PM Modi interacts with Afshan Ashiq - Kashmiri girl & MS Dhoni fan who transformed from stone pelter to J&K captain

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interaction with sportspersons and fitness experts from across the country to mark the one-year anniversary of Fit India Movement. During the virtual gathering, PM Modi launched the ‘Fit India Age Appropriate Fitness Protocols’ as athletes and fitness influencers shared their heartfelt stories.

The likes of Indian cricket team’s captain Virat Kohli and Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia, the virtual gathering witnessed the presence of woman footballer and captain of Jammu & Kashmir football team Afshan Ashiq.

Afshan, during the virtual interaction with PM Modi, spoke about her training routine and importance of physical and mental fitness. She also spoke about she has learned the trait of keeping calm in toughest of situations from former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. 

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"I have learned a lot from him. He operates very calmly be it as a captain or as a player. I try to do the same. The way he works in his life, I believe everyone should function the same way to keep the mental stress under check. Such practices help in keeping the day-to-day jobs stress-free," she told PM Modi.

"What you have done in your career, you've become an inspiration for girls all over Kashmir and India. Following you, many girls will come forward seeing you as an example," the Prime Minister told Afshan on the occasion.

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Interestingly, Afshan, back in 2017, pelted stones at security forces in Kashmir. Speaking on the incident, Afshan said that some boys pelted stones at police during a protest while adding she along with her teammates stood there. One of the police officials, mistakenly slapped Afshan’s teammate and reacting to which the entire team started pelting stones. This is when the viral photograph was taken and she became an overnight trend on social media.

However, she has come a long way since then as was invited by the Indian government for the Fit India Movement.