As I planned my interview with Mala Sukhwal, I was overwhelmed and also super happy because she is that solid woman who has broken all stereotypes when it comes to woman as a gender, their body, the cans and can nots associated with it and more importantly she comes from the same land I belong to. As I penned down my questions and went on asking her , I knew this interview will bring in a lot of inspiration and motivation for sure. For me knowing stories of courage, determination and perseverance is something I have loved always but today as I take a step further to share these stories with all other women through this platform I feel blessed and this is surely a new beginning.
I asked her the following set of questions and the replies would leave you inspired, wanting to do more than what you thought you could.
1. Tell us something about yourself, early life and your family !
Born in a small village named Sangesara near Chittorgarh, Rajasthan in 1984 , me and my parents moved to Udaipur after 1 month where they had no one, no relative and no support to start with. They started searching for a means of livelihood to sustain our family. My parents were not very highly educated but the family had a lot of love and we were very close to our culture and values.
I learnt swimming at the age of 2 and I must say, I was very passionate about it, so much so that it became a daily routine. I still remember this serial called Udaan on Doordarshan which left a very deep imprint on me to do something extraordinary. To what I can remember is that there was a girl who used to stare at a bird caged until one day she sets the bird free and moves on to become a police officer, giving flight to her own dreams and setting herself free. My mother always wanted me to do everything that she never had the opportunity to and to fly high but because my father had a very decent paying private job and mother was a housewife, there was a lot of struggle on the financial front. My mother used to take up odd paying jobs like working at a tiffin centre, sewing and stitching and sometimes selling of garlands to make sure we had enough and to be able to support the family. My parents really struggled their way to make sure I reach where I am today along with my two brothers. Today, I am married with two sons and my husband is in Indian Air Force while I work for Indian railways as a Dy CTI.
2. What made you choose this career path , powerlifting ?
I wanted to become a doctor but my financial conditions were not such that I could afford the coaching at that time even after my name was listed in RPMT Coaching List, I had to drop the plans.
After 12th I continued with Bsc. I always had the urge to do something extraordinary and so in second year of Bsc. I felt like I should start with swimming again and do something extraordinary. Unfortunately, after so many years when I started with swimming again I could not do well because I had very less stamina. I was still firm to do something extraordinary even if that wasn’t swimming. In order for me to increase my stamina and strength , I thought of joining a GYM first and without wasting much time I started with a nearby gym. One day while I was gymming an old man in the gym just very casually asked me to pick a 60 kilogram weight lying down and I could do it very easily. Everyone in the gym gave me a lot of appreciation and asked me to consider power lifting. When I came home that day and told everyone, at first they all laughed at me but later I sat down with my mom and told her that I want to take this up seriously as a game and my mother decided to support me and my decision and that I should go ahead with it if my heart desires to. Right from this day onwards I started working hard and participated for District and various other games and won first position everywhere I participated. It was an extraordinary start to begin with. This journey began in 2003 and thereon it changed my life forever.
With such a brilliant start, my mother decided to put me into training with Rajasthan State Sports Council , Luv Kush Stadium under the coach at that time, Mr. Amrit Lal. He refused to train me saying that we do not give training to girls to which my mom replied that she is my son , not my daughter and this increased my confidence and my efforts manifolds. My mother’s faith in me changed everything for me and I found a whole new strength inside me.
3. Tell us about the obstacles you had to face while pursuing your dreams.
It is said that when you start a new journey , you need to be physically and mentally sound to overcome all obstacles and make your way through but this game also demanded us to be financially sound which we were not and this was a very big challenge. Many roadblocks were there but I never lost my focus. One major roadblock was that I belong to a Brahman family and so I never had a non vegetarian diet throughout my life and so I trained completely on the vegetarian diet , finding ways and means to make it happen through the vegetarian plan and to still be able to get the desired stamina and strength for power lifting .
I also went through a lot of mental and emotional torture when the society started talking about our family and that why did they choose to send their daughter into this game and that no one would ever marry her. It was a very tough time for us. When I got married people used to tell me that I can never have a baby because of this aggressive training and the game. In a period of 3 years of my marriage , I gave birth to my son and then people told me that I would not be able to do powerlifting ever again and some also decided for me that I should not because I already had a job in railways and why was it even required. This criticism only made me stronger.
One of the biggest hurdles was managing financial requirements for the game. My training fee, travel expenses, game kits etc. there were many expenses. I got selected twice for international games and it was really tough to manage the funds. I got a lot of help from my college Meera Girls, some eminent people in our town, Hindustan Zinc etc. to name a few who supported me. I still clearly remember that day when I got selected for the New zealand Commonwealth Championship and Mr. Devpura made sure I got all resources to make this game a big success. Lot of hurdles came in but lot of good people helped me to cross them and come out as a winner.
4. Do you feel that women stand shoulder to shoulder with men or do you find a gap here
There is no doubt about this that women are walking shoulder to shoulder with men but this does not hold true for the entire women community. We still have women being considered a weaker gender in society and are looked down with sympathy because they are not considered as strong as men. When women are becoming independent , they deserve all the respect and instead of being looked down as a weaker gender they should get an equal position in the society. Though we talk of gender equality, it is still a far fetched reality and would require a complete mind shift for the society to accept us as equal in all ways.
We should bring forth the strength and courage of women who have done extraordinary instead of highlighting the weakness and the can nots so that many more women can get inspired and march forward to join this movement of getting equal rights that we truly deserve.
5. Which is that one moment which you feel is the defining moment in your life
In 2007 at New Zealand Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship I won 4 gold medals and was also titled Second Strong Woman of Commonwealth Countries. This moment was my defining moment as I wrapped the Indian Flag around my body, standing proud with the medals , our national anthem playing and tears rolled down my eyes as I realized in the moment that I have made my country shine on the global front. It was indeed a very special moment for me.
6. One problem in India which concerns women and needs immediate attention and action.
I feel that Women education is there and is also being addressed by the government but awareness is lacking. Education which we get in our schools and colleges is not enough. We need to have more awareness towards laws, our rights, the policies so that women can protect themselves against all the crimes in society.
7. How would you like to contribute to society ?
I would like to open an academy for women in the domain of powerlifting to bring more awareness and also encourage women to take up this game. I would also want to motivate people to remain fit and healthy and take out time for exercise because very few people realize the importance of a healthy body. I also want to have inspirational sessions where people can inspire other people with their stories of struggle, achievement and an undying attitude to never give up.
8. One message that you would like to give to all women out there.
Nothing comes easy, one has to struggle for everything. Do not do things with an expectation of getting results . Just do it with all your heart and a positive attitude and then leave the rest to God. Work on things you love with passion and not because of the returns or results you expect to get out of it.
9. Tell us something about your association with Chics Connect and what do you like about this community.
My association for CHICS CONNECT has started with their award show for women in sports and fitness on 8th March, International Women’s Day where they awarded 50 women from the city and I was on the Jury Panel. What I love about this network is that it has something for all women. Whether you are a housewife, a professional, a sportsperson or a business woman , you will always have something to learn from this group. This platform is also breaking the stereotype that women do not support other women.
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