Lajja Goswami Inspiring Journey
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Rising to Prominence: Harwant Kaur’s National and International Success
Jordan B Peterson once said, “It unbelievable how little genuine encouragement many people need and how they had none.” It is evident to dream big, you don’t need an arsenal of tools and techniques to achieve your dream. Sometimes all you is need a push, as Jordan Peterson put it ‘little genuine encouragement.’ Harwant Kaur received that genuine encouragement from his grandfather.
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A Grandfather’s Vision
Just 65 kilometers from Amritsar, in a small village called Sabhra, an incredible tale started to unfold. It all started with Harwant Kaur’s grandfather – Sardar Dalip Singh, who after serving for five years in Indian Navy returned home with a vision to challenge long-standing traditional norms.
Harwant Kaur, then five-year-old, watched her grandfather and his sons transforming a portion of their land into a ground, plant grass, which they then expertly trimmed to create a perfect carpet. White chalk lines appeared creating circular lanes and a large tin shed was built at the back of the house, filled with strange rods and discs.
Nevertheless, Harwant Kaur was unaware of the fact that she was witnessing the dawning of a dream that would certainly not only change her future but also the lives of several people in her household.
The Seeds of a Dream
After a few months when the ground became ready for training, Harwant Kaur saw her aunt, Gurmeet Kaur had started training. It was an unusual sight for Harwant, her aunt training while the rest of the family were out doing the day-to-day tasks at their farm. She desperately wanted to join her aunt.
As they say, ask and you shall receive! Harwant’s grandfather woke her up one morning and asked her whether she would want to join them in the training. “I immediately said yes. It was most exciting day of my life,” she recollects. From that moment on started the beginning of Harwant’s quest from a village girl to an Olympian.
Defying Village Norms
It is universally accepted that in order to achieve your dreams and goals, you have to face challenges, no one has achieved greatness without facing serious barriers. Sardar Dalip Singh’s path was not without challenges as well. In an attempt to train women folk of his household, he encountered stiff opposition from his relatives and neighbors given traditional gender roles. They criticized him for what they perceived transformation of, “the women in the house into men.”
Singh, though, remained adamant with his aspirations. He, deep down, knew that women have no real future in these villages. So he chose to ignore all those people who made fun of him. His words still reverberate in Harwant’s ears: “Men get everything anyway. They also inherit all the land. The women have nothing.”
The Harsh Reality of Training
Every athlete’s journey to becoming great is not an easy feat to achieve, so was Harwant and her siblings’ path, grueling schedule every day, put their resolve to the test. Harwant admits that she even started to think that their grandfather was wrong given the number of people opposed. “We told each other perhaps we should skip practice. It was exhausting anyway, waking up at 5 every morning, practicing for hours, and then attend school. After coming from school, practice right away, next do your schoolwork, eat, and sleep,” Harwant recollects.
Singh’s training methods were rather intense and innovative. He would use any farm tool that could be used for training. Harwant’s brother remembers that they would push trolleys filled with wood to increase endurance and, they would throw logs of varying weight over a 20ft wall to build strength. Sometimes they had to perform such sessions 400 times a day.
On part of discipline, Singh was strict about it, he put a blanket ban on attending weddings, family functions, and holidays so the training would go on without any break. To keep them in line, he would use a lengthy whip. Harwant’s sister, Patwant, recalls, “I was upset, enraged and frightened for the most part in my youth. Everyone was afraid of my grandfather because he was a tough man, you could not disagree with him if he made a decision.”
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From Village to Olympics
Success began to dawn, despite the hardships—or maybe precisely because of it. A school competition was held in Delhi in 1999, Harwant, just 12 years old, begged her first gold medal at a national-level tournament. And thus began the journey of bringing home medals.
The pinnacle of success was reached in 2004 when both Harwant and her cousin Rajwinder competed for India in the Olympic track and field event in Athens. Prior to that Gurmeet had also represented India at the Sydney Olympics that’s three Olympians from one farming family in Punjab representing India, all due to Singh’s vision.
Thinking about the path Harwant chose, she is grateful for the road her grandfather carved out for her entire family. Now she is happy about the fact that she was not allowed to give up.
Looking back, Harwant is grateful for the path her grandfather carved out, she says, “because most girls in my village got married early and have never been out of the village. I’ve seen the world, and no one can order me around.”
Achievements; personal best of Harwant Kaur
Harwant Kaur participated in several competitions, her noteworthy accomplishments include:
2002 Asian Championships discus throw silver medal.
Fourth place in the 2003 Asian Championships discus throw competition.
Seventh place at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the discus throw.
Participation in the 2004 Olympic Games, where she was ranked 13th during the qualification stages
2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist in discus throw
Personal best throw of 63.05 meters, made in Kyiv in August of 2004
Participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing 17th in the qualifying round with a throw of 56.42 meters.
A Family of Champions
Harwant wasn’t the only successful one from her family, her aunt broke the country record and qualified for the Olympics in Sydney in the javelin. Her siblings and cousins also excelled in various athletic disciplines.
At the 2010 Inter-State Athletics Meet in Patiala, Harwant and her brother Kuldev won gold in discus and 400m hurdles respectively, while their sister Patwant won silver in shot-put. Harwant’s throw of 60.66m earned her a spot in the Commonwealth Games and went on to win the silver medal
The Legacy Continue
After his death, Singh’s influence continues. Kuldev and Patwant continue to work towards their Olympic dream, promising themselves that will not come back empty-handed. Kuldev says, “The value of our grandfather’s work is still not appreciated by the people in our village. An Olympic medal is the only way to change that.”
Lessons from Harwant’s Journey
The tale of Harwant Kaur is not only about sports; it’s about breaking down obstacles, questioning social standards, the strength of resilience and adamant support.
Her trajectory from a curious five-year-old to an Olympian and medallist at the Commonwealth Games shows the power of one person’s vision. It demonstrates to us that we are capable of the remarkable if we have the will to work tirelessly, the guts to go against the tide, and the right guidance.
We all can learn from Harwant’s story, let it inspire us to dream big, work hard, and never allow doubts of others stop us from pursuing our goals. Ultimately, what matters are the lives we touch and the barriers we break along the journey, not simply the medals and records.
In Harwant’s own words, “I’ve seen the world, and no one can order me around.” This is the true victory – not just in sports, but in life. Her experience serves as a reminder that, no matter how far-fetched our goals may appear, we can all reach them if we have the willpower and the right kind of assistance to help us overcome the limitations that are placed on us.
What are Harwant Kaur’s major achievements?
Harwant Kaur has won several medals, including silver at the Commonwealth Games 2010 and the Asian Championships 2002.
Where is Harwant Kaur from?
She is from Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Who is Harwant Kaur’s coach?
Her personal coach is Parveer Singh.
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