Bamboo Sticks Or Swords, Madhya Pradesh Tribal Fencers Dream Big

Olympic fencer Bhavani Devi has inspired many school children in tribal-dominated Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, to pursue the sport of fencing

From Bamboo sticks to Olympic fencing - Bhavani Devi's rise to stardom in a rather unconventional sport has been quite fascinating. She was the first Indian fencer ever to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Not only has she succeeded in her individual capacity as a sportsperson, but has also inspired many fencers from tribal-dominated Mandla in Madhya Pradesh to follow in her footsteps. So much so, that school children who had never seen a real fencing sword before have gone on to win medals in inter-school tournaments at the state level.

Sticks for swords and a football coach for a trainer. This is how 70 fencers from Mandla came to participate at the state-level school championships at Bhopal's Tatya Tope Stadium and won more than 30 medals. For many of the participants, the journey to Bhopal was their first train ride.

Brajesh Parte, a class 12 student and one of the fencers at the state-level championships, said: "We never got any fencing blade. We practised with bamboo sticks. I practise for two hours daily. We need better equipment, clothing, gloves and shoes."

Another participant, Isha Marawi, a class 9 student who won a gold medal, said: "We practise daily on the rooftop of our school."