Sailing sisters

Jhansi Priya and Dharani Laveti are floating on air! The two sisters, both in their early teens, have been shortlisted to represent India in the 2020 World Sailing Championship at Lake Garda, Italy!

“Both of us like water sports, and when we were in Vijayawada we used to swim in our village”, says Dharani (14).  “After we shifted to Hyderabad, we developed an interest in sailing. Our coach Suheim Shiekh took keen interest in training us, and now we stand here as champions who are likely to represent India at the international level.”

The two girls started sailing in 2017 and it took them a year to get a grip on the sport. “We practiced a lot, we are still practicing”, says Jhansi (13). We train for two hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays. Apart from that, we wake up at 4 am to hit the gym at 5 am every day. School and tuitions come after that.”

Dharani and Jhansi have participated in the Monsoon Regatta, Telangana Regatta, three National-level games and three International-level games in Spain and Portugal.

Their mutual rivalry is what keeps the sisters on their toes. “Both of us want to win against the other in any game. We get angry when the other one is in the lead and this makes us try harder”, shares Jhansi.

“We compete with each other in sailing, and once our practice is done, we start squabbling with each other as sisters”, adds Dharani.

Friendly rivalry apart, the sisters share a special bond and praise each other for strengths. “I like the fact that she uses her mind while she is sailing, which is a special quality about her. She manages things on her own when she is in the game”, says Dharani about Jhansi, adding, “She helps everyone around her.”

Dharani feels her younger sister is better than her at the sport.

On her part, Jhansi says, “My sister Dharani doesn’t talk much. She is very good; she doesn’t fight with anyone or answer anyone back. She is good with everyone and always competes with me.” She feels Dharani can do anything if she puts her mind to it. It hasn’t been an easy path for either of the girls. They have even fallen out of the boats while training. There were also times when they felt like quitting. “There were a lot of girls who practiced and became champions. We felt like quitting the sport and getting back to our normal life,” the sisters confess. But they overcame their fears, and their lives have changed. Today, they dream of sailing for India.