BAVLA: "This is what we have earned. Respect," a beaming Lovely Choubey told TOI as the 42-year-old from Jharkhand was given a warm welcome by fellow team members and rival challengers at the bowling greens of the Kensville Golf and Country Club, the venue for the men's and women's lawn bowls competitions at the National Games here, a two-hour drive from Ahmedabad.
The same admiration was reserved for Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki and Nayanmoni Saikia - members of the famous quartet which led India to a historic women's four lawn bowls gold at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham two months ago.
Call them the 'Fab Four', 'Golden Girls' or 'Bowlingwood Queens', they will always be remembered as the path-breakers, trend-setters and history-makers who put the Indian lawn bowls on the world map, and offered the recreational sport a fresh lease of life in the country. They are competing at the National Games as rivals - Lovely and Rupa Rani are representing Jharkhand, while Pinki and Nayanmoni are turning up for Delhi and Assam, respectively. But they are united by a common cause - to bring more medal glory to the nation.
"Whenever people talk about lawn bowls in India, the first four names that will come to their minds will be ours. This very thought gives us a lot of joy and happiness. We have defied several odds and hardships to reach where we are today. What else do you want in your sports career? We had no identity before the CWG. But wherever we go now, people recognise us by our names and faces. This is the biggest compliment we have earned as lawn bowls players," said Choubey, who works as a constable in Jharkhand Police.
Tirkey admitted that it's been a roller-coaster ride for them since returning from Birmingham, with numerous felicitation functions and reality shows to attend, which was another dream-come-true for them.
"Life has completely changed for us. It's like we are living in a different world. For the last 15 years, we have struggled for recognition. This is the fourth National Games I have participated in since 2007. Nobody would recognise me. I was just another athlete from Jharkhand. Today, I was overwhelmed by the amount of respect and praise showered by fellow athletes. This has been a life-changing journey for us," said Tirkey, who works in the state sports department in Ranchi.
Saikia's voice choked, and her eyes became moist when she recalled an incident at her hometown in Assam's Golaghat. "After coming back from Birmingham with the gold medal, my mother told me, 'People earlier used to say Nayanmoni is my daughter. Now the same people are saying I am Nayanmoni's mother. ' I felt so proud listening to those words from her. It's like I have achieved everything in my life," said the former weightlifter.
WAITING GAME FOR SOME
While Nayanmoni has received Rs 50 lakh as cash reward and the rank of DSP from the Assam government, both Choubey and Tirkey are awaiting the prize money and promotion from the Hemant Soren led Jharkhand government.
"Till date, we haven't got anything from the government. They have a policy to reward the sportspersons, but nothing has happened in our case. When we look at our counterparts from Punjab or Haryana, we feel sad. Hopefully, the government will soon reward us," said Choubey.
