From mobile screens to sports — a positive spin to their lives

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 28

It was November 2023 when sports entered his life. Before that, Lakkshvir Rehal’s life was just a routine affair.

Visually impaired, Lakkshvir (18) was figuring out what he should do so that he could settle and earn well for his family. Lakkshvir can see from one eye. His father is an architect and mother a chocolate maker.

“I used to make v-logs on social media so that I could start earning. But then I was told by my teachers and parents that I should play games,” he said.

Never in his school life he played any sport or game so the suggestion didn’t go well with him. “I knew one thing that I always loved watching Virat Kohli and Neeraj Chopra, who are the sports legends,” he added.

He then embraced the idea to enter the world of sports and then decided never to leave it. In one year, he played barely four tournaments in the shotput game but won medals every time.

A state-level championship was held in Bathinda in which he won a gold medal. Then he got introduced to the Sports Department coach Baba Gurdeep, who then started training him.

His coach said, “He has every quality which a sportsperson should have. He has a right built and body structure for shotput game.”

In the recently held 13th National Junior and Sub-Junior Para Athletics Meet, he won a bronze medal.

The victory has brought a confidence and positivity in him. “My height has increased a bit and I can see some improvement in my vision too. Whenever I play and exercise, it gives me a lot of happiness and good vibes,” he added.

Now Lakkshvir will be playing in Kheda Watan Punjab Dian too.

The Paralympics started today and he started rigorous training so that he could represent his nation at that level too. “I want to be like Virat, successful and talented,” he said.

Taskeen (18), another city based girl, has a somewhat similar story. It was only one-and-a-half years ago after she completed her Class X that she adopted shooting and, in a short time span, she won a gold medal in the 59th Punjab State Shooting Championship that was recently held in Mohali.

It was her neighbour Avtar Singh, who himself is a national-level shooting champion, who encouraged her to start shooting. “Earlier, I couldn’t understand the importance but with time, I started enjoying shooting and now with every win and medal, my love for it is only growing,” she said.

Her father Siraj Anwar owns a saloon and her mother also works with him.

Taskeen, who is pursuing her studies in non-medical stream, said after Class X, her inclination towards social media was growing. “I was spending time on it, but when I took shooting, it helps in controlling the mind and social media is not a priority anymore,” she added.