If Ashakiran Barla won the 800m title at the recent Youth Nationals in Bhopal She wanted to share the excitement with her mother who lives back at home in Jharkhand.
However, the 15-year-old was forced to wait for nearly two days before she could even talk with her mother at their house in the Naxal-affected Gumla district. The reason for this is best explained by Ashakiran herself: “Jab bijli hi nahi hai toh phone kaise? (How do I get my mom to have an iPhone while we don’t have an electricity connection? ).
Ashakiran’s residence situated in his home in the Adivasi village Nawaidh located about 100km away from Ranchi has still waiting for an electricity connection despite several requests to the local authorities. “My mother found out of my prize from a neighbour and called them from their mobile. She was unaware that I’d traveled to Bhopal to compete,” says Ashakiran, who is coached by Coach Ashu Bhatia on his residence school in Bokaro.
Ashakiran who is currently the top U-18 player in Asia and the world, ran 2:08.45s to win the gold medal in the Bhopal Nationals and also seal his spot in the next Asian Youth championships in Kuwait.
She was a notch over all competitors and was eight seconds (approximately 60 meters) over silver medalist Laxmipriya Kisan, who hails from Odisha. In 2022, the Jr Cali Junior World Championships semi-finalist’s times at the event were faster than her gold medal-winning performance at the track’s 2019 version of the Asian Youth Championships held in Hong Kong.
“She is a highly gifted girl who is from a humble background. Her father died at a very young age and her mother took care of herself and three of her siblings under extremely difficult circumstances. When I first started to train her, she showed amazing natural strength, which I later discovered was a result of her hard work in the fields of the village. She is extremely committed and does not miss training,” says coach Bhatia who was a former Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) within the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army.
The role of the coach
Bhatia began coaching Ashakiran around four years back, when they were both participants in the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society’s (JSSPS) academy in Ranchi. However, COVID restrictions and lockdowns disrupted the academy. Bhatia established his own academy in Bokaro just over a year one-half ago. The academy has around 70 students of which 90% are members of Adivasi communities.
Ashakiran with her mother Rosalia Anne. As soon as hostel facilities were established at his school and he was determined to bring Ashakiran who had returned back in her home village post Covid and returned to school. Under normal conditions, Bhatia might have called Ashakiran’s mom. However, Bhatia had to be a senior coach on a long and eye-opening trip to the village where the athlete lives. “It’s extremely remote. We had to travel at around 11km from her village. We then made it through forests and fields until we finally reached her house. As we got there we were struck by how difficult their situation was. They have only one room, and not even an extra kitchen.” He says.
Ashakiran claims that the mother of her child has been at local government officials over the years to supply the residents with electricity but she has finally given up. “My mom has tried since the death of my father in the year 2019, but officials continue to give us various reasons. In the past, they claimed that we didn’t have a ration card , and refused to accept our application every time we attempted to apply,” says Ashakiran whose village, according to the census of 2011 has women with literacy rates of 25 percent. cent.
Her older sister Florence 21, who is 21 years old, is also an athlete of the future who was awarded two gold medals at the distance of 200m and 400m races at the 2022 All India University Championships in Bhubaneswar. In the case of the Barla sisters the sport of athletics is more than an athletic event, but also an opportunity for their family to get out of living in poverty. Things were looking up until her father, who was a teacher at the school, died in 2013 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
“I often weep in my room at night contemplating the condition that my entire family is in. I can recall my mom cooked a single meal of rice and a sour Sabzi breakfast in the morning. We’ve slept with empty stomachs at many times. Meat was something we could afford on special occasions and celebrations,” says Ashakiran. The situation has not changed in her family or the entire village. The village has no homes with access to running water. A well in the village, located 2km from her home is the sole water source. The closest hospital is about 25km away.
Initiation
Ashakiran does not know exactly the spark that ignited her love for running. At the time she began her journey, she didn’t have any idea about sports. When she first received a pair of spikes, which was a present from a nun at the local church She was initially puzzled. “Isme toh kante lage hai (But these shoes have spikes),” she informed her sister Divya Jojo right away.
“I did not even know they existed, and were required for national competitions. At first, when I put them on, I could not even stand up. I’d only worn flat-soled canvas shoes until that point,” she says.
Ashakiran who has earned three junior national gold medals in the last three months She barely has time to go home. However, when she does get to visit, there’s lots of planning involved. “We only have one bus which stops at a stop that is about three kilometers away from my home. I usually try to get back home in the week-long bazaar in Gumla in order to take the back of the truck. Returning home from town can be dangerous as there are elephants and bears throughout the woods. I’ve seen them working in fields on many instances,” she says.
Despite facing such hurdles, Ashakiran hasn’t stopped dreaming big. She hopes to represent India in the Paris Olympics. But her first and most pressing concern is “I hope I get an electricity connection soon”.
