Anchal Meena, 14, is among the 100 girls undergoing self-defence training under the Saksham programme. Anchal and her friends religiously follow the actions of coaches Manish Saini and Vedwati Swami.
It is only when the girls look to Krishna Chauhan’s hand gestures that you realise Anchal and her friends are hearing and speech-impaired.
“Initially I faced a lot of problem training these special girls but Krishna Chauhan has helped me with the sign language. Now the girls understand our instructions and it’s working fine,” Saini says about his experience at Seth Anandilal Poddar Deaf and Dumb School in Jaipur.
Anchal, a student of Class 8, is a confident girl now. With Krishna’s aid, Anchal says she travels alone from her home in Sanganer.
“I have no fear now. I can come alone from my house. After taking part in the self-defence training camp, I have changed,” she says.
Her friend, Mamta Kumari, a student of Class 11, has a similar story to share.
Krishna says the 16-year-old girl has shed her fears as self-defence has raised her confidence.
{{/usCountry}}Krishna says the 16-year-old girl has shed her fears as self-defence has raised her confidence.
{{/usCountry}}Seth Anandilal Poddar Deaf and Dumb School’s principal Mahesh Wadhwani says the body language of the girls have changed after attending the camp.
“They are becoming mentally and physically tough,” Wadhwani says, adding that such self-defence camps should be organised once in a month.
“Boys from the hostel teased them earlier but now I can say that these girls are capable of giving them a befitting reply.”
As part of the Saksham programme, these girls between the age group of 10 and 20 are being trained by martial art experts in a 10-day camp.
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