Empowered women, empower women. It’s a simple truth of life. They always pay it forward. Women like Deepika Kumari break stereotypes and inspire us to achieve our goals. And there is no better day than today to celebrate her! Needless to say, she’s given every lazy person a reason to get off our butts and work hard. But what intrigued us most was her dedication and hard work. We caught up with her as she’s promoting her movie; a Netflix Original called Ladies First.
Her Background
Deepika comes from a modest rural background where resources were the bare minimum. Almost negligible. But that didn’t stop her. Not even close. Within only 4 years of training rigorously, she won a gold medal. But not just any medal. She is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in archery.
What is Ladies First about?
This movie is based on her journey from a rural town of Ratu village in Jharkhand to winning the title. But all of this didn’t come to her on a platter. She had to convince her father even before she knew she was good at archery that she wants to pursue it as a career. He wasn’t supportive at first, but she would never give up. This passion towards archery came from her childhood. When she would play with her far-off cousin sister. This cousin was good at archery and that made Deepika want to take it up too. But once the passion began to grow, the hurdles also increased. Where bathing was by a river and cooking was not a hobby but a compulsion, archery had to take a back seat. But her passion fuelled her to never give up.
Archery isn’t a famous or known profession, especially in her town. Hence, explaining it to her family and convincing them wasn’t easy. Will this dream ever see the light of day? With such an unstable choice of profession, could you blame the peers? When we asked her if she ever doubted this choice of path and career because of its uncertainty, she said she always believed in herself and her passion made her better at her skills. She never doubted this profession even for a second.
Her message to women
She told us that only the people with the least resources achieve success. Whatever means and resources they get becomes their life and dedication. While all the training in school was free of cost, she had to train for 8-and-a-half hours every day for four years to get where she is today. She also mentioned that without a struggle, seldom does one succeed. She is now coached by Mr. Dharmendra Tiwari. She is currently training for Tokyo 2020.
#LadiesFirst is a campaign that helps inspire girls to overcome all the social, cultural and physical barriers that prevent them in pursuing sports. Research shows that the power of sports can help transform a girl’s life even if they aren’t professional athletes.
Producer, Shaana Levy and director, Uraaz Bahl aim to make a difference in the lives of young women and aspire them to play through Ladies First. This could aid in gender equality as well.
This Netflix Original and releases on International Women’s Day (8th March, 2018). And here’s a sneak peak to what you can expect!
We’re so proud of Deepika and everything she has achieved for herself and the country. We hope she inspires millions to do the same. We wish her all the best for her future endeavours. Girl power all the way!
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