Unbelievable! that a girl from a very common household
is bringing name and fame, not only to her own family but the city,
state, and the country. She is still confronting with various challenges;
her being coming from a background where it is ‘awkward’
to let girls go out and venture into their desired fields, lack of facilities,
guidance, and most importantly, people who still feel that it is not
her ‘cup of tea’! But nothing could defeat Rekha’s
confidence, untiring support from her parents, and coach that made her
‘Strong’ enough to make her existence a prominent one in
the world of power lifting. Her sheer dedication, passion, determination
and a burning desire to prove decision of her parents to let her weight-lift
against all odds pumped energy into her veins and every time, when she
is to perform, she does it with grace and reaches the top of the rungs.
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A perfect body and an attitude that is filled with sheer
professionalism is her natural instinct and you would wonder that she
never undergone any professional training or groomed her for this unusual
field! ‘I was washing cloths at home when my uncle, who himself
is a bodybuilder, came and asked me to participate in a championship
in Rampuria College. I was stunned as I never ever thought of venturing
into such activities and I never underwent any sort of training! But
his verdict (duly supported by my parents) that I have to participate
in the championship left nothing to be decided at my end”, says
Rekha Acharya. Her first attempt worth her “Strong Woman of Rajasthan”
title wherein, professional and well-trained contestants from more than
20 districts participated and tried their best to bag the prestigious
title in the field of power and weight lifting. And then after, she
never looked back. She had found an aim for her life. With this title,
she was selected for the National championship at Nagpur. But she had
only ten days to do all sorts of preparations, and mental as well as
physical training. But “Strong Woman” was destined to confront
such tedious tasks with an ease. She shaped herself and got acclimatized
in the field of power lifting so quickly to make a mark at the National
level. Eight hours of rigorous physical training to get her level equivalent
to the ace-lifters at the National arena resulted in bringing fortune
for her. She bagged silver medal in 52 kg category by lifting 215.5
kg of weight.
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Her next aim was to participate in Sub-Junior Championship
(U.P.). For that, she had to top the state Sub-junior competition to
be selected for the championship at National level. Her commitment and
burning desire to achieve what others might not even dream at her level
pushed her one step further, and she bagged the awaited gold medal in
the state level championship at Udaipur. Once again, she was declared
as ‘Strong Women of Rajasthan’ and got direct entry to the
National Sub-junior championship. Following rigorous training and increased
diet to build her physique for the competitions one after another, she
also gained weight. She wanted to compete in 52 kg category but she
was weighing 60 kg at the start of her training. When her coach pointed
that out, she showed how committed she was for the forthcoming event
that would also fetch her fame and glory at National level. She did
not eat anything for continuously four days and such hardship helped
her reduce her weight once again to 52 kg. This time, she lifted 272.5
kg in her category and won silver medal. After each competition, she
was marching towards unparallel achievements. Her silver winning performances
at National level earned her a place in the National team to represent
India in the III World Sub-junior Championship, New Delhi. This time,
she got only one month to train and prepare herself for the International
competition. This was the time when she had flashes of the memories
of those days when people were pointing at her and her skills and even
had doubts on her potential. She was playing against all odds, not only
in the field but also in her general life. But her wholehearted efforts
and rock solid determination were her strengths that paid her finally.
Her mother supported her in all her challenging deeds and had full confidence
that Rekha would make anything possible. “My mother, my backbone
always prays when I have to perform, and this is her prays that make
me do everything so easily” says Rekha with glistening eyes. Indeed,
her mother paved a very unconventional way for her.
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| Medals and trophies
won by Rekha Acharya - A testimony of her sheer talent |
The World Championship was a dream came true for Rekha.
She won one silver and two bronze in the competition
and made her parents, family, city and country proud. It was only when
she was returning to hometown that people gathered for the first time
at railway station and greeted her with warmth. But that didn’t
make any difference in Rekha’s attitude towards her game. “I
was taken by surprise by the affection of all those people who were
even shouting slogan for my victorious performance in the World Championship
but then I realized it was just my success that pulled them, otherwise,
people were the same who once had criticized my being going to this
unconventional field and pointed fingers when I was practicing with
boys in gymnasiums” articulates Rekha with confidence but tears
in her eyes.
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That was just a start: after which, she conquered many more milestones
at National and International circuits. She could have won a medal in
Olympics had the game be a part of the same and perhaps, that’s
only area where she feels a bit annoyed. And that is perhaps the reason
that she still didn’t find any sponsor so that she could participate
in all the tournaments worldwide. Her abilities and determinations could
only fetch gold if she has opportunity to participate in those circuits.
For example, she got selected in a championship in South Korea but the
fee was so high that she couldn’t afford it personally. She got
one time help from ‘Her Highness’ Sushila Kumari ji of Ganga
Singh Trust who paid fee on her behalf. She performed as per expectations
and won once again. But she needs some arrangements where she could
concentrate on her skills and game than to worry about the logistics
for the competitions. Now, that she is serving in Railways which is
known for harbouring sports persons, she hopes that it will help her
get through all the obstacles that she was facing so far. RealBikaner
wishes her a bright future and urges people to come forward and help
her in all respects: be it funding, supporting or even boosting her
morale! Let’s cheer that youngsters like Rekha Acharya are trying
their best at personal level to ‘Bring Bikaner to the notice of
the world!’
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