The Nirbhaya gang rape case of 2012 not only shocked the collective conscience of society but also raised serious questions on safety of the women on the streets after dark.
Though there was widespread condemnation on every platform, a few, however, rose up to occasion and decided to do something other than merely offering lip service.
Ayesha Noor, a 20-year-old student from Kolkata was one among them. Noor, who has bagged three gold medals at the international level and two at the national level in Karate, had announced on the very second day of the heart-wrenching incident that she would give free karate training to girls and educate them so that they can fight off their enemy instead of waiting for help to arrive.
I want the girls to teach a befitting lesson to any person who tries to touch them inappropriately or behaves in an indecent manner. I think self-defence is the best option available for them to save their modesty.Ayesha Noor
Ayesha teaches karate thrice a week to the girls mainly from the minority community at the Ramlila Ground who come wearing hijab to attend the classes.
Since December 2012, she claims to have taught the martial art to nearly one lakh girls across the city without charging a single penny for it.
Though Ayesha looks hale and healthy when she punches a sharp leg kick on the opponent, she suffers from epileptic seizures since her birth that often leads to fits and twisting of the tongue. It is because of her ailment that she can’t speak clearly. But Ayesha has never allowed it to stand in her way to success. After winning two golds at national events in 2012, Ayesha was selected for the Thai Pitchai International Youth Karate Championship in 2013. She was the only girl in the 12-member Indian team. She struck gold, beating out rivals from 40 different countries.
Strong Determination Since Childhood
Tragedy struck early in her life when her father passed away eight years ago, when she was just twelve. Noor and her three siblings were raised by her mother Shakila Khatun who had to stitch clothes to provide for the family. “Life became tough after I lost my husband. His sudden death brought us to the brink of begging. The relatives turned their back apprehending that we might ask for money,” she says as her eyes turn wet.
The 38-year-old says that she always wanted her daughter to learn karate despite facing severe resistance from the minority community in her Beniapukur locality, where she stays along with her four children, a few meters away from the two-centuries-old Hazrat Maula Ali Shah mosque in central Kolkata, “I have to face a lot of pressure for allowing my daughter to learn the martial art. They (neighbours) also tried to throw me out of the house but I didn’t give in,” she adds.
She used to accompany her brother to karate classes at Ramlila ground. She was so passionate about the art from the beginning that she used to imitate the students even at the tender age of six. I then decided to take her under my tutelage as I was sure that this girl would make the country proud.MA Ali, Coach
Winning Accolades not Enough
Despite the accolades, poverty continues to pose hurdles in her life. Her family has to arrange Rs 3,000 for her medicines every month and her foreign trips are often sponsored by well-wishers. “It is a matter of regret that not a single help has come from the central or the state government. We have received only assurances every time she has won big competitions and nothing beyond that. Is it not the responsibility of the governments to help people like Ayesha who has been doing so much for the society with her sport and education?” Md Faruq, Ayesh’s elder brother poses a question.
On her part, the bubbly Ayesha has not allowed her enthusiasm to be dampened by the neglect from the corridors of power, “My goal is to make the girls strong and self-reliant so that they give a fitting lesson to the demons who consider them weak. I will continue to strive relentlessly till I attain my goal.”
For her efforts, the American Embassy in Kolkata honoured her with “Hero For Gender Equality,” award on 17 March 2017. It is not without reason that her coach lovingly calls her the “tigress of karate.”
Editor: Puneet Bhatia
Producer: Chandni Sharma
(The writer is a Kolkata-based freelance journalist.)
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