Rising phoenix

Archer Anjali Shinde talks about challenges in her life as she shifted from being a National gymnast to physically challenged archer

- Sapna Sarfare

How you recover from the challenges that life throws at you truly defines you.

Anjali Shinde is a fighter who has literally changed the way we look at the physically challenged in sports. This award-winning gymnast from Mumbai is also a Malkambh winner at local and national levels. She met with an unfortunate accident 12 where she fell from a rope while practising gymnastics.

Though paralysed from waist downwards, she did not let the injury keep her down. At 45, she picked up archery and won a Gold in the 50+50 Meter Compound Round (Women - W1 category) in the National Para-Archery Championship in Rohtak, India, 2019. She has inspired many and now a known Marathi director wants to make a film on her life.

Anjali speaks to The Free Press Journal of her astonishing journey into sports and the possibility of a film on her life.

Excerpts from the interview:

Do tell us a bit about yourself.

I have three older sisters. My dad was a deep-sea diver in the Indian Navy. My mom is a homemaker. It was inter-caste marriage - dad Maratha, and mom Parsi.

You had life full of challenges.

I lived at Shivaji Park near Samarth Vyayam Mandir. I started going there with my elder sisters and fell in love with gymnastics and the Rope Mallakhamb. And I excelled.

However, an accident in 1985 left me disabled. We stayed on the third floor of a building without a lift. Therefore, I was mostly stuck at home and couldn't finish school.

Then?

We moved to Pune to make life easier for me good 20 years after my accident, in 2016. Till then it was an emotional and physical struggle. Which to a certain extent still is. Since it's a spinal cord injury, my spinal cord is out. And that is where it creates problems. It takes a toll on my health.