For 18-year-old Khushbu Razakbhai Darjada, winning a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, was a moment she will never forget. But her appearance also made her stand out for another reason. People in Senegal often mistook her for a local because of her African features. When they learnt that she was from India, many found it difficult to believe.
Khushbu, however, had a simple and playful response. When people repeatedly asked whether she was really Indian and told her that she did not look Indian, she joked that she was their “lost sister”.
Her experience reflects the unique identity of the Siddi community in India, to which she belongs. While people in India often notice her different appearance, in Senegal, she looked just like the local people.
But this time, Khushbu’s biggest achievement was not about how she looked. It was her performance on the judo mat that brought her into the spotlight.
A Historic Silver Medal For India And The Siddi Community
Khushbu won the silver medal in the women’s 63 kg judo category at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. Her achievement marked India’s best performance in judo at the Youth Olympics so far.
Her journey to the final was impressive. She defeated Guinea’s Mamasata Camara by 1-0 before beating Morocco’s Abir Boujaoui and Algeria’s Dounia Berrahoule through ippon.
In the final, she faced Germany’s Jolina Reinhold but could not win the gold medal.
The silver was only India’s second judo medal in Youth Olympic history. It was also the first Olympic medal won by a member of the Siddi community.
Who Are The Siddis?
Khushbu belongs to Gujarat’s Siddi community, whose ancestors came from East Africa and settled in India hundreds of years ago. Today, members of the community live in a few parts of Gujarat, including Surva village in Gir Somnath district.
Their physical features and cultural traditions reflect their African roots. However, Gujarati is their mother tongue, and they are very much part of India’s social and cultural life.
Despite this, members of the community often find themselves treated differently because of their appearance.
Khushbu’s elder sister, Shaheen Darjada, who is also a judoka, says people sometimes assume they are foreigners and try speaking to them in English. She explains that people do not necessarily treat them badly, but they do look at them differently.
Celebration Sweeps Through Khushbu’s Village
As news of Khushbu’s medal reached Surva village in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district, celebrations broke out across the community.
People burst crackers late into the night and danced to traditional Siddi Dhamal songs. Her father, Razakbhai, said the family could not sleep through the night because of the excitement.
For the family, the medal was a proud moment. But it also meant a great deal to the wider Siddi community, which has often struggled to find recognition and opportunities.
After the final, Khushbu spoke to her family but was still upset because she had missed the gold medal. Her elder sister Shaheen said Khushbu was crying, and she had to remind her that winning a silver medal at such a major international event was itself an extraordinary achievement.
From A Labourer’s Family To A National-Level Athlete
The Siddi community has faced economic challenges for generations. Many families depend on daily-wage work, farming or performing traditional Dhamal dances for tourists to earn a living. Access to education and other opportunities has also remained limited.
Khushbu’s father was once a labourer himself. He later continued his education and secured a government job in Junagadh.
In recent years, however, more children from the community have started entering sports. Several have been selected for district-level sports schools across Gujarat.
Khushbu’s own journey into judo was inspired by her elder sister Shaheen, who is five years older and among the first girls from the community to take up the sport.
Khushbu was initially training to become a track runner. But when Shaheen won a gold medal at the Khelo India Youth Games in 2020, she decided to follow her sister into judo.
The youngest of seven siblings, with six sisters and one brother, Khushbu began working towards becoming a professional judoka.
Training In Gujarat Helped Shape Her Career
Khushbu trained for three years at the district-level sports school in Gir. Her talent later caught the attention of Georgian coach Lasha Kizilashvili from Vijayi Bharat Sports Academy in Ahmedabad. She was then brought to the state capital for advanced training.
She is not the only Siddi athlete at the academy. Shaheen has also been training there for the past five years.
Another athlete from the community, Rohit Mazgul, is also part of the academy. Earlier this year, he became the first judoka from the Siddi community to earn a place in the Indian teams for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Nagoya Asian Games.
Khushbu has steadily built her own record in the sport. She won a bronze medal at the Cadet National Championships in Pune last year and a gold medal at the Youth National Championships in Chandigarh this year.
She also represented India at the Asian Youth Championships in Jordan, where she won a bronze medal. It was her first international medal.
Khushbu says the Asian championship gave her an opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best young judokas and learn from the experience.
Her Eyes Are Now Set On Bigger Goals
The Youth Olympic silver medal has given Khushbu another reason to dream bigger.
She said being part of the Indian team, attending the opening ceremony and taking part in the athletes’ march past were special experiences. Although she had hoped to win gold, seeing the Indian flag rise while standing on the podium was a moment of great pride.
Her sister Shaheen believes the achievement will encourage more boys and girls from the Siddi community to take up sports and aim for bigger competitions.
Khushbu is already looking ahead. She wants to win gold at the Khelo India Youth Games scheduled for December. Her biggest dream is to represent India at the Olympics one day and win a medal for the country.
For now, though, the 18-year-old has a much simpler wish. After making headlines in Senegal, she wants to return to India, meet her friends, visit a mall in Ahmedabad and enjoy a McDonald’s burger.
For a young athlete who has just made history, it is a reminder that beyond medals and big dreams, she is still a teenager who wants to enjoy the little things in life.
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