Dehradun: 

At an age when people usually battle health concerns owing to age and lifestyle, 66-year-old Nirmala Kumar Negi, a retired Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) employee, is busy winning medals for the country playing badminton. Wondering what and how? You read that right, 'Shuttler Dadi', as she is popularly known, has many medals to her credit, including bagging gold, silver, and bronze medals in the Ceylon Masters International Badminton Championship held in Sri Lanka earlier this month.

Starting With ONGC:

“I was initially not good at it but I started playing more, training more, at the ONGC facilities. Eventually I started winning regional meets and I was also selected for national meets based on my performance in the regional matches,” she explains.

Nirmala joined the ONGC in 1982 and spent 37 years working for the organization. It was during this period that she started playing badminton, having started off by participating in internal games. “ONGC provides us with many facilities and opportunities to play and excel in sports. I used to play in the office meets and eventually progressed to regional and national meets,” says the badminton player, adding, “Initially I used to take part in other sports as well like the 100 meter running, kabaddi, and khokho. Later I started focusing only on badminton.”

Bringing Laurels To The Country:

In the recently held Ceylon Masters International Badminton Championship in Sri Lanka, Nirmala represented India in the 65+ women’s singles and doubles categories. Playing along with Taramati Parmar from Ahmedabad, the two bagged the gold in the Women’s Doubles 65+ category. Apart from this, in the 130+ category, the duo bagged the silver medal. In the Women’s Singles 65+ category, the Dehradun resident brought home a bronze medal, bringing her medal tally in just this one tournament to 3.

Owing to this, she has been honoured recently by the Uttarakhand Sports Secretary Amit Sinha.

Discipline Above Everything Else:

According to the Shuttler Dadi, discipline is the one thing that can keep anyone fit. “It is important for one to be self-disciplined in everything we do right from the time we wake up. The first thing I do when I wake up is make my bed and simple actions like this sustain discipline all day,” shares Negi, adding, “After I wake up, I go for a walk at 5 am and then I also run for some time, doing a few 400 metre laps.”

On being asked if she works out in the gym, she says, “I don’t workout in the gym, I just walk/run in the morning and play badminton at the ONGC club later in the day.”

Family Support Matters:

She also feels that more parents should encourage their children in pursuing sports, explaining, “People want their children to score 100% in academics and push them but the bulk of students get average marks. They can also excel in sports if given the right encouragement. If they succeed in sports, they can also get good government jobs. If not jobs, playing a sport makes you have a good body and a healthy mind. It is what makes me have a sportsman spirit even at 66.”

She believes that family’s support is everything when it comes to something like this. “My husband and our two children supported me from the very beginning. My children now live in other places owing to their professions, and my husband supports me a lot. It is extremely important to have support from the family,” says the badminton player.

Youth Needs To Avoid Junk Food:

As a Pahadi (mountain-region) woman, she believes in having nutrient-dense foods as opposed to junk. “Though I didn’t lead a pahadi life, my parents lived such a life and women in the pahadi regions are tough because of their hard life and their nutritious food. My mother and grandmother ate foods like soya bean and mandwa (finger millet) and it reflected in their health and mine. It is important to push youth towards having nutritious food. When I see youngsters eating junk food, it makes me laugh in a sad way as to how they’re ruining their bodies. They need to avoid it and eat healthy, nutritious food,” she explains.

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