Siddhi Manerikar
Sidhhi Manerikar went from climbing cashew trees as a hobby to being a professional rock climber on a global platform. She has been awarded Maharashtra’s Highest Sports Award in rock climbing making her an inspirational woman of this century.
“Even women can beat gravity as well as men. There’s no excuse to not excel!” says Siddhi.
Early life
When she moved to Mumbai at the age of 13, one day, her sports instructor came into her class and asked if anyone knew how to climb trees. This led Siddhi to try her hobby as a sport. In November 2018, she achieved her most treasured achievement: scoring 8A in climbing. She was the first female competitor from India to complete that route.
Siddhi, who used to climb cashew trees, wasn’t really good with technology in the beginning. Her instructor constantly tried to get her to learn how to use technology for training. Her attitude, determination and enthusiasm towards rock climbing made every one of the stepping stones in her way easier to tackle. Her resilient mindset and her extremely disciplined mindset made her reach the heights she’s at today.
In Mumbai, there were only two walls for her to climb. One was in Goregaon, and the other one was at Podar College in Dadar. Mumbai’s commute was a huge hassle for Siddhi as it is a city always chasing the clock. She says it takes her an hour and a half to just travel from her house to the climbing gym. The travel was difficult but her mind was set on practising and achieving the highest ranks.
From a Girl in School to an International Athlete
After two years of hard work and practice, Siddhi got the wonderful opportunity to compete in the Asian Youth Championship. She was determined to prove herself and represent her country on a global platform. She ranked 28th in this competition, making her the first female from India to be included in the world ranking.
Siddhi remarks that Mumbai lacks proper infrastructure. There are zero speedwells and no proper equipment for practising on the scale that her competitors from all over the world do. This lack of infrastructure does not hinder Siddhi, as she is the type of person to make the best of whatever equipment or circumstances she is faced with.
Siddhi’s Lessons
Siddhi is a dynamic rock climber, and keeping in mind that she comes from a country where there are no climbing walls, she is nothing short of one of the most remarkable climbers in India. For Siddhi, climbing isn’t just a sport. For her, climbing also teaches important life lessons as well. The biggest takeaway for Siddhi from climbing is that life isn’t easy, and just like climbing one rock after another, we have to get over from one obstacle to another.
She says that what inspires her the most is the struggle of the people who have come before her. She’s adamant about being the inspiration for the younger generations and paving the way for the climbers that come after her. She hopes that the new generation is able to achieve the heights of rock climbing in an easier way than she has.
Kankatala’s Campaign
On this Women’s Day, Kankatala celebrates inspirational women like Sidhhi Manerikar from Maharashtra. For this campaign, Kankatala highlights Siddhi’s story, as her resilience despite the lack of facilities invokes an awe-inspiring spark that burns in the hearts of those who look up to her.
Kankatala celebrates Siddhi as one of the ‘Heroes in Sarees’ as we put the spotlight on 8 real-life women achievers who have managed to break the glass ceiling in various fields while draped in a saree. This initiative aims to highlight the fact that there is nothing a woman in a saree cannot do.
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