In the bone-chilling cold days of November, Bilquis Mir, the first Kashmiri Muslim woman to become the coach of the Indian canoe team, is busy imparting training to young boys and girls on the waters of the Dal Lake. Talking to this newspaper, Bilquis Mir said that she has a passion to train boys and girls of Kashmir so that they can make an impact at the national and international levels. Bilquis said she is preparing her students for the Udaipur event and hopes that they will qualify for the national championship. She complained that the state government has not done enough to provide the required infrastructure and platform for the talented boys and girls. Her own story, she said, is full of hardships as she struggled to make a name in the male dominated society of Kashmir. Bilquis was the first Kashmiri woman to become a National Kayaking and Canoeing Coach. She was also selected to be in the International Panel of Elite Referees—the first Indian woman to get the honour.
She said that when she was selected as a coach to represent India, she felt honoured. She said she owed her achievements to her family’s support, especially from her mother. Bilquis said that she has been training the girls to win medals for J&K and the country in the 1000m singles, 1000m doubles and 200m doubles.