Exclusive: Craftsman's daughter aspires to win gold medal in badminton in next Olympics

New Delhi: Every sports personality has had humble beginnings. The Nehru Stadium in Faridkot, Punjab, is one such place. It has been home to many athletes, some even competing at the Olympics. Arshdeep Kaur trains there in badminton. A class 10 student, Arshdeep Kaur started playing badminton barely a year ago and has already won a silver medal at the district level tournament. "I like to play badminton and started playing it a year ago", said Arshdeep in an exclusive conversation with ABP Live's Anurag Kumar. Image: Supplied The 16-year-old girl considers Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu as her role models and said-"At first, I considered Saina Nehwal as my role model as I never heard about PV Sindhu. But now I know her and consider both as my role models. I want to become like them." The aspiring Arshadeep is the eldest of the four (two sisters and a brother) and wants to win the gold medal for India in the coming Olympic games. She said, in order to fulfill her dream she dedicates two-and-a-half hours daily after the school. But during holidays she just doubles the time, practicing both in morning and evening. In addition to her dream of winning the gold medal, she in future wants to set up a business so that she can earn money and create employment opportunities for others. Image: Arshdeep Kaur playing badminton (black dress)/Supplied When asked why she chooses badminton over other games, she said-"I didn't know that there are games too in school. It's by chance I'm chosen for it (by the school authorities) but now I love it and can't live without it." (Badminton mein he humare jaan basti hai ab) However, she added that she maintains an equilibrium between game and study and do not compromise with the later. When asked about the facilities, the young badminton player said-"There was no provision of the washroom and proper lights in the stadium. However, things are improving, although, very slowly. Authorities have made provision for changing room but washroom is still pending." "There has also been work going on for the repair of ground", she added. The girl said, she believes that these basic facilities should be there. Image: Supplied The district champion, whose father works as craftsman and mother cooks food for the midday meal in schools, knows very well her family's financial limits. Her family consists of seven members. (Parents, four children--including her--and a grandmother) Talking about the financial aspect of playing badminton Arshdeep, whose family barely makes its two ends meet, said badminton racket and shuttlecocks are costly and her family can't afford the same. Image: Supplied Thanks to World Vision India, a humanitarian organization working on child and maternal health, she is till now making her dream come true. "World Vision India helped me in buying racket and shuttlecock, as my family can't afford to buy the same. Without their help, I would had left the game last year only" she said. "World Vision India strongly believes that Sports could be an important medium, which could bring all children together, impact their quality of life and would pave way for their holistic development. We are happy our intervention has helped Arshdeep to access the sport and reach thus far. On the long run such exposure to sports will help in empowering girls and also give them the confidence to further their talents", said Anil Khandekar, Senior program director, World Vision India She had hoped to compete at the state level as well but due to complications, she was unable to do so. This year she hopes to compete in both (state and national) and bring home a gold medal. There is a need to encourage women participation in sports in India and for that, we all have to play our part. Image: Supplied We wish her luck for her bright future.