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Chak de moment for Kashmiri women
2 sqay players win 2 gold medals at south Asian meet
Bismah Malik/TNS

Know sqay Sqay - which means knowledge of war - is a traditional martial art from Kashmir. It includes sword fights and various free-hand fighting techniques. Even when men are shying away from the sport, it has become popular among young women in Kashmir.

Srinagar, October 17
Hijab-clad Sakina and Salma Rashid have just arrived home in Srinagar after winning two gold medals for India at the third South Asian Sqay Championship held in Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka, from October 5 to 8.

Both the Kashmiri women were part of a 30-member Indian team that won eight gold medals at the meet.

But these 24-year-old athletes have no time to rest on their laurels. They will be representing India at three more international championships - the World Championship to be held in Egypt, the 5th International Martial Art Games at Melbourne and the 3rd Asian Sqay Championship at Dhaka.

“It is a proud moment for the state, especially when our girls have proved to be front-runners in this male-dominated sport,” said coach Mir Nazir, who is imparting self-defence skills to 12 Kashmiri girls.

The Kashmiri women martial arts team is not unfamiliar with success. This can be gauged from the gold medals it has won at the international championships held in South Korea and Malaysia in the past two years. Coach Nazir was all praise for his athletes who despite societal constraints have managed to succeed at the highest level.

“Not long ago, these girls came for training in self-defence techniques. But their interest developed into passion when they got selected in national teams and brought laurels to the country in taekwondo, judo, karate, kick-boxing, thang ta and wushu,” Nazir said.

In addition to medals, these self-defence skills bring about a sense of security to women in a male-dominated conservative society like Kashmir where women working outside their homes was a rarity till a few years ago.

“At times when I step out of my home, I am teased by boys in the neighbourhood. I took up this sport just to fight them back,” said Sabreena, a taekwondo player.

With two international gold medallists setting the benchmark for juniors, the enthusiasm among young Kashmiri girls to learn martial arts is on the rise.