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India Today
21 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Fencing sisters Jyotika and Rishika turn grit and guts into global recognition
In a quiet rooftop in Jammu and Kashmir during the Covid-19 lockdown, Rishika Khajuria fenced against shadows. With no coach at hand and no proper piste underfoot, she drilled her footwork between boundary walls, her sabre cutting arcs through the miles away in Rohru, a small town in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Jyotika Dutta was already a veteran of the national circuit. Her path to the sport began at 13, when a cousin introduced her to fencing, which is late by international standards, but early compared to Rishika, who started at had gone from those first awkward bouts to the quarter-finals of the Asian Games, over 20 medals at senior and junior nationals, and a place at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. They are, in many ways, at opposite ends of the same piste. Rishika, 25, is a rising sabre specialist from a region that is producing a steady stream of national-level fencers. Jyotika, 29, is one of Himachal Pradesh's few elite fencers, carrying the dual burden of competing internationally and creating awareness back first encounter with fencing was almost accidental. She was interested when her neighbour practised the sport.'I was excited to see it. Once I tried it, I thought I should do this,' she tells her entry at age 19 drew scepticism. 'Everyone was like, 'You can't do this, don't waste time.' Fencing requires so many basic skills like footwork, and I wasn't good at that in the beginning.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishika Khajuria (@rishikakhajuria)Jyotika nods at the challenge of starting late. 'I started when I was 13, but that's still late. In other countries, they start at five. It's much like gymnastics.'For Rishika, the doubts became will pushed her to get better during the Covid-19 lockdowns.'It was just me and my inner voice against the rest,' she says. 'I wanted to do it at any cost. So, I did it.'The majority of people around me told me I can't. That stoked me. I thought, 'I have to prove them wrong.' Even after my first medal, some said I was lucky. I showed them it wasn't luck. It was my hard work. Now they've realised I've done it.'MAJOR RECOGNITIONIn July this year, Under Armour, the US-based sportswear giant, added Jyotika Dutta and Rishika Khajuria to its roster of athletes. For a niche sport still fighting for mainstream attention in India, it was a rare recognition has been sweeter for its scarcity. 'It feels great I have been recognised by a global brand (Under Armour). I feel so special connecting with them. When I look back at 2019 and now, it feels great,' Rishika, who competed in the World University Games in Germany in July, says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rishika Khajuria (@rishikakhajuria)THE STEADY GROWTHFor both Jyotika and Rishika, CA Bhavani Devi's breakthrough was more than symbolic — it made their career paths feel fencing has existed since the 1970s, but its modern momentum owes much to Bhavani, who became the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics in 2021. Though she missed Paris 2024 by the narrowest of margins, her run at the Games and her medals at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships have sparked unprecedented grassroots interest. Participation at nationals has grown by over 50 per cent in recent years, and the government has recognised the potential of the sport, offering training at Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres in Patiala, Kerala, Assam, and beyond now boast better facilities and equipment.A sport that was only limited to a few states in India is now spreading its wings. At the Nationals in 2023, fencers from 29 states competed.'After Bhavani went to the Olympics, there has been a lot of improvement,' says haven't reached the stage where fencing is a sustainable career option. But we're getting there. It's still lagging behind when compared to Europe. The training facilities are also getting better, but not at European level. Sports Authority of India runs the majority of the fencing centres. There are small clubs elsewhere. But I think we need more centres and clubs that teach fencing in many more cities and towns.'For Jyotika personally, the journey has been marked by peaks and valleys. 'I have seen a lot of highs and lows throughout my career. I was No. 1 at one point. But I had to deal with injuries. But I bounced back. I didn't quit. I am doing great.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jyotika Dutta (@dutta_jyotika)Meanwhile, Rishika has watched her home state transform. 'In Jammu and Kashmir, there is a boom. Quite a few children come daily to join the sport. There were seniors from there who did well at national and international level. Then I came. I am doing well. Parents come and they want their children to pursue this sport. There is change.'advertisementIS FENCING COMPLEX?For the uninitiated, fencing can be a bit bewildering. It's been part of the Olympics since the very first Games, yet its technicalities can be hard to follow.'We have three events in fencing,' Jyotika explains. 'I fence EPee, Rishika does Sabre, and the third is Foil. Each has different target areas. In pe, it's the entire body. In Sabre, it's the upper body, arms, head, and back. In Foil, it's from the shoulders to the waist and the back.'She adds: 'It's all electric now — we wear body wires, electric jackets, and masks connected to a computer. When you touch an opponent, you get a red or green light on the screen. In pe, you score with the point of the blade, which has a button at the tip. It needs a pressure of 500 to 700 grams to register the touch.'FENCING IS LIKE CHESSRishika describes her event with pride. 'Sabre is the most furious and fastest format. The target is the upper body. Inside the electric jacket, there is a wire that is connected to the apparatus. Fencing is like mental chess.'You only get a second to think and respond to what the opponent is doing. You need quick reflexes and the ability to decide quickly. Fencing is faster than the start of a racing car. It's the second-fastest event in the Olympics. Sabre is the fastest in the sport.'advertisementCAN'T GET ANGRYWhile reflexes must be razor-sharp, the mind has to be sharper still. Physical training builds the body, but mental edge comes from drills designed to hone concentration.'Meditation, specific mind-control exercises, and reaction drills,' says Rishika.'For my event, I have to be patient, so I train for that — a lot of watching my opponent. To compete at the highest level, I need to understand their style before I even step on the piste.'Managing emotions is just as crucial. One flash of temper can undo a bout.'In a combat sport, it's easy to get angry,' Rishika says. 'But if you get worked up, you'll lose. When we started, we used to get upset — say if someone hit your helmet. Now, you have to control your body, stay calm yet keep your movements and reflexes fast.'SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER?For Rishika, social media is a way to bridge fencing's visibility gap. The 25-year-old is also a fitness enthusiast and content creator, using her platform to inspire and engage audiences through sports and wellness.'Since fencing in India is a new sport, we don't get a lot of sponsors. So, it's important for us to get attention through social media. That's the plan.'The Under Armour deal is proof that their persistence is paying off — a rare global nod for two women from small towns making a mark in an elite, demanding now trains with her eyes on the next Asian Games. Rishika is fresh off her stint — a learning experience -- from the World University Games. Between them, they represent different stages of India's fencing journey: one in a state still awakening to the sport, the other in a region where participation is the piste, those differences vanish. There, it is just two athletes armed with blades, reflexes, and the will to keep proving themselves. And in doing so, carving a sharper, surer path for Indian fencing.- Ends
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Covid-19 no longer a barrier to organ donation, but here's what has changed
When Covid-19 first gripped the world in early 2020, it brought a wave of uncertainty, not just about treatment and prevention, but about other critical areas of healthcare, including organ someone who had recovered from Covid safely donate a kidney or liver? Would traces of the virus still linger in their body and harm a transplant recipient?Five years on, medical experts say the answer is 'Yes, people who have recovered from Covid-19 can safely donate organs,' says Dr. Ajeet Singh, Head of Critical Care Medicine at Aakash Healthcare. 'We have come a long way in understanding this virus and its effects. A donor who has recovered and tests negative poses no risk to the recipient.'A landmark study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, US, backs this up. It found that kidneys from donors who had previously tested positive for Covid were safe for transplantation, with no traces of the virus being passed from donor to recipient."As a physician, during the early part of Covid-19 pandemic, concerns led to exclusions of the fear of viral transmission of Covid to the recipients through organs, possibility of persistent infection even after recovery and interruptions in viability of organs by inflammation or damage. There was high risk in immunosuppressed recipients, and residuals could not be ruled out by limited testing. Safety issues regarding health care workers and the shortage of resources were other causes of blanket bans," Dr. Vikas Agarwal, Director and HOD, Robotic Urology, Aakash Healthcare, tells this notion changed. An analysis by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) found that organ transplants from donors who had tested positive for Covid-19 had similar graft survival rates to those from donors without the India, a multicentre study on 31 kidney transplants from living donors who had recovered from Covid-19 reported no virus transmission or unusual complications in reviews have confirmed the safety of using COVID-recovered donors, provided they test negative before the transplant. In the case of heart and lung transplants, short-term safety data is reassuring, and long-term outcomes are already being THE PANDEMIC CHANGED ORGAN DONATION RULESDuring the peak of the pandemic, organ donation practices underwent a drastic shift. Many hospitals suspended donations from Covid-positive patients, and even those who had recovered, due to fear of possible transmission.'Initially, we were extremely cautious. Any donor with a Covid history was automatically ruled out,' says Dr. Rajiv Kumar Sethia, Director & Head of Urology, Kidney Transplant & Robotic Surgery at Asian adds, however, that that because research and "with all the safety checks we have in place today, organ donations from patients who have recovered from Covid-19 are completely safe.'advertisementHospitals now follow strict screening protocols to ensure donors are fully recovered and test negative before proceeding with a protocols require donors to undergo a SARS-CoV-2 PCR test using a nasopharyngeal swab, with a negative result obtained within three days before organ retrieval. Donors' symptoms, exposure history, and recovery from COVID-19 must also be carefully reviewed and immunosuppressed recipients, additional precautions are taken through universal microbiologic screening, including organ-specific tests such as bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for lung also check the donor's medical history, symptoms, and exposure to Covid, and make sure their recovery is well-documented."In high-risk cases, like for people with weakened immune systems, extra tests are done — including organ-specific checks such as a lung fluid test for lung transplants. In many cases, there is also a waiting period of 21 to 90 days after the donor's recovery before the transplant goes ahead," says Dr. Vikas and intestines, however, are bound to be more restrictive, as the risk of viral persistence is more. "For lung transplants, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is required in addition to regular swab tests, and a delay of six to seven weeks after recovery is recommended," adds Dr. kidneys, liver, and heart transplants, standard negative PCR testing is generally sufficient, with fewer additional transplants have minimal restrictions unless there is systemic infection. These guidelines continue to be updated as new evidence ONGOING TRANSPLANT GAPWhile this scientific clarity is good news, India continues to face a deep mismatch between the number of organs needed and those country performs the third-highest number of transplants in the world, after the US and China, but the per capita rate remains to The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, more than 2 lakh people in India develop end-stage kidney failure each year. Yet only about 11,000 kidney transplants are carried out annually, leaving thousands dependent on dialysis or without any Ajeet points to two major challenges: the shortage of organ donors and the difficulty of transporting organs to rural and smaller towns in time.'Most transplants in India still happen in private hospitals. We need stronger public systems where more people can access transplants without worrying about costs," he CULTURAL AND AWARENESS BARRIEREven when organ donation is medically possible, many families hesitate to donate a loved one's organs after death. In this, usually religious beliefs, lack of awareness, and fear of the process are among the biggest in small towns face a lot of hesitation when it comes to organ donations. We need better awareness and simpler legal procedures so that more people can come forward to donate," says Dr. Sunita Kapoor, Director & Laboratory Head at City X-ray Scan & TO LESSEN THE GAPTo bridge the gap between demand and availability, Dr. Sunita says that besides widespread awareness about the importance of deceased organ donation, we also need to simplifying the legal process for consenting to organ donation."Investing in public transplant infrastructure so that life-saving surgeries are not limited to those who can afford private care," she Covid-19 no longer stands in the way of safe organ donation, India still faces deep systemic, cultural, and logistical challenges in ensuring that life-saving organs reach the patients who need them most.- Ends
