Stick-fighting video helps 85-year-old woman in Pune beat lockdown woes

Coming from Dombari community, a nomadic tribe in Maharashtra, Shantabai Pawar learnt to wield sticks from her father when she was eight

The lockdown has affected many people, particularly those from the low revenue group. With work at hand during this period, an 85-year-old woman from Pune showing her martial arts skills received substantial help and praise after a video of her went viral on social media.

Shantabai Pawar, a resident of Gosaviwasti in Hadapsar, was showing her stick-fighting skills on the streets of the city with a mask on her face during lockdown to earn money for her family, which includes orphaned children she has taken under her care. (HT PHOTO)

Shantabai Pawar, a resident of Gosaviwasti in Hadapsar, was showing her stick-fighting skills on the streets of the city with a mask on her face during lockdown to earn money for her family, which includes orphaned children she has taken under her care.

Coming from Dombari community, a nomadic tribe in Maharashtra, Pawar learnt to wield sticks from her father when she was eight. The Dombaris in Maharashtra known to posses stick-wielding skills and often seen performing it on streets to earn a livelihood. The skill, according to Pawar, was more of an honour to her though the family did this for livelihood.

When her video went viral, the octogenarian expressed shock and disbelief as she had never thought that a video of her will fetch her so much praise and help. “I learnt stick-fighting skills in childhood and would travel to different places to display it. However, the ongoing lockdown has been very harsh for me and family as we struggled for day’s meal. To overcome that I decided to display my stick-fighting skill on the roads so that patrons would give money,” she said.

Sonu Sood, another Bollywood personality, also tweeted saying said he would like to open “small training school with her where she can train women of our country some self-defence techniques.”

Having lost one of her son’s and daughter-in-law leaving her, Pawar now stays with three of her other daughters and seven grandchildren. The daughters and her son-in-law’s work as daily wage in nearby areas though lockdown has hit the family hard with all income halted.

“It has been a very difficult period for us. The lockdown has stopped all the income. I had stopped stick-fighting skills but had to resume it to earn livelihood when someone shot my video and uploaded on social media,” said Pawar whose granddaughter said the video helped the family garner help in form of kind and cash.

“Many people visited our homes and offered grain and financial help after the video went viral,” said her granddaughter.

Aishwarya Kale, a dancer who shot Pawar’s video and uploaded it on social media, said she was surprised to see such an overwhelming response to the video.

“I was passing through Salunkhe Vihar when I saw the old woman performing her skills. I found it interesting that such an old woman having a mask on her face was performing stick-fighting. I then recorded the video and uploaded it on social media,” said Kale.