ISHRAT AKHTAR: KASHMIR’S TRAILBLAZER IN INTERNATIONAL WHEELCHAIR HANDBALL

Ishrat Akhtar, a trailblazer from Authoora in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district has been selected to the Indian team as one among 10 players participating in the Wheelchair Handball World Championship at Cairo, Egypt. Total of eight teams are participating in the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship from 16 to 21 September 2024. She showed excellent talent and skill during the trail for selection and became the part of National Team. Two teams from each continent are taking part in the tournament, India and Japan are from Asian Continent. Ishrat is not only a Handball player, but also displayed exceptional talent in Basketball also.

Being the first International Wheelchair Basketball and Handball player from Baramulla, Ishkat has shown that success in life only requires bravery, dedication, tireless effort and self-determination. This achievement highlights the remarkable progress of the young athlete, who has distinguished herself through unwavering dedication to the sport despite the obstacles she has overcome.

Ishrat was brought up in a village where women are not encouraged to engage in sports. Like most girls, she accepted her family’s beliefs and never imagined pursuing big dreams. However, her life took a dramatic turn on 24 Aug 2016, when she slipped and dropped from her balcony and sustained a severe spinal cord injury, which left her physically challenged. Life transformed for her when she embarked on her basketball journey in 2018. For her, basketball became more than just a sport, it symbolised a powerful declaration of resilience and determination. Embracing the game with fervour, she saw it as a way to confront and overcome the obstacles that had once seemed unsurmountable, embodying her unwavering passion, strength and dream to achieve something good.

She said that, after the accident took place, she had been under treatment from Voluntary Medicare Society. She experienced that wheelchair was not a barrier for her life growth. She was influenced by some persons who were playing basketball on wheelchair near her hospital. From there she started her journey with sports. In 2019, Ishrat was picked by the Basketball Federation of India to compete in the International Basketball Championship, where she proudly represented India in Thailand. A courageous and tenacious individual, she cultivated the strength to convert challenges into opportunities for hope. She was resolute, in her refusal to accept a life marred by despair and hopelessness, instead choosing to forge a path marked by optimism and resilience.

She also exhibited her prowess in Wheelchair Race and Wheelchair Table Tennis Championships and showcased big achievements. Indian Army and J&K Govt authorities supported her big journey from a turning point in her life. In 2022 she was awarded Women Steel Award from JKPCC. Along with her ongoing journey in sports, she pursued her academic career also. Ishrat has also made a name for herself as a motivational speaker, sharing her inspiring journey through numerous talk shows across Kashmir and beyond. Her remarkable achievements were recognised when she received the Kashmir Young Leadership Award and the Kashmir Young Achievers Award for 2021, presented by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha.