Kamareddy: It is said that every one of us is gifted with an aptitude in a particular field. The same is true about sportspersons, who are likely to excel in a particular sport. However, Pratibha, a young girl from Telangana's Kamareddy district is living up to her name (Pratibha means capability) by mastering as many as eight martial arts.
In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Pratibha, whose parents shifted from Kamareddy to Hyderabad said that sports are in her genes as her father is trained in Karate. After doing her MBA from JNTU, Pratibha said she was drawn towards martial arts and was inspired by her father and Mike Tyson. “The techniques he taught and the Mike Tyson video left a strong impression on me. But I was afraid to tell the same at home,'' she said.
She said that after moving to Hyderabad, she started doing part-time jobs while studying and learned Kickboxing, Thai Boxing, Taekwondo, Wushu, Chess Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Silambam, Brazilian Jiujitsu (BGG), and Weightlifting with the money. “I learned all this to change the opinion that girls are sensitive and martial arts are difficult for them.
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I used to practice 16 hours a day for this and never missed a single class come what may.'' She said that after getting the national medal in kickboxing, her parents got to know about her aptitude in martial arts and encouraged her to pursue a career in the field after initial reluctance. So far, she has won four gold medals at the international level and 13 medals at the national level.
As a young woman performing three different sports at the same time, Pratibha not only won a gold medal but also gained a place in the Asian Book of Records. She was recognized as a certified boxing coach in Telangana and received the ''Pride of Hyderabad'' award. Pratibha is going to Turkey this month for chess boxing competitions, then to the UK for taekwondo competitions.
''We cannot afford to go abroad. Some of my father's disciples are helping. If I get government support, I will achieve more and also train other athletes,'' Pratibha said. She emphasized that martial arts are necessary for every girl adding she has framed a special course to train the girls. Pratibha credited her father Narsingh Rao for bringing her up and training her despite limited financial resources.
“He used to travel on a bicycle 14 km daily to study. My parents even sold off their land to build a school in Pitlam to provide free education to other children,” she added.
