Journey Of Varsha Gulia: Conquering disability to reach newer heights

Delhi: Seven summers ago, Suman Lata first visited Delhi’s iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JNS) with her teenage daughter, Varsha Gulia, who suffers from hearing impairment, to prepare for the 2018 National Meet for the Deaf in Chennai.

This summer, the 22-year-old college student is looking forward to participating at the Fifth World Deaf Athletics Championships scheduled to be held in Taipei from July 12 to 24. The inaugural World Deaf Youth competition will also be held simultaneously at the same venue.

Varsha will compete in women’s discus throw.

“We are all excited that she (Varsha) will travel to Taipei for the athletics competition in July,” the elated mother said after one of her training sessions at JNS.

The hot weather in Delhi, with temperature soaring above 40 degrees Celsius, tests the toughest of athletes. But Varsha showed no slackness during her training session in June’s summer heat when Patriot met her at JNS.

Also read: Delhi: JNS lacking facilities, but massive facelift on the cards

Varsha starts her practice session after 6 pm. The two-hour evening sessions vary every day and generally start with gentle stretching and bending.

“It’s too hot. That is why we start a bit late,” said Varsha’s mother, adding that they have to carry 3-4 litres of water to avoid dehydration.

While her mother was explaining her daughter’s preparation, a curious Varsha would peep into the notepad of this reporter.

“She is good in academics. She got good marks in her 10th and 12th board exams,” revealed Varsha’s mother.

Varsha, the second of three siblings, started her journey in sports during schooldays. She started physical activities in sixth standard and made rapid progress, said Suman.

“She won first position in girls’ shot put event during a state meet,” Suman added. “She was also selected for the national meet.”

Motivated by her performance at the 2018 Delhi State Competition for the Deaf, the mother and daughter booked tickets to Chennai for the national meet.

“She did creditably well in the nationals and finished second in the shot put event in her category,” recalled Suman.

This year Varsha has improved her personal best in discus throw (one kg) to plus 38 metres, and plus 11 metres in shot put (four kg). She often competes in age-group category at the Delhi State Athletics Meet, her mother added.

“She has also won medals too in the Delhi State Athletics Meet,” revealed Varsha’s mother.

Since Varsha’s mother doesn’t know English language, she wouldn’t accompany her daughter to the world meet in Taipei. “Varsha’s elder brother knows English. He will go with her to the world meet,” the mother said.

Challenges

Varsha, who uses hearing aid, is familiar with people and surroundings at JNS but the Gulia family takes no chance. There is always fear in the mind of the parents that she (Varsha) could be misguided. Perhaps that is why they keep a close watch during training sessions.

The mother accompanies Varsha in the evening, while her father ensures that their daughter doesn’t miss practice sessions in the morning.

Initially the mother and daughter would travel from home near Saket to JNS on a two-wheeler.

But during extreme weather conditions or rainy days, Varsha would miss training sessions as if it was difficult to ride 15km during monsoon, said Suman, who had to learn to drive a four-wheeler.

Also read: Delhi’s Judoka Tulika breaks glass ceiling, makes it to Olympics

Disciplined life

Varsha’s coach — Satyapal Singh, a Dronacharya Awardee in Paralympic sports, is all praise for the athlete. The coach has a meticulously-planned diet chart and training sessions for Varsha.

“Initially I faced a challenge in guiding her due to hearing impairment. But I’ve learned to communicate (through gesture) with her. She knows what is expected of her during practice sessions,” the coach added.