Parent-hood is an amazing feeling, and indeed words run short to describe it. During my Childhood days, I had dreamt of doing and being something extraordinary in life and standing out of the crowd. So I literally tried my hands on music, dance, craft, sports and what not. But then, I lacked proper guidance and motivation. So to sum it up, I am a jack of all trades and a master of none.
After my marriage, when I was blessed with a baby girl, I just couldn’t hold back my tears seeing the twinkle in her small, cute little eyes. That moment itself, I decided that I will give her all the support needed for whatever she chooses in her life. Hence, with unconditional love and support, in every opportunity on her way she was found to be hard-working and dedicated. At a tender age, she started learning music and found her interest there. Gradually, during her high school life, one of her friend’s fathers invited her to join Rifle Shooting. I was a bit skeptical about this decision due to two reasons. Firstly she was in high school and had to focus on her academics and secondly Rifle Shooting was a costly sport. But still, we decided to go ahead, seeing her interest.
We could see that we never had to push her to go for practices, she was self motivated and driven. She became more and more disciplined and dedicated as time went on. For a year, she regularly attended all her practice sessions, but then, needed to drop the sport due to her board exams.
We shifted her to Nagpur, for her higher secondary education, where again she joined a Rifle club. After a couple of years, she realised that her performance was not improving and it had come to a stand-still. She did not get much guidance from her coach and her time and talent was not being developed or put to the best use there.
Soon enough, one of her friends then suggested that she shift to Pune and start training under Anjali Bhagwat, a former Olympian. Her joy knew no bounds when we agreed for the same. After all, she was going to train under her idol. After a month’s time in Pune, she fell seriously ill. Her hemoglobin count came down to 2.4, which was life-threatening. We immediately asked her to come back home. A situation where you just cannot be alive, this young soldier of mine flew down home. Every second of her treatment, while seeing her pale face, our hearts sank. But, it seemed, she had it embedded in her mind to never give up. The fighter in her, emerged triumphant.
Today, when I see her and think about what she has become, I feel so very proud. Mother of Resham Pachisia, a National level Rifle Shooter, a Musician, a Calligraphy trainer, and a National level Abacus competitor. She has become an all-rounder and what more can a parent ask for in life. Her passion for Rifle Shooting and sports brought out the fighter in her. So much so that at present, she is following her own and her father’s dream of making a change in this country’s sporting ecosystem for the better by pursuing an MBA in Sports Management from the Symbiosis School of Sports Sciences. She has become so very responsible that now, I feel she does not need me. Though painful, I am still happy for her. A self-driven individual, hardworking, dedicated, fighter, bold and beautiful, this is what she has become. I am completing and living my life through her. And I cannot help but believe that her love for Rifle Shooting and discipline as a sportsperson has played an integral role in all of this.
- A Fighter’s Mom - Mrs. Sonia Pachisia,
Course Instructor at UCMAS Asansol, WB.
Principal at Intel Mind, Asansol
Managing Director at Electro Mechanical Associates.
Single mom raising a Soldier.
Comments