Punjab: Nestled between the Ravi and Beas rivers, Gurdaspur is known for the Kartarpur corridor as well as the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Judo Training Centre. The town is located close to the international border, from where drug consignments are often seized. So far, the judo coaching centre has produced nearly 40 international and over 100 national-level players. This is no small feat, as the town lacks a sports culture. In recent months, six players have made the judo centre proud. When a new trainee enters the gymnasium hall, coach Amarjit Shastri and his deputy Ravi Kumar instill two important things in his mind. One, don’t hesitate and start now. “Because if you had started doing something two weeks ago, by today you would have been two weeks better at it,” they say. The coaches’ second mantra is: “100 per cent of the shots you don’t take will miss. That means if you don’t try, you will fail.” The boys practice on a mat that is no longer useful. The coaches are unable to buy a new mat, as it costs Rs 12 lakh.
This is a huge amount for them. They are looking for a philanthropist who can buy them a new mat. The wait is getting longer, but the coaching continues. Raghu Mehra is a fatherless young player. He survives on the money given by his elder brother. Obviously, it is very little. He announced his arrival at the Junior School Nationals (under-17) held in Ludhiana last year, where he won a gold medal. He followed it up with a silver medal at the Junior School Nationals. He is now set to participate in the Khelo India Games to be held in May. Manav Sharma has fine-tuned his technique in recent months. He performed well at the Junior Asian Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He is now looking forward to the Asian and Commonwealth Championships. Karanjit Singh Mann, an ASI in Punjab Police, performed well at the All India Police Games held in Guwahati last year. Now he has made it to the Indian team that will take part in the World Police and Fire Games in Alabama, USA in June. His coach says this will be his litmus test.
Sarbjeet Singh, a constable in the SSB, performed well at the World Police Games in Winnipeg in 2023. His coach is working on his grappling and throwing technique. Nitin Kumar won a gold medal at the All India Inter-University Games held in Amritsar in February. His teammates say he has a good temperament and good technique, which will help him move forward. Gurpreet Singh won a gold medal at the All India Inter-University Meet held in Amritsar in February. He had won a gold medal in the same championship last year too. He also performed very well at the Khelo India Games in Guwahati. Coaches often tell their students stories of players who rose from poverty to make a name for themselves. This is preached because most judokas come from poor families. They are told that poverty is in no way a hindrance to success. Coach Ravi Kumar, who trains the junior national team, sets high goals for his disciples. One of his best lines is: “If you fall ten times, get up eleven times. Let your dreams lead you, not your problems.”
