How many sportspeople do we know who can do "POWERLIFTING"  with the same passion and excellence as they can play BADMINTON? Introducing Ruhi - The Superwoman from Nalasapora, Mumbai.

PIC: Ruhi is a gold medallist and multi-talented.

Here is the story of Ruhi Shingade, a dwarf from Mumbai. Only four-foot tall yet undeterred, she’s managed to make her mark as a Para Powerlifter and a Para Badminton athlete.

Doing her country proud time and again, she won the gold in the 40 kg open division category in Powerlifting at the World Dwarf Games in Michigan and qualified for a direct entry to the World Dwarf Games in Canada scheduled for next month. If that wasn’t remarkable enough, as a Para Badminton champion, she’s ranked 11th in Singles, 7th in Doubles and 8th in Mixed Doubles.  

 PIC: Ruhi in action at the badminton court. She is also a powerlifter 

Ruhi has braved many odds throughout her life to get to this position. She hails from a lower middle-class family that resides in the suburb of Nallasopara in Mumbai. Her parents have been her biggest strength but are in dire need of funds to send their daughter to compete in the World Dwarf Games that start in Ontario, Canada from the 3rd of August 2017. They were forced to take a loan to fund the cost of almost 2L INR for her to travel and be able to participate. So Ruhi is going for the games but desperately needs your help to raise funds so that the loan can be repaid.

Ruhi is raising INR 1.5 Lakh through this crowdfunding campaign to pay back the loan and offset the costs for her participation in World Dwarf Olympics! Help Ruhi who plans to make India proud! The total costs are upward of 1.7 L INR and her parents will bear some of it.

Ruhi’s Achievements

Ruhi is an International Para Badminton player and Athlete holding World rankings in multiple categories. In Badminton she has a ranking of 11th in Singles, 7th in Doubles and 8th in Mixed Doubles (as per the latest BWF rankings, November 2016). She has been playing sports at a National level for the past seven years & has bagged many medals. Her aim is to win Gold in the 2017 World Dwarf Games as a Para Badminton athlete.

Ruhi’s Story

All was fine in the life of Ruhi Shingade, till she got to high school. She began to notice that all her friends were growing taller than her, but her height remained as is. A few visits to the doctor and she was hit with the bitter truth that her growth had been restricted by a disorder. The shock was followed by denial, and then depression took its place. However, with tremendous support from her family, she completed her schooling. Around that time she started putting on weight and obesity was impacting her overall health.

That’s when Ruhi decided to join a gym nearby, called the Strength Gym. A month later she visited her native, Nagpur, to get a certificate indicating her disability. This was needed for higher studies. It was there that she met a kind gentleman who enquired if she was interested in sports. On receiving a positive response, he advised her to go to Yaswanth Stadium and meet Vijay Munishwar.

Vijay was quick to spot Ruhi’s strength and implored her to give a shot at powerlifting. Ruhi immediately agreed. Her training at the gym proved extremely helpful. After a few days of training and practice, she participated in the State Level Tournament in Nagpur and won Gold in the junior category.

Back home, she received tremendous support from her gym instructor, Sachin Otavaneker. He trained her for free of cost and pitched in money whenever required. Come 2013, and Ruhi made all her supporters proud by winning gold in a powerlifting competition at the World Dwarf Games in the US.Along with Powerlifting, Ruhi also regularly practised badminton in her building, with her brother. In 2015, she won the Bronze in Mixed Doubles, BWF Para-Badminton World Championships!

Now, Ruhi’s aspiring to win Gold at the 2017 World Dwarf Games, Canada. She will be competing in Powerlifting, Badminton, Shot put and Javelin.

Let’s come together and fuel Ruhi’s dream by helping her raise funds! Her stunted growth is no reason to stunt her aspirations!

Ruhi’s Background

She is the eldest daughter in a family of 5. Her father is employed in a private bank, and her mother is a home maker. Her younger brothers are in school. Ruhi’s struggles were plenty. Most people look down on the disabled and don’t let them lead normal lives.

However, Ruhi was undeterred. She went on to win gold in Powerlifting. Her ranking on badminton are noteworthy too, however, what’s astonishing is that she is a self-taught badminton player. Not getting support from her community, she plays Badminton with her Brother in her building.

Her zeal and grit have brought her so far. And now, she’s looking for support from you!

COST BREAK UP:

I have taken a loan of INR 2 LAKHS for the tournament. If I can raise 1.5 lakhs through this campaign it will help me pay back my loan with ease. This is putting tremendous pressure on me and my parents. We are a middle-class family and your funding will help me tremendously.