Chandigarh: The former international fencing player Charanjit Kaur has been giving coaching for the last 20 years in a government school in Sector-10, Chandigarh. Kaur is the first captain of the national team and has earned the distinction of being the nation's first woman coach of the sport. ETV Bharat spoke to Charanjit Kaur in a special conversation. She recollected that she was sent to Chandigarh in 2003 to the government school in Sector-10. Kaur said, "Back then, many people did not know about fencing, but the school thought of preparing new players in the game."
She highlighted that she asked students to hold sticks and do sword fighting. Gradually the interest in the game was awakened in the students. She added, "Consequently students started joining the game and have taken coaching to win medals at the national and international level as well." The coach told that the government have started helping them. "We are also giving coaching to the students of Punjab University," added the coach. Kaur told that some of the players who got training are in the Indian Army and the Indian Navy where they continue to practice the game.
Chhavi Kohli, who has won the President's Award, told that she was 9 years old when she started playing the game. "I have played many other games but did not like them. When I saw the dress for the game, it felt as if I was an astronaut and got impressed to join the game." Chhavi Kohli had participated in ten international competitions and had bagged six medals for the country along with winning two Commonwealth medals.
Ravi Sharma, an international fencing player, and an Indian Navy officer said that when he was young, his sister used to practice. He accentuated that he used to come to play behind his sister and got involved in the game itself. Ravi has won 30 medals in the game so far. He had won a medal in the Senior National category where some Navy officers saw his game and asked Ravi to join the Navy in the sports quota. He stated that he is the first fencing player from Chandigarh who got a chance to join the Navy because of his game.
