Champions are many, but luck beckons few. Some languish unknown to the world; others waddle in a doting world. On the threshold of a promising career in fencing, V Desni is yet to fall in either half. This 17-year-old has chosen to excel in a sport few dare meander into. While many others picked up a bat or racquet, Desni chose to nurture her skills with the sword.
The proclivity towards the sport was developed, when she ventured into Kallaripayattu — a traditional martial art of Kerala. That was the beginning of her sporting life, where the rudiments of sword fighting were ingrained. Desni credits her first coach Harindranath for introducing her to fencing. Harindranath was on the look out for students, whom he could mould for into the sport. It was at a Kallaripayattu Gurukul that he met Desni and selected her for her future life of joust.
At the age of 12, Desni left her home in Kozhikode to join the SAI centre in Thalaserri. Her first national performance came in 2003, when in Gwalior she won two bronzes in Epee and Foil (two styles in fencing). After that, there was no looking back for this Kerala girl, who in a span of five years reaped a rich haul of 12 medals including two gold, three silver and seven bronze medals in the national championships. Desni’s major breakthrough came in the recently concluded Senior National Championship in Manipur, where she won two gold medals (individual and team). In the individual category, Desni beat defending national champion Hareena Devi of Manipur. It was all the more special for Desni as she beat the Manipur girl in her own land.
However for Desni choosing fencing has proved to be a costly proposition. Despite being national champion, she struggles to get sponsorship to continue in her chosen vocation. Desni was selected for the four-member team that was to participate in the Asian Championship held in Korea last year. Though the other three made it, Desni had to stay behind, as she could not collect enough money to make the trip. And lest history repeats itself, Desni is busy importuning possible sponsors for her visit to Malaysia, where she has been selected for the Asian Youth Commonwealth Championship to be held in February. The trip would cost her at least Rs 88,000, but for this daughter of an auto rickshaw driver raising that much money on her own is a far-fetched dream. “Initially, the government had said they would sponsor our trip but later on they backed out. I don’t know what I will do if I don’t get sponsors. Forget this opportunity, that’s all,” she says matter-of-factly. Another hitch is lack of a quality fencing suit. The complete suiting including the metallic jacket, headgear and sword costs approximately Rs 25,000, which is beyond her means.
Though fencing is a costly sport, Desni found it appealing because she had already trained in Kallaripayattu. “In Kerala, there is scope to excel in fencing because the basics are same as Kallaripayattu,” she maintains. Currently coached by Sagar S Lalu of Sai, Desni has also made it to the 2010 Commonwealth national team. sbmanju@gmail.com