Let’s have a brainstorming session, to begin with. Name 10 highly popular Indian cricketers. Okay, that one is easy considering the sport is a religion here and some are even hailed as ‘Gods’.
How about 10 famous Indian hockey players? That also is gettable, considering it’s the sport that has won the most Olympic gold medals for the country, albeit mostly from a different generation.
How about five famous Indians each from football, athletics, badminton, boxing, wrestling…? They are also not grey-cells busting. All right, the tough one now. List the top three Indian fencers. The answer, most, including me, will have is probably just one name: CA Bhavani Devi.
That’s primarily because the 27-year-old Tamil Nadu sabre exponent last week became the first Indian fencer - male or female - to qualify for the Olympics and has since become the talk of the town. So what made Bhavani, hailing from a modest Tamil Brahmin family, take up such an expensive and niche sport that not many in-country dare venture?
“It all started in 2003 when I joined the sport for fun,” Bhavani recalls in an interaction arranged by GoSports Foundation, one of her major sponsors now. “I wanted to play some sport because I just couldn’t stay inside a classroom for long hours. I needed to get out. Some senior students said the school (Muruga Dhanushkodi Girls Higher Secondary in Chennai) has five sports that I can play. By the time I went to enrol myself, the only option left was fencing because others were all full. That’s how I started fencing.
“A year later was my first competition and I lost in my very first meet. Most of my team-mates had medals in their hands but I was empty-handed. That actually pushed me to work hard to win a medal in the sport. That’s how I started fencing as a career. I thank several people who have been part of this incredible journey, my family, the federation, SAI, my benefactors at various stages and GoSports Foundation for believing in me. I’m also happy that I made the right decision in my life.”
Although things have worked out as per plans for the trailblazing and trendsetting Bhavani, the formative years were a bed of thorns. Her late father Anandha Sundhararaman was a priest while mother Ramani Devi is a homemaker, and she was the last sibling among five.
While some mocked her for choosing fencing, a sport with hardly any history and structure in the country, many advised her against pursuing it as a career choice because even globally it was considered an elitist European sport. Right from sword to equipment, to gear, to training and then competing, one needed strong financial backing to survive. Bhavani, who considers the domineering Serena Williams and Indian tennis superstar Sania Mirza as her two icons, was completely aware of the dark road ahead but was adamant about tunnelling through it.
“When I first joined the sport, the first question many students asked me was ‘What is your father’s annual income?’ They told me that fencing is a very expensive sport and you won’t be able to afford it if you come from a poor family. I understood what they were trying to tell me but something about fencing connected with me. So I lied about my father’s annual income, hiked it up several times. I wanted to be unique and as I said, the moment I held the sword, I felt a mystique.
“I just didn’t want to let go of it, although I knew it was a major, major risk because I didn’t know if I could even sustain myself as everything about the sport is expensive. The sword, the suits, the training etc, everything is beyond the reach of a humble middle-class family. Also, I had no one to guide me through. Initially, we used to train using bamboo sticks and use the sword only for competition, because if we break the sword, we couldn’t afford to buy it. The first few years were very difficult.”
Bhavani’s mother, now smiling ear to ear, too recalled the tough times, saying more than anything she feared for a daughter’s safety considering she was a lonely warrior. “While the last 5 years have been okay thanks to sponsors coming on board, the first 10 was very difficult. Very few people were aware of fencing in the country and for a middle-class girl to break ground in a sport where there’s hardly been any representation from the country, it was tough,” an emotional Ramani said.
“I was confident she would qualify for the Olympics, it’s just reward for all her hard work. Only I know how hard she has worked to get to this stage. In other sports, athletes generally have company. Bhawani, on the other hand, had none. She would travel alone without coaches. Like a typical South Indian mom, I was very scared. How will my lonely daughter manage, what will happen to her, has she eaten her meals….many questions would constantly be running in my head. I would heave a sigh of relief only when she would return home. I would just keep praying to God that nothing happens to her and she should return home safely from competitions. Only a mom with a daughter can relate to my feelings.”
Things only fell in place in 2016 when Bhavani got the opportunity to train under Italian coach Nicola Zanotti, thanks to SAI. She spends a lot of time honing her craft at Livorno, Italy and his expertise has brought that cutting edge to her game. Since then, she has been steadily climbing the ladder, becoming the first Indian to win a World up gold at Reykjavik, Iceland in 2017 before securing the Olympic berth now.
Bhavani said what pleases her the most following her latest success is silencing all those who mocked her right throughout her journey. “When I started to dream about representing India at the Olympics in fencing, many people mocked me. They told me that I cannot achieve anything in this sport. ‘This sport is very expensive and niche. Also, you’re a woman, you should focus on getting a job. If you really want to pursue a career in sports, choose something else.’ Even fencers from top countries didn’t give me respect. They would mock me, saying ‘you’re alone, no coach…’ and other stuff. Some of my friends would ask why I’m sacrificing so much for this sport. Some even called me crazy. There was a lot of negativity.
“But my mom stood with me like a rock. All this is because of her and my late father. Also, I never lost sight of my goal. I knew that I was honest and was ready to tackle any challenges that came my way. Olympics is just one part of the journey. For me, I didn’t want to have regrets in my life. I loved fencing, so I gave it my all and this success is the fulfilment of more than a decade of hard work, perseverance and bloody-mindedness.”
India, over the years, has produced several women who have broken the glass ceiling. Bhavani has just joined that list. She chose a path no-one did and now stands as an inspiration for others.