HT Brunch Cover Story: Kick out the patriarchy!

Wherever she is, whatever she’s doing, everything about Nikhat Zareen screams confidence. Whether she’s in the boxing ring or facing the camera for her first fashion shoot, selecting the outfits she’ll wear or chatting with the photographer about the perfect angles, nothing seems to faze the 25-year-old boxer from Nizamabad, Telangana. She seems to intuitively know how to handle things her way.

 You may think this confidence is a side effect of her historic win this February, when she brought home the gold at the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, becoming the first Indian boxer to claim two gold medals at the tournament (she won in 2019 as well). Nikhat, a former Junior World Boxing Champion, defeated the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Buse Naz Çakıroğlu in the semi-finals, and then went on to beat the former European champion and World Championship medallist, Tetiana Kob, for the gold. 

 “Beating Buse Naz Çakıroğlu was sweet revenge because I’d lost to her last year in the semis,” says Nikhat. “After that loss, I worked on my mistakes while remembering her strengths, and so, this time I had the strategy to not let her play her game.”

Breaking barriers

The pugilist who, besides her win in Sofia, secured her place for the forthcoming World Championships as well as the Asian Games, and strengthened her position in the 51-kg division, has never let anything stop her from accomplishing what she sets out to do.

 One of four daughters born into an orthodox family, she began her sports career as a sprinter because her father, Mohammad Jameel Ahmed, was a sports enthusiast.

“Once, as we watched sports on TV, I asked him why there were no female boxers. He said there are, but people think ‘ladkiyon mein dum nahi hota’ (girls have no strength). I took that statement as a challenge because I wanted to change the belief that women should just be in the kitchen and not dream of doing anything more,” says Nikhat.

 Boxing is not an easy game. It comes with blood, sweat and serious injuries. And just like most middle class families in India, Nikhat’s relatives were concerned that her involvement in a ‘man’s’ sport would ruin her chances for marriage. But Nikhat was inspired by the great Muhammad Ali, not only because of his boxing skills, but the fact that he motivated his daughter to become a boxer and supported her throughout her journey.  

 “Despite coming from an orthodox society, my father supported me. He never gave up and pushed me to be who I am today,” says Nikhat. “It was quite tough initially. There were no women boxers where I trained, so I had to train with men double my size with full power punches. Every day, I went back home with bruises, but I did not give up. My first big breakthrough happened when I won the Junior World Championship in 2011, and that made me determined to go on and win more.”

 Packing a punch

While the medals she picked up silenced all those who had criticised her decision to start boxing, a shoulder injury in 2017 threatened to shatter her self-confidence. But it wasn’t long before Nikhat pulled herself together and set out to prove everyone wrong yet again.

“I dislocated my shoulder and was told by the physiotherapist that I would have to undergo surgery. That really scared me since many people had told me that once an athlete undergoes surgery, she never comes back the same,” she discloses. “The shoulder is what makes or breaks a boxer: the power of a boxer’s punches comes from her shoulders. This was the first time I had sustained an injury of this magnitude and it really shook my confidence.”

Besides the physical injury, Nikhat went through a period of mental trauma, doubting her ability to throw winning punches once again, as she would be out of action for nearly a whole year. But with the help of a psychologist, a physiotherapist and a strength and conditioning coach, she not only got over her fears but also won gold at the 56th Belgrade International Tournament in 2018. “Many people, including my friends, had told me that I wouldn’t be able to make a comeback and that my injury was the end of my boxing career. But when I won the tournament, the same people messaged me to say that they were wrong and that I had made the impossible possible. This finally brought back my confidence and I was determined to achieve new heights,” says Nikhat.

 But her shift from the junior to the senior segment wasn’t without a few hiccups. While medals remained the first thing on her mind, Nikhat had to deal with the fact that she was placed in the same 51-kg division as MC Mary Kom, the eight-times world championship winner. This meant that Mary got more opportunities to compete on the world stage, while Nikhat remained more or less an understudy.

Finally, when the Boxing Federation of India decided to send Mary Kom to the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics, Nikhat appealed to then Union sports minister, Kiren Rijiju, to allow a trial bout between Mary Kom and herself. Unfortunately, Nikhat faced a massive defeat, giving her no chance at the Tokyo Olympics.

 “Mary Kom has always been a big inspiration for me. I have literally grown up hearing about her achievements. In fact, the very first film that I watched in a cinema hall was the biopic of Mary Kom in which she was played by Priyanka Chopra,” says Nikhat. “After my trial bout with Mary, I realised that experience really matters when it comes to Olympic boxing. I have learnt a lot from her and now I’m on my way to make my own mark.”

Mission Olympics

Nikhat has already started focussing on the Paris Olympics, but her experiences of the last few years have shown her that it is not enough to simply be clear about her goals in her sport.

 “Being connected with your fans and giving them a glimpse into your life through social media is good and gives you a good recall value,” she explains. “I enjoy Instagram as it gives you options like Reels, Boomerangs and filters to do a variety of things. I enjoy facing the camera and really enjoyed this fashion shoot for HT Brunch because it gave me the opportunity to wear some very interesting outfits!”

The millennial enjoys shopping, trying new cuisines, and watching Salman Khan movies.

 “Among all the Salman films, my favourites are Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Sultan. I also like Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor, and would love to see Alia playing me if ever a biopic is made on my life,” laughs Nikhat.  

 That said, the young boxer clearly understands that nothing succeeds like success and is ensuring that she betters her game with each passing day.

“I am my biggest competitor and I try to challenge myself each and every day to make myself better than yesterday,” says Nikhat. “My setbacks have taught me to have patience and perseverance and just keep working because there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. And for me, all roads lead to the next Olympics.”

From HT Brunch, April 3, 2022

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