

miserable situation.

I was 12 years old

when I first heard about archery.

Someone told me

about an academy in Seraikella,

and most importantly,

that it was free of charge. I didn't need to pay any fees also,

food and clothes were provided for.

When I first met Deepika in 2006

she was very frail.

She came with her parents.

The three of them traveled

130 kilometers on a scooter.

The coach said,

"She's so weak! How will she do this?"

Deepika got upset

and felt she'd lost her chance.

She took me aside and said, "Mum, may I

say something to him?" I said, "Go ahead."

She said, "Give me three months.

If I'm not good enough,

you can kick me out of the academy."

The coach agreed. I was very happy.

I wasn't really interested in archery

at the time.

I went there because my family condition

was very bad.

There were constant fights at home

due to shortage of money.

I thought, if I left home,

there would be one less burden.

This used to be our kitchen...

we used to store food back here

and cook here.

We used to wash the dishes over there.

We had three rooms.

There were no fans, just a bed.

No cupboard or any other furniture.

No bathrooms either,

we bathed in the river.

One day, my daughter fell ill.

She got boils on her body

because the river was like sewage.

We had to admit her to a hospital.

I felt terrible.

She faced many difficulties

there for a year or two,

before she got accepted at TATA.

When I was 13 years old

TATA Archery Academy were holding trials,

and I was determined to get selected.

My coach Dharmendra Tiwari,

he was in charge of selections.

She came to me and said,

"I want to train with you."

I said, "Fine, but you'll have to

follow my instructions."

She informed me that she had been

selected by TATA.

So, the bow she needed

was very expensive.

I told her:

"I'm a poor man,

where will I get the money?"

But somehow,

I scraped together whatever I could.

She was a naive village girl

who lacked confidence.

She didn't know how to eat, sleep,

or dress properly.

We taught her how to eat with a spoon,

and how to carry herself.

She used to keep to herself

and practice alone.

She worked extremely hard

to correct her flaws.

She shoots as many arrows as we ask her to

and she's a fast learner.

Her talent is nothing short of a miracle.

Within just one year of starting Archery,

she became the Cadet World Champion.

When I started archery, I had no idea

that it was a sport.

Slowly I started gaining interest in it.

Then, I was hooked.

I always wanted to do something

that got me noticed.

So people recognize me and say,

"That's Deepika."

Ms. Deepika Kumari.

To get one of India's highest

honors at such a young age,

I was so proud and had tears of joy.

From the moment Deepika flourished,

we've never had a shortage of money.

The house you see here...

I haven't spent a single penny on it.

I've built it with the money

my daughter gave me.

Why are you Deepika's biggest fan?

Because she's done our country proud,

and I want to be just like her.

She became World Number 1

in just three to four years

which is unheard of in archery.

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