G
oemkarponn desk
CANACONA: For a village girl – one of Goa’s little known sports stars – Bharati Gaonkar’s achievements in sports are indeed breathtaking. A member of India’s team that participated in the Women’s Baseball World Cup 2016 held in Gijang, South Korea, Bharati, has left a trail of achievements few would even dream of while still in school.
Despite the lack of infrastructure and other limitations to hone her multiple sports talents, Bharati excelled in baseball, cricket, football, kho-kho, kabaddi and athletics.
From 2005 when she first represented Goa’s Kabaddi team at a tender thirteen at the 51st National School Games held at Korba, Chattisgarh, to 2018, when she was part of the BCCI’s Senior Women’s T-20 Elite Group A that qualified for the Super League, in just over a decade, Bharati has travelled to all parts of India making every match – be it baseball, cricket, kho-kho or kabaddi football or athletics — a memorial for herself, for her family and friends, for her P.E. teachers down the line and for her limited fans in all parts of the country.
A resident of Shristhal, Canacona, when Bharati joined S. S. Angle Higher Secondary School Mashem, the sprawling Nirakar Maidan held everything she needed to buttress her potential — a cricket ground, a baseball ground, a football ground besides kho-kho and kabaddi grounds along with the P.E. Teacher Sharendra Naik a tough taskmaster who opened up several opportunities for his students and won state-level Baseball Kabaddi and Kho-kho tournaments.
Bharati has played at the state level in baseball, kabaddi, cricket, kho-kho and athletics. At the national level, she has represented Goa in baseball, cricket, kabaddi and kho-kho.
She has also played football, cricket and baseball at the university level, besides representing India in Women’s Baseball World Cup 2016 held in Gijang, South Korea
Bharati has played in what could be a record 23 national games, including the BCCI’s senior women’s T-20 Elite group A Super League, senior national tennis ball cricket championship 2008 held in Tamil Nadu (Winners) baseball federation cup championship 2009, senior national baseball championship 2010 at Odisha senior national baseball championship 2011 held at Indore, in M.P. and senior national baseball championship 2018 Bhilai, Chattisgarh. From Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Surat, Madhya Pradesh Uttarakhand to Punjab, Bharati has spent a lot of hours travelling to all parts of India.
Despite often missing classes for weeks at a stretch, playing at the state level or representing the state at the national level, Bharati passed XII with a first-class. She is a first-class Arts Graduate of Goa University and has also cleared her B. P. Ed with distinction. She served Rabindra Vidya Niketan School at Keonjhar in Odisha for eight months as a teacher and aspires to be a P.E. teacher to help her students to tap, nurture and develop their talents.
“All the young students, particularly rural students, need the right type of opportunities at the right time to discover themselves. I thank all my P.E. teachers for guiding, inspiring and providing me with the opportunities to discover the best in myself at the right time.” she says.
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List of Bharati “s achievements
• 51st National school games 2005 Korba, (Kabaddi)
• 51st National school games 2005-06 M.P. (Kho-Kho)
• 42nd Senior National Kho-Kho championship 2006-07 Maharashtra
• 21st senior south zone National kho–kho championship 2007
• 33rd National Festival for women Group III 2008 (Kho-kho)
• 19th
• 17th Junior national tennis ball cricket championship 2009 Runners up
• 53rd National school games Baseball at Indore M.P. 2008
• 23rd senior national baseball championship 2009 odisha
• 7th
• West zone baseball championship 2010 Goa
• 2nd west zone National baseball championship 2011 Maharashtra
• 26th senior national baseball championship 2012 Indore, M.P.
• Women’s baseball world cup 2016 Gijang South Korea
• 32nd
• BCCI Goa u-19 south zone one dayers & t-20 2009-10
• BCCI senior women’s one dayers & t-20 2009-10
• BCCI senior women’s one dayers plate group A runners up 2014-15
• BCCI Senior women’s t-20 plate group A winners 2014-15
• BCCI Senior women’s one dayers plate group A winners 2017
• BCCI senior women’s T-20 Elite group A qualified for Super Leagues 2018
• Goa University Baseball 2013 Odisha
• Goa University Cricket 2014 Surat
• Shivaji University Cricket 2015 M.P.
• 51st National school games 2005 Korba, Chattisgarh (Kabaddi)
• 51st National school games 2005-06 M.P. (Kho-Kho)
• 42nd Senior National Kho-Kho championship 2006-07 Maharashtra
• 21st senior south zone National kho–kho championship 2007 Puducherry
• 33rd National Festival for women Group III Jalandhar Punjab 2008 (Kho-kho)
• 19th senior national tennis ball cricket championship 2008 Tamil Nadu Winners
• 17th Junior national tennis ball cricket championship 2009 Uttarakhand Runners up
• 53rd National school games Baseball at Indore M.P. 2008
• 23rd senior national baseball championship 2009 Odisha.
• 7th baseball federation cup championship 2009 Odisha
• 24th senior national baseball championship 2010 Odisha
• 25th senior national baseball championship 2011 Indore, M.P.
• West zone baseball championship 2010 Goa
• 2nd west zone National baseball championship 2011 Maharashtra
• 26th senior national baseball championship 2012 Indore, M.P.
• Women’s baseball world cup 2016 Gijang South Korea
• 32nd senior national baseball championship 2018 Bhilai, Chattisgarh
• BCCI Goa u-19 south zone one-dayers & t-20 2009-10
• BCCI senior women’s one-dayers & t-20 2009-10
• BCCI senior women’s one-dayers plate group A runners up 2014-15
• BCCI Senior women’s t-20 plate group A winners 2014-15
• BCCI Senior women’s one-dayers plate group A winners 2017
• Bcci senior women’s T-20 Elite group A qualified for Super Leagues 2018
• Goa University Baseball 2013 Odisha
• Goa University Cricket 2014 Surat
• Shivaji University Cricket 2015 M.P
