Amid the closure and restrictions, there’s positive news from Kashmir. An eight-year-old girl from a remote area within the Valley’s north has won the gold medal in the Sub Junior category at the 2016 World Kickboxing Championship that was held in Italy.
The time when killings, burning of schools, colleges, strikes and curfews are creating headlines in the valley, achievements of an eight-year-old kid from a remote village of the valley has changed the mood within the violence-hit region.
Tajamul Islam, an eight-year-old Indian girl from Kashmir, inscribed her name in the history books when she clinched the gold medal at the World Kickboxing Championship. She defeated her rival from USA to win the championship held in Italy’s Andria, where ninety countries participated in the event.
At the world championship, she remained unvanquished in her run up to the finals and the kid prodigy won six bouts in 5 days to raise the trophy within the sub-junior class.
Tajamul has shown ultimate courage considering her tender age, however her success is that the combined efforts of her parents, who supported her in each doable manner, her teachers at Goodwill school, who worked extremely laborious to outshine her natural endowment.
Behind her cheerful nature lies a robust willed girl who is focused and wants to do something for the family, state and also the country.
Tajamul’s hidden potential for kickboxing was 1st noticed by the Army Goodwill School in Tarkpora. However, there was no proper infrastructure in situ to coach for the sport.
It was this potential that her coach Faisal Ali Dar recognized and groomed her to become a champion at a really tender age. Dar, who heads Ali’s Sports Academy, a non-public self-defense school operating in a tin shed in a very native sport stadium here, trained Tajamul free of cost in order that she may create a mark in this sport. Despite these odds, Tajamul persevered and practiced at least 25 hours a week.
It was after the national laurel wreath that she was seen as a true hope for the world Kickboxing Championship, and in Sept 2016, she moved to Delhi to start training for it.
Her 1st major win was in the state-level championship in Jammu in 2015 where she won a gold medal in the sub-junior category.
Tajamul’s victory has greatly inspired her sister to compete in kickboxing and she has started professional training for the same.
The best fighter of the state, Tajamul’s story is exalting a lot of women to interrupt barriers and accomplish their dreams.
“Our village is extremely backward, however I, together with other children like me, are progressing to take it to new heights,” she said. “I am happy that I won and I am proud of it. I want to appeal to all the Indian parents to support their children and encourage them and motivate them towards sports,” she said in an interview with ANI.
In fact, kickboxing isn’t even her forte. She excels in Wushu and is additionally doing well in taekwondo.
Like martial arts, Tajamul stands 1st in her class too, and aspires to become a neurosurgeon and serve in the Indian Army. First, I’ll break bones, then I’ll fix them too, as a doctor,” aforementioned Tajamul (giggles).
Tajamul’s triumph is beyond words, for she is a fantastic girl who belonged to a valley that’s presently battling militancy and political problems.
She is unquestionably a champion and making India proud!
Kudos to this wonder kid!
Dr. Neha Satoiya
