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Journalism of Courage
IT’S BEEN a long day for 10-year-old Anshaj Kumar, a resident of Balali, aka Vinesh Phogat’s village in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri district which is a three-and-a-half hour drive away from Delhi on most days. At about 10 am, around the time Phogat’s flight from Paris landed in the Capital, he was tasked with guarding the temple premises that had 750 kg of desi ghee laddoos.
The wait for Phogat gets over past midnight, when she finally reaches the village, over 12 hours after she walked out of the Delhi airport. With every Haryana village on the way wanting to honour her, she couldn’t have driven past the men, women and children lined up on the highway.
Through the day, Anshaj sits in a corner of the stage set up for Phogat’s felicitation, maintaining a single-line school notebook that has entries of voluntary donations by the villagers for their “chhori” who missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics. As the pile of laddoos shrink, the amount in his accounting book increases.
The list of contributors is a heartening read, an indication of how much the villagers — cutting across social strata — care for the little girl who they saw grow up to be a champion wrestler. The neatly-bunched soiled notes in Anshaj’s drawer don’t have the sparkle of gold or silver, but it is an assurance to Phogat that she is not alone.
There is Sanjay Chowkidar, the village watchman who is the tenth person on the list of contributors, with Rs 100 next to his name. Raghbir Master with Rs 500; Shalu Badal with a garland of notes worth Rs 5,100; Kunwar Bir Singh with a pagdi and sword; Natu (Vikrant Fauji) of Fauji Bhaichara group with Rs 21,000 among others.
Deep into the night, as the debate over the Phogat entourage’s GPS location continues, donors keep queuing up. And Anshaj, with a smile, lists their names, counting and re-counting the notes.
Sanjay Chowkidar is reluctant to talk but agrees when coaxed. His memories about Phogat date back to the day when she was barely five years old. “She was like my daughter,” he says, and goes on to narrate his Phogat story. “When I used to take my round at night, she would often tell me, ‘uncle, you are so brave’. See now, who turned out to be brave? She is the bravest girl in the world and the strongest too.” He chokes with emotion, but doesn’t bother to wipe his tears as he takes his seat next to the stage.
Anshaj, too, wants to be quoted. “Vinesh Didi toh humare liye gold hain (Vinesh Didi is like gold for us). Since the time I can remember, we would get laddoos when she won… How can we miss this time,” he says, before adding that Balali has got over the shock of her disqualification. “For us, she is an Olympic medallist and we will tell her this.”
The real excitement can be seen among Balali’s women. Phogat’s long-time neighbour, Dhanpati, remembers her as a mischievous girl who was also responsible and warm-hearted. “Her father was everything for her; after his demise, Vinesh became the family’s shield. As a child, she would help her mother manage the livestock, work in the fields or even fight for the family’s rights. I wish every girl in the village was like Vinesh. She teaches everyone to fight for their rights,” she says.
Tearing up, she points out how Phogat stood up to higher-ups, leading the protest against then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
In the shamiana outside, a few girls, all budding wrestlers, are returning from training at the local akhada. The halwai from the neighbouring village of Jhoju Kalan calls them inside. “Have warm milk and laddoos. It will make you strong to cheer for Vinesh Didi when she arrives. You too have to be like her,” he says.
Among the girls is two-time Asian Cadet Champion and last year’s World Cadet Bronze medallist Neha Sangwan. “Vinesh Didi has reached where no other wrestler from the village has. For us, the Olympic Gold was hers and that’s what we want to tell her. Didi met us before the Olympics and told us that every single one of us should dream about the Olympics,” she says.
Village Sarpanch Reetika Sangwan can’t make it to the felicitation function. She is a young mother of a month-old son. She has assigned the task to her husband Bindraj. “She has told me to bring Vinesh’s blessings as well as a cloth touched by her. I will make my newborn boy wear it so that he gets the same courage as her,” he says.
“Vinesh has done the whole clan, as well as Khaps, proud. Apart from the honours like pagdi (turban), we are also weighing her with laddoos and coins. It does not matter that she missed the medal due to some grams. She is worth more than any weight, and these laddoos and coins of her weight will be distributed to the poor,” says Balwant, the head of the Phogat Khap.
Balali’s younger residents urge the DJ to play a recently released “Phogat inspired” Haryanvi song. It is titled “Sherni”, and the lyrics go thus: “Karo swagat sherni ka, ladke aye se, Paris main naam uncha kar ke aye se, char baar ke champion hara di se, fir bhi dhokha.”
Well into the night, the younger ones dance as the elders cheer. Among them is Sanjay Chowkidar. There’s no need to guard the streets today, nobody’s sleeping at Balali.
