Meet Nasreen Sheikh, Indian women’s kho kho team captain. So far, she has played 40 national and 3 international kho kho tournaments.
As a Muslim, she faced difficulty in following her passion for kho kho due to pressure from family and society. In spite of all odds, she has made India proud many times by winning several gold medals.
Her favourite memory is when she won a gold medal for her country for the first time, and the Indian national anthem played in the stadium. “I cried tears of joy in that moment,” she recalled.
But during the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, her life came to a standstill. Her father, the sole earning member of the family, is a daily wage earner. He hasn’t earned any money since March.
The family of fourteen has suffered since.
Her diet, designed to keep her healthy and fit for her sport, has also suffered. Her hopes are still high, and she wants to make India proud again in the future.
Are we treating our national champions right?