From watching martial arts films to nationwide honor: Story of Faisal Ali Dar, Kashmir’s first Padma awardee in sport

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Faisal Ali Dar is the primary Padma awardee in sport from Kashmir, however the 33-year-old martial arts coach is set to make sure that the popularity is just a pitstop in his lengthy journey on which he desires to attain far more.

As the Dar household celebrated the accolade, and calls began pouring in from his trainees and coaches from the 9 facilities he runs in Jammu and Kashmir, he bought emotional in regards to the honour.

“It’s a big honor. My four-year-old son learn to say Padma Shri last night. It’s a matter of pride for me, Kashmir and the whole country,” the person from Bandipora stated. “I come from a district where we are ages behind in terms of sports infrastructure and to get this award will certainly motivate us even more to achieve more despite all the hurdles,” Dar advised The Indian Express.

Son of a technician working within the state well being division, a younger Dar would typically practice in martial arts with different children at an area park. He would typically ask his father for cash to hire Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan films, and imitate the scenes along with his mates.

“I’d imitate Bruce Lee’s strikes from Game of Death and Enter the Dragon aside from Jackie Chan’s in films like Defender, Drunken Master, Snake within the Eagle’s Shadow. I’d collect my mates within the park to follow these strikes. We would use chappals on fingers to kick as targets,” remembers Dar.

Dar with the younger trainees in Bandipora. (Express Photo)

While Dar began as a wushu exponent in 2003 and later educated beneath current nationwide coach and Dronacharya awardee Kuldeep Handoo in Jammu, his profession in wushu did not kick off. He participated within the Nationals however didn’t win any medals. Dar tried his hand at kickboxing too and received a gold on the Asian Championship at Pune in 2010. But the shortage of official recognition prompted Dar to finish his enjoying profession in 2013.

“While I trained under Handoo sir, I could not win any medals in the Nationals in wushu. At that time, we would even struggle to pay for the equipment, which cost about Rs 4,000 for the full kit. In 2008, I missed my black belt exam as I couldn’t pay the Rs 6700 fee. When I won the medal in Asian Kickboxing, there was no recognition from anybody. And it led me to focus more on my training club,” shares Dar.

While Dar had began the Ali Sports Academy in 2008 to coach native children in Bandipora, he would additionally work in apple orchards and match TV dishes within the locality to earn cash, aside from serving to his father at his digital restore store.

While Dar had began the Ali Sports Academy in 2008 to coach native children in Bandipora, he would additionally work in apple orchards and match TV dishes within the locality to earn cash, aside from serving to his father at his digital restore store. (Express Photo)

“I started the club while still a player. I worked in orchards ferrying apple boxes to trucks earning Rs 2 per box and Rs 500-600 per day apart from fitting TV dishes, getting Rs 50 per dish. The money was spent on getting equipment like punching pads,” he says.

Progress and progress

Dar would cost every trainee Rs 50. As their quantity elevated, he would additionally take into consideration beginning coaching facilities in different districts of Kashmir. Most of the facilities have been run in native parks and it was solely in 2018 that Ali Sports Academy bought a authorities faculty constructing to function in.

“The idea of ​​starting the club professionally in 2013 was to help kids keep away from trouble. It was the same time when Kashmir was on the boil due to the Burhan Wani incident. I believe that if kids are kept busy in sports, nobody’s mind will waver in the wrong direction. One of the challenges I had to face was in pursuing parents of girls to send them for training. But when these kids get jobs or start making a living, parents understand,” says Dar.

Dar along with his trainees through the journey to one of many competitions in Srinagar. (Express Photo)

Currently he runs 9 facilities providing coaching in 18 sports activities – together with wushu, taekwondo, rugby, canoeing, kayaking, volleyball, desk tennis, badminton and soccer – and it’s executed by fellow trainers in public parks in districts like Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Srinagar with about 13,000 children coaching.

“We train three hours daily and the fee remains Rs 50. Fellow players like Abida Akhtar, rugby player Irshad Ahmad and rower Sajad Ahmad Dar contribute to training as well. When we got the government school building, we collected close to Rs five lakh and renovated the hall,” says Dar.

Among his trainees are two-time junior world kickboxing champion Tajamul Islam, 2017 Malaysia Wushu International championship medalist Abida Akhtar, junior Asian karate champion Hashim Mansoor and worldwide taekwondo medalist Sheikh Adnan. Some of his trainees additionally work on the facilities run by him. With combined martial arts like wushu and Pencak silat additionally included within the Asian Games, Dar is assured of manufacturing medallists. “Mixed martial arts have got a big boost. But there have been instances of players getting lured by unrecognized federations, the same has happened with Tajamul. That’s one thing which needs to be streamlined,” feels Dar. “Seeing my trainees win medals for India at the 2026 Asian Games is my dream.”

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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS

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