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Don’t need a foreign coach, feels archer Deepika Kumari

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Kolkata, Oct 29 (IANS) Managing to win a bronze at the recently-concluded Archery World Cup Finals without a coach, star Indian recurve archer Deepika Kumari feels there is no need to rope in a foreign coach ahead of the World Championships as it could further complicate their preparations.

The Archery Association of India (AAI) — acting on directions of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) — had failed to provide a coach to archers Abhishek Verma, Jyothi Surekha and Deepika for the World Cup final last month after Jiwanjot Singh Teja resigned over a Dronacharya Award snub.

The cavalier attitude of AAI was seen as a heavy discouragement for the archers who qualified for the marquee event after a gruelling battle at the four World Cup stages earlier this year.

“I cannot comment on that (no coach given at the World Cup final). We need a national coach but right now in India we do not have too many of them. And the good coaches are busy preparing upccoming players,” Deepika told reporters on the sidelines of the first invitational Indian Open Indoor Archery tournament that concluded at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.

Asked if roping in a foreign coach would solve the problem, Deepika said, “If we rope in a foreign coach now and he or she will teach us new things, it won’t help.”

“We have already worked on a certain technique and now suddenly you will change it, it will take 3-4 years more. We would want to polish our form and work on the mental aspect as well.”

The Indian recurve contingent returned empty-handed from this year’s Asian Games while the compound team — both men’s and women’s — bagged silver.

The recurve archers have been on a downward spiral for quite some time now, not winning anything at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2014 Incheon Asian Games too.

During the last two years, the AAI tried out more than a dozen archers for the men’s team, with 26-year-old Atanu Das being the constant member.

The compound archers, meanwhile, underwent a 10-day training camp under Italian star archer Sergio Pagni before the the 2018 Jakarta Asiad where the likes of Abhishek Verma, Rajat Chauhan and Aman Saini won silver in the men’s category while Muskan Kirar, Madhumita Kumari and Jyothi Surekha pocketed silver in the women’s section.

The World Archery Championships will be held in June next year and Deepika said it will be the most important competition for them as Olympic quotas will be up for grabs.

“We have very little time to prepare for World Championship. If we feel the requirement to play a tournament in between, we will play the World Cup.”

“But 2019 will be a very important year for us. We have not been doing well as a team for the last two years. I hope the trials are conducted well and the team is stronger than before so that we can return (from the 2019 World Championship) with a quota. That is very important,” said Deepika.

The de-recognised AAI is slated to have its elections in December and only after that can the national calendar be planned.

“The calendar is not out yet as elections are still pending. We can tell only after that,” Deepika signed off.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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