They may not verbalise with clarity their earliest impressions of their daughter Alfiya’s raw talent in boxing, but now looking back on that time several years ago, their faces light up. Bagfuls of medals -- mostly Golds, some Silvers, and rarely Bronzes -- emerge on the centre table of the front room of the house where one can sense a different spark. And then flows story after story of how the little girl first wore the gloves as a childhood play and found her lifetime’s calling.

 

 

True, the atmosphere in the modest house has a quiet energy. Not just the people at home - father Akram Khan Pathan, mother Noorjahan, brother Sahil -- but also each corner has a story to tell how the little girl evolved into a world class boxer; how she established her credential as ‘Best (Woman) Boxer of the World in 2020-21; how she collected 5 international Gold medals, 9 national Gold medals, 8 State Gold medals, and 3 Gold medals for Railways (where she is employed); how she claimed 2 International Silver medals, and 3 national Silver medals; how she claimed 1 international Bronze medal and 2 national Bronze medals in boxing at multiple venues across the world and the country in less than the last 10 years. And then, there is a whole wall in the house where the family has put up different certificates and plaques of Alfiya’s world class excellence. Standing in front of that wall, Akram Khan Pathan and mother Noorjahan speak in a quiet excitement about how proud they are of their youngest child who made the family, the city of Nagpur and the nation proud.

 

True, Akram Khan loves to speak about his “pyari beti” (darling daughter) in a non-stop flow. Yet, none of his words ever betrays any egotism, any brandishment, any boasting, any bragging about the prodigy that was born in the family. There is intense emotion in his voice and his eyes dance in joy as he keeps adding details of how the family spotted her talent almost inadvertently and how she grew into a fine boxer in a short time -- complete with passion and practice. Yet, there also is certain quietness of a father’s natural confidence in the daughter’s sense of purpose and focus. Sitting next to him, Alfiya’s mother keeps smiling imperceptibly and adding a word or two to embellish the narrative. Akram Khan Pathan retired from the Police Force as an Assistant Sub-Inspector. For him and his wife, the only occupation is to remain engaged in dynamic thinking about their three children -- eldest son Sahil (who is an IT engineer), second son Dr Shaqib (who is studying physiotherapy) and Alfiya. As the family sensed seeds of greatness in then 12-year-old Alfiya at a tournament in Nandurbar, it decided to give her everything she deserved to become a real world-class boxer. “Mein diwana hoon.

 

When I decide upon a goal, I just go for it with everything I have. We did that for Alfiya,” Akram Khan says. Resources were limited for the middle-class family, and there also were the issues of social acceptance. “But that did not bother us much or deter us”, the father says. “I tried my best to be with the little one as she practised and participated in tournaments. That was all I could give her -- my undivided attention, my unwavering support. Her mother also stood by like a solid rock. ‘Alfiya must rise to the fullest potential’, we decided”, he asserts. Of course, the going was never easy. Less than moderate resources, no godfathers, no social patrons, no financial sponsors -- “all these once looked like obstacles impossible to surmount. But as we kept pushing to our outer limits, we realised that a few doors, too, were opening up for Alfiya,” Akram Khan adds.

 

“Boxing, as any one would know, is a tough game -- physically and mentally. A punch on the face may not just hurt the muscle, but also cause a deep scar and scare in the mind. Alfiya, too, got punched on several occasions, and would come to us very sad -- even crying. But then, we would say, ‘Look, when you punched back your rival, she also must have got hurt similarly. So, understand that -- this is a game of punches delivered. But, remember, you should never carry any anger in your heart. The other girls also is going through the same challenges. Have goodwill for her in your heart. That will give you relief in your pain,” says mother Noorjahan. That made a positive difference. Alfiya started taking her sport in a more balanced manner -- without rancour, without angst. Possibly, that advice made Alfiya a better and finer human being, polite enough to acknowledge the contribution of so many factors to her excellence, soft enough to understand even her rivals and have a good feeling even during fights in the ring. Yet, thus softened Alfiya did not lose any of her grit, any of her passion, any of her determination to tower over all rivals and be the ultimate winner -- all over the world. Now, over time, her name travels ahead of her arrival at tournament venues. If Alfiya’s is the story of a champion-boxer, then it is also the story of how her parents (and the family) exerted and extended themselves to make the daughter’s story come true.

 

This, thus, is an attempt to capture those silent moments in the background when a coy little girl of Nagpur got turned into a superb athlete and a champion-boxer who rained blows on her rivals from all over the world and earned a torrent of medals. Father Akram Khan does not hide his frustrations about the system that does not lend much support to his daughter -- and also to many others. He talks animatedly about various “settings” that deprive genuine sports-persons opportunities to win. He also points to the faultlines even in the much-talked-about ‘Khelo India’ scheme of the Government. She does have Ganesh Purohit as her coach right from start. Now, playing for the country, Alfiya also gets to be coached at various sporting academies in the country. Yet, the overall eco-system support is only minimal, Akram Khan says.

 

No matter all that, the father Akram Khan and mother Noorjahan betray no bitterness. For, what they have scripted is a story of immense success of their daughter Alfiya Khan Pathan, and they are happy about what they could achieve. But each day of this long journey has been a story by itself, each of the tournaments she played has been an effort needing separate narration, each of the medals -- 25 Golds all told, 5 Silvers, and 3 Bronzes -- has been a monument to the girl’s excellence as well as the parents’ relentless pursuit of a dream. And that dream flourished in seemingly unlikely circumstances. “Each experience brought with it a bouquet of good-bad-and-indifferent dimensions. We had to indulge in a difficult exercise of soothing ourselves when we got roughed up by the situation. But through all that, we had only one companion -- our dream. That has taken us up to here. Alfiya is on to something bigger every day. And we are there -- with her, behind her -- to pray, to lend whatever we can -- and keep the dream not just alive but thrive,” Akram Khan Pathan says, with his wife Noorjahan and eldest son Sahil nodding smilingly.