Figure in Skates
14BIT0219, Nishtha Painuli from Dehradun is an international figure skater. She stood fourth in the Asian Games at Hong Kong in 2014 and won an Olympic Spirit Award at the Asian Games at Beijing in 2015. Meanwhile, at the national frontier she’s won three silvers in her two years in college. She alongside her cousin Shrey Painuli, has crossed Khardungla at Leh, Ladakh which is the highest motorable road in the world in 2010. She’s been juggling the ruthless world of sports and academics for fairly long until recently when she’s almost decided to give up on the former.
“Happy Birthday Icebee”, read the icing on her birthday cake. “Why icebee?” I asked.
“That’s my nickname. I am a figure skater. “
“What’s that?”
“It’s one of the those relatively uncommon sports. You skate on ice. The skates have blades as opposed to the regular skates.”
So you are a National level figure ice skater?”
“No, International.”
I gasp. I was taken aback. Amazed that the girl who does laundry right next to me every day is such a star. And yet she never ever throws a tantrum or hogs the limelight.
“So where all have you been to?” I ask. A little curious. A little star struck.
“I have trained in Cambodia and then participated in an ice show there. I represented India at the Asian Junior figure skating challenge in Hong Kong, China and Thailand and the World Trophy in Phillipines.”
“Nishtha, you need to tell me you story”, I bug her as we sit down to have lunch.
“How did it start?”
“My father holds a world record in skating. He’s the one who got me interested in this unconventional sport when we went to an ice skating rink in Shimla. Until then, I was into roller skating. I was really fascinated by the ice. Then, I went for the Nationals. Although I lost there, but my journey had just begun”
As I got intrigued by her story. I had doubts pop up in my head.
“Isn’t it difficult to practice such a sport in India? How supportive is the government and the Sports Ministry?”
“It is. The training became tougher with the only artificial Olympic size ice rink in Dehradun shutting down. I have written countless letters to the Ministry, but it’s fallen on deaf ears.”
So will you pursue this further?
“No”, she lamented. “The foreign coaches cost a bomb. Add to it, India lacks infrastructure. The sponsors seem to be more interested in funding a rather mainstream sport like cricket. It’s difficult for us, a career in figure ice skating isn’t a secure one. I’d rather be pragmatic and work towards my engineering degree that guarantees a job. This year I have entered the Senior category. It’s stiff competition there.”
As she said that the twinkle in her eyes is replaced by gloom; that of unfulfilled dreams and desires. When labour, toil and hard work ain’t enough. When it’s still difficult for a certain someone to follow their dreams in a developing nation. Alas! Sports still is more recreation than a career. Nishtha’s story is synonymous with countless Indian sportspeople who have sacrificed their passion at the altar in order to make both ends meet.
