CHICAGO: President Barack Obama promised Monday to end the Afghan war “responsibly” as he and other NATO leaders prepared to give formal approval to a plan to shift international forces from a combat to a support role next year.

On the final day of the two-day NATO summit, Obama said stabilizing Afghanistan was a vital mission, but he reiterated that the goal of the gathering was to put the U.S. and its allies on a path to terminate their direct involvement in the unpopular conflict even though years of fighting by the Afghans still remain.

“Our nations and the world have a vital interest in the success of this mission and I’m confident … that we can advance that goal and responsibly bring this war to an end,” Obama said.

As Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari looked around the circular table, Obama pointedly thanked countries to Afghanistan’s north that have permitted expanded shipments of war supplies since Pakistan closed off its ground routes to NATO truck convoys six months ago.

Obama welcomed “officials from Central Asia and Russia — nations that have an important perspective and that continue to provide critical transit” for NATO supplies, but he did not mention Pakistan.

Pakistan has refused to let NATO use its territory to deliver non-lethal supplies to Afghanistan since U.S. airstrikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in error last Nov. 26. Zardari’s government has demanded an unconditional apology from the Obama administration and a steep increase to more than $5,000 per truck in fees before it will agree to reopen the supply routes. U.S. officials have expressed regret, but refused to apologize, saying both sides were at fault.

The continued standoff with Pakistan has infuriated U.S. officials, who had hoped to have the dispute resolved before the Chicago summit. White House officials ruled out a meeting between Obama and Zardari during the summit.

Before the Monday talks began, Obama mingled casually among officers and officials.

“I was just hearing from a few NATO members that they had fun on the town last night,” he said. “Hopefully no stories in the press.”

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary-general of NATO, said that after withdrawing their troops from combat over the next 2 1/2 years, NATO allies would “pay their share” of the $4.1-billion estimated annual cost for the Afghan army and police.

“As Afghan forces stand up, our forces will stand back into a supporting role, concentrating on training, advising and assisting our Afghan partners,” he said.

NATO was expected to announce it had reached consensus on putting Afghan forces in the lead across the country in the middle of next year, with the U.S. and other allies to shift increasingly into a support and advisory role through the end of 2014.

Obama said there would still be a need to provide military advisers and financial support after 2014, but he provided no details about specific contributions planned by the U.S.

The U.S. is expected to keep a small number of military personnel in Afghanistan after 2014, including special operations teams to continue missions against militants, but Obama also did not mention those plans. AGENCIES

CHICAGO: Anti-war protesters staged a peaceful march on the headquarters of U.S. defense contractor Boeing in Chicago on Monday after several days of demonstrations during a meeting of NATO leaders.

Between 200 и 300 demonstrators, some throwing paper planes, gathered in a festive atmosphere that contrasted with fierce clashes with police that led to dozens of arrests and a number of injuries on Sunday.

Occupy Chicago, the local chapter of the loose-knit anti-Wall Street Occupy movement, had promised to shut down Boeing Co’s headquarters, which it called “NATO’s war machine,” and demanded the alliance stop military operations around the world.

“There’s absolutely nothing that could happen in the streets at a protest that holds a candle to the death and destruction caused by NATO to families and communities all around the world,” said Rachel Perrotta of Occupy Chicago.

The demonstrators gathered only briefly outside Boeing’s building and then moved on.

A Boeing spokesman said most of the 500 employees had been urged to stay home and work remotely. Metal barricades protected ground-level windows at the headquarters building, which was guarded by police and security guards.

“We want people to be safe. The office is open today though we’ve encouraged people to work remotely from home,” said Boeing spokesman John Dern.

Police said they arrested 45 protesters on Sunday, most of them in a melee at the conclusion of a largely peaceful march by 3,000 protesters to the edge of a security zone around the NATO summit site. Four police officers had minor injuries.

A lawyers’ group defending the protesters said more than 60 were arrested and two dozen injured by police using batons on protesters who had been ordered to leave.

One protester sustained a head wound requiring 10 stitches, another suffered a broken collarbone, and a third had teeth knocked out, said Kris Hermes of the group National Lawyers Guild. He denied police allegations that protesters faked injuries by pouring red paint on themselves.

Police defended their tactics, saying the permit for the rally and march had expired, and the streets needed to cleared. Officers were also defending themselves from assaults by protesters, Police Chief Garry McCarthy said.

The Occupy movement, which sprung up last year in New York and other U.S. cities to protest against the unfair distribution of wealth between rich and poor, had been planning demonstrations in Chicago for several months.

But several officials in the city said the number of protesters arriving in Chicago to protest during the two-day NATO summit had been lower than many expected.

One reason may have been the decision to relocate a summit of the G8 leaders, held on Friday and Saturday, from Chicago to the presidential retreat at Camp David just north of Washington.

Some downtown Chicago businesses remained closed on Monday, the final day of the summit. AGENCIES

SINGAPORE; Pakistan State Oil is seeking 320,000 tonnes of gasoil and gasoline for delivery over June to August, a tender document showed on Monday.

The company is seeking two cargoes of 55,000 tonnes each of 0.5 percent sulphur gasoil for delivery over June 14-16 and June-July.

It is also seeking two cargoes of 35,000 tonnes each of 87-octane gasoline for delivery in July, three cargoes in August and one cargo over July-August.

The tender closes on May 29, with bids valid until June 2. AGENCIES

Исламабад: Pakistan stocks recovered slightly on Monday after the previous week ended with three consecutive days of losses, with investors hopeful that the market will bounce back, dealers said.

The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended 0.13 percent, или 17.96 points, higher at 13,875.74 on volume of 46.36 million shares, compared to Friday’s close of 13,857.78.

“There was a slight recovery in the market, with investors looking at last week’s losses as the market correcting itself, and they are hopeful of improvement this week,” said Samar Iqbal, a dealer at Topline Securities.

In the currency market, the Pakistani rupee ended weaker at 91.26/32 долара, compared with Friday’s close of 90.73/93.

The rupee has been supported by remittances, which rose 20.2 percent to $10.88 billion in the first 10 months of the 2011/12 fiscal year, compared with $9.05 billion in the same period last year.

In April, remittances totalled $1.14 billion.

Overnight rates in the money market closed lower at 10.50 percent, compared to 11.90 on Friday, because of increased liquidity in the interbank market. AGENCIES

CHICAGO: President Barack Obama and fellow NATO leaders solidified plans Monday for an “irreversible transition” in Afghanistan, affirming their commitment to ending the deeply unpopular war in 2014 and voicing confidence in the ability of Afghan forces to take the lead for securing their country even sooner.

The alliance leaders, meeting for a second day of talks in Obama’s hometown, declared in a summit communique that while NATO will maintain a significant presence in Afghanistan after 2014, “this will not be a combat mission.”

NATO and its partner nations formally agreed that Afghan security forces would take control of any combat next summer with NATO sliding into a support role. Obama called the transition “the next milestone” in bringing the nearly 11-year long war to a close.

“This will be another step toward Afghans taking full lead for their security as agreed to by 2014,” Obama said as he opened a meeting of NATO leaders and other countries that have participated in the war.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Afghans were already leading security operations in half the country and were on pace to meet next year’s targets.

“Transition means the people of Afghanistan increasingly see their own army and police in their towns and villages providing their security,” Rasmussen said. “This is an important sign of progress toward our shared goal: an Afghanistan governed and secured by Afghans for Afghans.”

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai was participating in Monday’s meeting, as was Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, whose country will have a critical role in ensuring Afghanistan’s stability after NATO troops leave.

Zardari’s presence has cast a shadow over the summit. The U.S. and Pakistan remain at odds over Pakistan’s closure of key routes used to send supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan closed the supply lines in November following a U.S. airstrike that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers. While both sides have indicated the issue will be resolved, no deal is expected during the NATO meetings.

Obama thanked other nations in Central Asia and Russia for their roles in providing “critical transit” for supplies but pointedly made no mention of Pakistan.

As NATO leaders herald the Afghan war’s end, they face the grim reality of two more years of fighting and more of their troops dying in combat.

Some NATO countries, most recently France, have sought to end their combat commitments early. The Taliban and its allies have warned that they are waiting to fill the void in Afghanistan after NATO leaves.

Obama is eager to show election-year leadership on the world stage during the Chicago meetings.

Following a meeting with Karzai Sunday, Obama said NATO’s drawdown plans mean that by 2014, “the Afghan war as we understand it is over.”

But he acknowledged enormous progress must be made for that to become a reality.

“We still have a lot of work to do, and there will be great challenges ahead,” Obama said after his lengthy talks with Karzai. “The loss of life continues in Afghanistan.”

Obama’s words were echoed by other U.S. officials, who sternly warned that American forces and their allies should still expect to be engaged in battle even after Afghans take the lead.

“After this milestone in 2013 there still will be combat capability, combat authority and an expectation there will be combat,” said retired Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the top White House national security council official in connection with the war.

Many alliance leaders, Obama chief among them, have a political incentive for trumpeting that drawdown plan, given the growing public frustration.

Sixty six percent of Americans oppose the war, while only 27 percent support the effort, according to an AP-GfK poll released this month.

In France, voters elected President Francois Hollande in part because of a campaign pledge to pull his country’s 3,300 troops out of Afghanistan ahead of schedule. Since taking office, Hollande has said he plans to make good on his promise to bring combat troops home by the end of this year but will maintain French support for Afghanistan in other ways.

The U.S. and NATO will also maintain a sizeable and lengthy commitment to Afghanistan after combat troops come home at the end of 2014.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee who visits Afghanistan often, said that by 2014 Afghan forces, with the backing of international trainers and logistical support, “will be able to provide stability.”

Speaking Monday on CBS’ “This Morning,” Reed said that Afghan leaders and the international community need to seek a political settlement “but the security forces will provide the foundation for the stability that is absolutely necessary as our troops withdraw.”

Obama, in a trip to Afghanistan this month, signed a deal with Karzai detailing much of the U.S. commitment, including annual financing from Congress and support for development, health and education projects. The U.S. may also leave a residual troop presence in Afghanistan, though any such step would require approval from the Afghans.

At the NATO conference, leaders were also discussing how the international community would finance Afghan security forces after 2014. With none of the NATO countries having the stomach to pursue the war much longer, the only viable option is to support an Afghan army and police force capable of defending the country against the Taliban and its allies.

NATO estimates it will cost about $4.1 billion a year to finance the forces. The Afghan government will pay about $500 million of that, and the rest will come from donor countries, many of which are struggling with deficits and the specter of recession.

In a statement issued early Monday, NATO directed a review of the need for continued military support after ground forces depart. The alliance said it would “continue to provide strong and long-term political and practical support” to the government of Afghanistan and would “train, advise and assist” the Afghan military.

“This will not be a combat mission,” NATO said.

While the Chicago meeting was not billed as a pledging summit, leaders were discussing where the rest of the contributions would come from. About $1.3 billion is expected to come from NATO members other than the United States. About $1 billion of that has already been pledged, a senior Western official said Sunday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to disclose the figures.

The U.S. and some nations outside the military coalition are expected to make up the $2.3 billion.

The challenge facing Obama and other world leaders will be to convince their own voters that Afghanistan is worth the investment. The war has already claimed the lives of at least 3,000 NATO service members — more than 1,840 of them American — and thousands of Afghans.

“I think it speaks to the level of commitment that even in these tough financial times these leaders are willing to make the political commitment to fund the Afghan security forces,” Lute said. AGENCIES

Staff Report

Исламабад: Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira says Turkish Prime Minister’s address to the Parliament is a lesson for the government as well as the opposition.

Interacting with reporters outside the Parliament Monday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik also welcomed the Opposition’s behavior during the address of the Turkish Premier.

He hoped that PML-N would demonstrate a similar behavior during the Budget session also. SAMAA

Мумбай: The rupee fell below the key psychological level of 55 to hit a new record low on Monday, setting up the prospect of further falls unless the RBI takes measures or intervenes more aggressively, traders said.

The rupee has now hit four consecutive record lows in as many sessions, at a time of intense turmoil over the euro zone, but traders saw no major signs of intervention from the Reserve Bank of India either on Friday or on Monday.

Despite the absence, traders are bracing for new measures from the RBI. The central bank has largely failed to prevent the rupee’s falls this month despite selling dollars and taking steps to attract inflows via deposits and exporters’ foreign currency holdings.

Traders say the rupee, which is Asia’s worst-performing currency this year, has proven particularly vulnerable to the global risk aversion given the steep fiscal and economic challenges facing the country.

“With just six months worth import cover, twin deficits, lack of confidence in the coalition government with regards to reforms, and also failure to attract foreign flows, suggests the INR is likely to hit 56-56.50 in the next two months,” said Pramod Patil, a FX dealer at United Overseas Bank.

The partially convertible unit hit a life-time low of 55.05 per dollar during the session, before closing at 55.03/04, according to SBI data, well below its 54.42/44 close on Friday.

Also weighing on the rupee was dollar demand from oil firms and corporates, dealers said.

Although profit-taking in the USD/INR cross could temper the pace of falls in the local unit in the near-term, the outlook for the rupee still remains very weak unless global risk aversion eases, traders said.

The one-month NDF was quoted at 55.45 while the three month NDF was at 56.10, both indicative of the expectations for further falls.

In the currency futures market, the most-traded near-month dollar-rupee contracts on the National Stock Exchange, the MCX-SX and the United Stock Exchange all ended around 55.09 on a total volume of $4.35 billion. AGENCIES

CHICAGO: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari pressed the United States during a NATO meeting on Sunday to help find a “permanent solution” to U.S. drone strikes that have fueled tensions between the two uneasy allies.

“The president said that Pakistan wanted to find a permanent solution to the drone issue as it not only violated our sovereignty but also inflamed public sentiments,” Zardari spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a statement after the Pakistani leader met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the summit.

The statement did not specify what such a solution might entail.

The tempo of drone strikes, the centerpiece of U.S. strategy to fight militants based in Pakistan, has increased substantially since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Zardari also called for the United States to do more to make amends for the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers killed in November by U.S. aircraft along the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan has demanded a high-level apology for that incident, which the White House has resisted so far.

The Pakistani leader accepted a last-minute invitation to attend the NATO summit, focused on outlining a NATO path out of the long Afghan war. There, he is likely to be pressed by Western leaders to crack down on militants attacking Karzai’s government and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistan defends its record against militants and points out that many of its own soldiers have died in that fight.

Zardari’s talks with NATO leaders may be overshadowed by NATO demands that Pakistan reopen ground routes used to supply alliance soldiers in Afghanistan. Pakistan closed those routes after the November border deaths.

It’s unclear whether a deal reopening those roads will occur this weekend as U.S. officials had hoped earlier in the week.

Zardari also voiced support for efforts to broker a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban, whose leaders are believed to live in Pakistan.

“The president said that Pakistan strongly supports an intra-Afghan and Afghan-led reconciliation process and believes that no military solution alone can find a permanent resolution to the problem of militancy and extremism,” Babar said.

The Obama administration had hoped to make progress by the Chicago meeting in its effort to broker a peace deal. Initial talks were put on hold in March when the Taliban suspended its participation.

Зардари, who arrived in Chicago on Saturday, also met on Sunday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. AGENCIES

Staff Report

Исламабад: Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said PML-N has attended the joint sitting of the Parliament to listen to the address of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan despite internal political differences.

Addressing the joint session after Erdogan’s address, Khan said “despite tense relations between the government and the opposition, our affection toward Turkey is above everything.”

The opposition leader openly talked about the internal political crisis facing Pakistan. SAMAA

Staff Report

SUKKUR: Some unknown culprits splashed acid on a 12-year old boy and fled away in Sukkur today, SAMAA reported on Monday.

According to details, two unknown motor-bike riding attackers sprinkled acid on a 12-year old boy, Owais Arain, in Garmi Godi area of Section-A Police Station’s limit in Sukkur and fled away.

The boy sustained minor acid injuries and he was shifted to his house after providing medical aid in a local private hospital.

Shaukat Ali, son of the boy, has informed that they have come here from Sargodah to attend a marriage ceremony and have no enmity with anyone here; yesterday two armed men snatched money from his son Owais and splashed acid on him this day.

The police have not registered a case of the incident yet. SAMAA

CHICAGO: NATO leaders sealed a landmark agreement on Monday to hand control of Afghanistan over to its own security forces by the middle of next year, putting the Western alliance on an “irreversible” path out of an unpopular, decade-long war.

Staff Report

Исламабад: Key religious parties of the country have announced revival of Milli Yakjehti Council (National Solidarity Council).

A joint declaration issued by Ittehad-e-Ummat and IYC at a local hotel in the capital city of Islamabad said religious parties attending the conference acknowledge the presence and effectiveness of Muttahida Majlis-e-Ammal (MMA) and Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC).

It said it has also been decided to revive the MYC.

According to the statement, a committee has been formed to look into other issues of the Council. The committee will be headed by former JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

The statement said that Mr. Ahmed will name other members of the council in consultation with other parties.

The conference was attended by Allama Sajid Naqvi, Liaquat Baloch, Amin Shahidi, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Munawar Hasan and others. SAMAA

MUMBAi: He’s been called the “best film school” in India and film-maker Anurag Kashyap is living up to his name.

His co-production “Udaan” made it to the Cannes film festival in 2010. This year, three films Kashyap is associated with — his own two-part revenge saga “Gangs of Wasseypur” и “Peddlers” (directed by Vasan Bala) — are being screened at Cannes.

Kashyap, known for his edgy style of film-making is among the few directors giving Bollywood a new direction, choosing subjects and themes that would have been taboo a few years ago.

The 39-year-old spoke to Reuters about what it means to have his movies at Cannes, crossover cinema and why he believes in the economics of film-making.

Q: Has “Gangs of Wasseypur” turned out the way you hoped it would?

A: “It has turned out better. I was always gung-ho about the film, but since I finished writing it, lots of things have happened. There were lots of happy coincidences. Some good actors turned up, we were fortunate to capture some shots that would have otherwise cost a lot of money.”

Q: Speaking of money, this is your most expensive film, isn’t it?

A: “Yes it is, but it’s not the most expensive film around. By industry standards, it’s a small budget film — cost a little over 20 crore (200 million) rupees, not 60 или 70 crore.”

Q: You’ve said in the past that you are a very economical film-maker. Does that economy still work when you are making a two-part film with as large a canvas as “Gangs of Wasseypur”?

A: “Economy doesn’t have anything to do with money. I am still a very economical film-maker. We are lazy, and just because we have the budget, we will try ten different things, hoping at least one will work. You don’t need money to have scale. We would walk for hours every day so that we wouldn’t repeat our locations or so that we could get the perfect shot (for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’). That for me is having scale.”

Q: Why make “Gangs of Wasseypur” in two parts?

A: “Because I know it’s a story that will need that much time. I wanted to make the whole film and my first cut was three parts long. Thank God it’s now down to two. We don’t know whether both the parts will release together, but we are showing both parts at Cannes.”

Q: There are three movies you are associated with which are being screened at this year’s Cannes film festival. What does it mean for you?

A: “It means a lot. A lot. Already the kind of response we are getting from international buyers is exceptional. There is a lot of buzz being created around these films and that will really help them. Cannes is a very prestigious festival. Also, now I know how this works. Now I make sure that as many people watch it. My films have been to other festivals before and I once had a representative from Cannes asking me why I didn’t bring to Cannes. I told him I had, but he hadn’t seen it. They get so many films, that it’s not possible to watch all of them. Once your film has been watched, you have a chance. Now, I don’t mind running with the print and walking up to every single person and asking them to watch my film.”

Q: Isn’t it ironic that a movie like “Peddlers” would get a great response abroad, but wouldn’t find any takers in India? Is there a disconnect in terms of the way studios here think?

A: “I wouldn’t say disconnect, at least in terms of ‘Peddlers’, because that was a movie even I wasn’t sure about. I thought it was too early to make the film and the director wanted to work at the film like you would work at theatre. So I can understand a studio not buying it.

“But yes, I wish someone had got up and produced ‘Udaan’. That was a movie that I had to go around asking for money for because no one wanted to take a chance. There’s no disconnect, but studios have their own mandate and that mandate is dictated by shareholders. Also, we are very limited in the way we think. $50 million is our highest box office yet, for ‘3 Idiots’. We think of the Indian diaspora, but not the world beyond that.”

Q: Do you really think Indian cinema can come up with themes which will resonate worldwide?

A: “There is more to Indian cinema than just Bollywood. I think regional cinema, especially Tamil and Marathi cinema are exploring some really bold themes. I was inspired to make ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ because of the work of the Madurai trio (Directors Ameer Sultan, Vetrimaran and Bala). So there are a lot of themes, but these people don’t know how to sell themselves. Outside of India, how many people are aware of Marathi and Tamil cinema. Especially down south, we only find out about a film after it’s been released.”

Q: Does a film going to a prestigious festival like Cannes do anything for it back in India? Does it help?

A: “Not at all. People don’t even know what Cannes is.” AGENCIES

Staff Report

GHOTKI: A man and a woman were killed in the name of honor in a Ghotki village on Monday, police said.

The incident took place in Jando do Mehr village in the outskirts of Ghotki.

According to the police, a villager shot and killed his wife and another person on charges of karo kari.

The suspect fled the scene after carrying out the killing.

The police shifted the dead bodies to a hospital in Deharki and started investigation. SAMAA

BALALI/PATIALA: As Geeta Phogat completes her sprint at a sprawling sports campus in Punjab, one of her coaches nods approvingly at her stopwatch, another rushes to check her pulse, and a third ushers her toward the gym for a bout of wrestling.

Such attention and encouragement is routine for a top athlete, but it is unusual for women from Geeta’s village in Haryana.

It is rare for a girl to have a life outside her home.

“In my village, girls have limited opportunities,” says 23-year-old Geeta, the first female Indian wrestler to qualify for the Olympics. “If they get admission in a college, only a few households would allow them to go for further studies.”

When Geeta and her wrestler-sisters began training, they were ridiculed by the community.

“They said nobody will marry us because we would have disfigured ears,” says Geeta, pointing to her cauliflower ears, a common condition among wrestlers in which the outer ear is swollen.

Twelve years later Geeta is a local celebrity. Ask for the house where Geeta lives and people several kilometres away can direct you to it.

Tanned and lithe, Geeta stood with her legs apart and her muscular arms folded across her chest, as she spoke to Reuters at her gym. It was a confident posture, unlike that of many of the women from her village who were too shy to speak to journalists.

Her home state of Haryana is notorious for its gender bias and sex-selective abortion. A girl child is considered so undesirable, and they are so frequently aborted, that a 2011 census found there were only 877 women for every 1,000 men. The national sex ratio is 940.

BROUGHT UP AS BOYS

Girls are often viewed as a financial burden because of the marriage dowry given by the bride’s family to the groom – a social custom widely practised despite being illegal in India.

“In my village earlier, when families found they were going to have a girl child, they used to get an abortion,” says Geeta’s younger sister, Ritu, who is also a wrestler.

An adolescent girl in Haryana is typically expected to do household chores and is often married by the age of 15, says Anjali Makhija, who works for the Institute of Rural Research and Development.

Most women are expected to do chores such as bathing livestock, milking cows or working in the fields. Education is not a priority.

Hardly any of Geeta’s childhood friends went to college or have a job. She had an unconventional upbringing as her father decided to coach her in kushti, traditional Indian wrestling, which is usually fought on a mud surface.

“If I was not a wrestler, or if my father was not a good coach, I would have been married by now,” she says.

Instead, Geeta and her sisters were brought up as boys with her father disapproving of long hair or feminine clothes.

“We used to wear a track suit and T-shirt while training,” says Geeta, who has grown her hair longer now and has a ponytail. “But that did not go down well with the villagers, because women are usually supposed to wear salwar kameez (a long shirt paired with loose pyjamas).”

Geeta now trains in a fully equipped, air-conditioned gym at Asia’s largest sports institute, which includes a palace built by the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala.

TOUGH TRAINING

It is a far cry from her initial days, when she trained in an enclosure adjoining a cattle shed in her village home.

“There was no roof where we trained, so it used to get very hot during the day and the mud used to feel very cold during the evening,” says Geeta, as she toys with the keys of her grey sedan, a recent gift by the Haryana state government.

Her father and coach could not afford to buy a wrestling mat used in international competitions.

“I received no facilities or help from the government,” says Mahavir Singh, a 52-year-old former wrestler, as he smokes a hookah in his courtyard.

While kushti is popular in Haryana, a state known for producing quality wrestlers, it is considered a man’s sport with no training infrastructure for women. The Phogat sisters had mud bouts with boys to hone their skills.

“We were known as the sisters who beat all the boys,” says Geeta.

While she was excused from doing household chores, she found her father’s training schedule overwhelming at first.

“She used to cry a lot earlier,” says Daya Kaur, Geeta’s mother, who keeps her face covered like most women in rural Haryana. “Her dad used to keep a stick. If she was late even by one minute in the morning, she used to get beaten up.”

Geeta says she is both excited and nervous about the Olympics in London, a city she has never seen before. But even if she does not win gold, her success has inspired girls in and around her village.

“Those who used to ask my father to be ashamed of himself for training us in wrestling now say they wish they have daughters like me,” says Geeta, who will be competing in the 55-kg category at the London Games this year.

Since the success of the Phogat sisters in international tournaments, their father has started training other girls from the village in the family wrestling hall – which finally has a mat.

“Those girls who used to think they can only do field work, they want to make a name for themselves,” says Babita, Geeta’s younger sister, who bagged a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. “Now they convince their parents to send them here for training.”

“My grandmother had desired a male child,” says Geeta, who plans to marry after the Olympics. “Now she says if she has a hundred daughters like me, she won’t have any regrets.” AGENCIES