Nupur Kanoi, 45, Kolkata: What goes through your mind when you’re in the boxing ring? How do you centre yourself?
Nikhat Zareen: Whenever I enter the ring, my only thought is: “Nikhat, you need to win this bout at any cost.” Whenever my focus is diverted, I try to motivate myself by thinking, “Nikhat, come back, you have to win this match. You can’t give up so easily.”
Parnika Agarwal, 21, Pilibhit: When I was in school, girls playing sports were never considered to be on the same level as boys, which was very discouraging. How do you motivate yourself or what do you do to feel better when things get too difficult?
Nikhat Zareen: When I started boxing, people used to tell me it was a male-dominated sport and that I had no future in it. But I always believed in myself. If you do not have that belief in yourself, you cannot succeed. It also takes a lot of hard work to make it in such a field. Whatever I am today is because of my hard work and self-belief.
Khatisha Yusuf Khan,…
