Never wished to be a wrestler: Geeta Phogat

She and her sisters were constantly reminded that they were women in a man’s world. But that did not deter their confidence. In their growing years, one question they repeatedly faced was, “Who would marry you?” The face of women’s wrestling in India, Geeta Phogat, who is all set to marry fellow wrestler Pawan Kumar this month, talks about life so far.

On marriage:

With wedding preparations on in full swing, Geeta shares that she hardly gets time to rest these days. “The wedding is just around the corner (November 20). But I am focusing my energy on my training. My family and friends are taking care of the arrangement. Even my wedding lehenga has been selected by my best friend,”says Geeta, who won India’s first ever gold in women’s wrestling (in the 55 kg freestyle category) at the 2010 Common-wealth Games.

Love for the sport:

“Wrestling will always be my top priority. Currently, I am focusing on 2018 World Wrestling Championship and 2020 Olympics,” she says. Talking about her love for the sport, Geeta adds, “It was my father’s (Mahavir Singh Phogat) passion. I had never wished to become a wrestler. I was 12 when he introduced me to wrestling. Gradually, it became my passion too.” Geeta, who was raised in rustic surroundings in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, adds, “I have seen my father defying societal norms and investing his time and energy on us. He was ridiculed and criticised by the community. But he was least worried when elders warned him that his daughters would not find grooms.”

On Dangal:

“Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal’s director) has been working on the film since 2010. He has spent many hours with my father to understand and capture the true story. We then did not even know Aamir Khan would be portraying my father on screen. I remember Aamir once saying that he was initially apprehensive about playing the part of a man with four daughters, but the story was so compelling that he did not want to let go of it.” Aamir Khan will also be attending her wedding.

Opportunity for women wrestlers:

With the recent bronze medal win by Sakshi Malik at the Rio Olympics, the Indian women’s team has garnered the right kind of attention, says Geeta. She adds, “Before Babita and my win at the Commonwealth Games, nobody used to take Indian women wrestlers seriously. But, in last few years, a number of wrestling institutes have opened especially for girls and parents are keen on getting their daughters enrolled. During our early years we had to wrestle against boys because there were no girls to train with.”