A Chhattisgarh cadre IPS officer of the 2014 batch, Bhavna Gupta won three medals including two golds at the 15th All India Police Badminton Championship (AIPB), which concluded in Chandigarh on February 26. She won a gold in women’s singles, another gold in women’s doubles with DSP Anjali Yerwara and then paired up with another 2014 batch IPS officer, Suraj Singh Parihar, to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles category.
Police teams from all around the country, as well as paramilitary forces like IB, NSG, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, SSB, CISF, participated in AIPB. Therefore, winning three medals by an individual is no mean feat.
“AIPB is an excellent platform for people in uniform to showcase their sporting skills and grow. This was my fourth meet after Kerala, Delhi and Bhopal and I am glad I was able to retain my Singles gold title. Two more medals were a bonus,” Ms. Gupta told Indian Masterminds.
PREPARATION
While Mr. Parihar, who is currently posted as the Commanding officer at 4th Batallion Raipur, could hardly take out time from his busy schedule, to practice for the event, Ms. Gupta, currently posted as SP, Surguja, being a trained badminton player, practised day in and out to participate in the sports activity.
“We had organised Chhattisgarh police games just before this event. This took up the majority of my time because I had to ensure the event ran smoothly. Bhavna ma’am and I formed a team on the spot and practised in between schedules. She is a skilled player, and it was a pleasure to collaborate with her,” shared Mr. Parihar.
Ms. Gupta has been playing badminton as a hobby for the last five years, despite having undergone C-Sec surgery and having a two-year-old child. “I try to practice regularly. AIPB provided additional motivation to train harder. I try to compete with myself, to be better than yesterday. I took it as a personal challenge to keep playing sports no matter what,” she shared.
PARTNER EXPERIENCE
Both IPS officers were delighted to be paired together. Mr. Parihar explained, “It was a wonderful coincidence to be paired with an officer who was also a sports master. I learned a few tricks while playing with her and it was great.”
Over the years, Ms. Gupta has been participating in Singles events only. Earlier, she represented Bengal and now CG. “This was my first experience at a doubles event. I am grateful to both Suraj and Anjali, my respective doubles partners, that we could perform as per our capacities,” she shared.
Mr. Parihar, as team manager, is happy to have clinched five medals overall for the Chhattisgarh team. “It was a refreshing experience and I plan to practice more and get better at the game. If given a chance, I would like to represent my cadre again,” he shared.
