It takes a village: How Manisha Bhanwala rose from the narrow streets of Siwahy to the top of the world

Manisha Bhanwala took a victory lap after winning the gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships JIND: In India, villages make champions. Daughters of the soil, sons too, emerging from all corners, far and near, carrying the dreams of the nation. For Manisha Bhanwal, the journey began in Siwaha, a village in Haryana’s Jind district, whose narrow lanes now lead to the world champion’s doorstep. Late on Friday in Kazakhstan’s Astana, Manisha became India’s first ever world champion in wrestling, an ancient Indian sport.Despite its proximity to the capital, locating Siwahy – a modest village with around 4,500 registered voters – can be a challenge. The route mapping app, Global Destination, probably found its Everest while trying to locate it once the vehicle turned off the Jind-Panipat highway. A million rerouted routes later, once they were inside the village, there was no need for navigation. Ask anyone about the world champion’s house and enthusiastic children or youths on motorbikes will happily escort you to her doorstep. A modest two-story house, tucked away in a narrow street, became a landmark.Outside, Manisha’s maternal uncle Nanha sat on a tractor, tending to the family’s livestock amid entertaining the frequent stream of visitors. After a quick request to secure the family dog, we were escorted inside to find Manisha’s mother Meena Devi and uncle, wrestling coach Vinod Kumar, soaking up the charpai.“I feel like everything has suddenly changed. Before her triumph in the World Cup, hardly anyone visited our home,” Meena says simply, pride quietly evident, “Now relatives, friends and villagers from neighboring areas still come to congratulate us. Journalists have visited. Our daughter has brought recognition to the family and the village. She makes the country proud.”What awaits the world champion in the noise at home in her corner?“Kadhi chaawal, her favourite, along with pumpkin curry and our special homemade chutney,” smiled Meena. “There’s also a little secret. She loves sweetened tea, even though sugar isn’t ideal for an athlete. I’ll make it for her. Homemade food awaits.”It takes a village, and a mother’s sacrifices have shaped this journey. Initially, Manisha’s father, Suresh wanted her to lose weight through sports. Meena even taught herself to spar so she could accompany her daughter to Nidani Academy and help out when sparring partners were unavailable.Nanha tended the family cattle when Vinod, uncle Chand Ram and cousins ​​Jatin, Lakshya, Mohit, Priyanshu and Suryansh joined. “Manisha was introduced to the sport around 2008-09. Her late father Suresh initially enrolled her in kabaddi at Nidani Sports School near our village.” After she started following me, she became interested in coach Vinod.“After her initial training, she moved to an academy in Samar Gopalpur village in Rohtak run by the late coach Devilal. It was there that her wrestling journey began to take shape.”The mention of their father Suresh and the courtyard died down. Manisha was preparing for the 2022 Asian Championships when he died. She promised him a medal. She came back with bronze.At the World Cup, Rinku’s older brother suggested that she carry a photo of their father on her phone. Manisha wanted something more personal: a specially designed jersey with her father’s photo on the front and a family photo on the back. “She wanted him with her,” Meena said.Now, as the family awaits Manisha’s return, Rinku tries to describe the transformation. “It feels like our whole family has been reborn. People who were rarely visited are coming to congratulate us. Her success has brought recognition to all of us,” he said.He is the older brother who stood by her like a rock. Perhaps no one understands the sacrifices behind Manisha’s gold better than Rinku. “I accompanied her to Samar Gopalpur where I continued to play kabaddi while she practiced wrestling. Since I had been involved in the sport longer, she discussed every little detail with me,” he said.In 2017, Rinku tore his neck during a circle kabaddi competition in Mandora village, Sonipat. Two or three operations followed, but his sports career never recovered. “I had to give up kabaddi. But I promised myself that whatever I could not achieve as an athlete, I would try to achieve through Manisha. I wanted to see her become a world champion,” he said.That year, Manisha joined Sashastra Seema Bal under the sports quota and trained at Chhotu Ram Akhara in Rohtak under coach Mandeep. She eventually quit her job because she didn’t have enough time left for training. A subsequent Haryana government sports quota appointment as a coach in the same akhara allowed her to pursue wrestling while guiding younger participants. The pursuit came with a personal cost that all athletes know. Today, it all seems to have paid off.Narrow lanes in Siwaha can still confuse Google Maps. But one address now needs no directions: the home of a daughter who carried her father’s promise, her brother’s dreams and her village’s pride to the top of the world.