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Dakar Youth Olympics silver medalist Khushbu Darjada had to convince locals in Senegal that she was not from Africa, but an Indian citizen. The Judoka belongs to Gujarat’s Siddi community, the descendants of East and Southeast Africans, who live in villages across West India.
Darjada won the silver medal in the 63kg category on Monday, after losing to Germany’s Jolina Reinhold in the final. She beat Guinea’s Camara Mamaissata 1-0 and Morocco’s Abir Bouazzaoui and Algeria’s Dounia Berrahoual by ippon to reach the summit clash.
“The local people didn’t really believe I was actually from India,” Darjada told Sportstar in an interview. “They kept asking me if I was actually from India. ‘Tu Indian nahi dikhti’ (You don’t look Indian). Finally, I told them
that I’m actually their bichdi hui behen (long-separated sister).”
Siddi are said to have come to India in the 16th and 17th centuries as migrants or during the Indian Ocean slave trade. They now have an estimated 1.5 lakh population in India, spread across villages and rural areas in Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Minority Rights organisations consider them among the most marginalised communities in India, often treated as equivalent to Dalits, rife with constant struggles for rights. Darjada’s medal was the first by a member of the Siddi community for India in the Youth Olympics.
“In India we are noticed because we look different. In Africa, I was noticed because I looked like them,” she added.
According to the publication, Darjada was inspired by her judoka elder sister who was scouted from their village of Surva. She trained for three years at the District level Sports School in Gir, when she was spotted by a Georgian coach, Lasha Kizilashvill.
“It feels great to be a part of an Indian team at the Games. I really liked being part of the Opening Ceremony and the march past. I actually thought I could win gold in my event, but even then, when I stood on the podium and the Indian flag went up, I felt really proud,” she said.
