FENCING FOR EVERY INDIAN CHILD india,
on guard.

A not-for-profit bringing fencing to Indian schools — and backing the athletes who take it to the Olympic podium.

Building fencing from the ground up, to the podium. Founded by CA Bhavani Devi, India's first Olympic fencer.

Partner With Us → Bring Fencing to Your School

A fencing mask resting on a sabre, lit from above

WHY FENCING, WHY NOW

A country learns a sport by playing it, not by watching it.

Cricket did not conquer India from a stadium — it did so from the gully, the maidan, the alley behind the house. Badminton, football, kabaddi: each earned its place in ordinary life first, and produced champions second.

Fencing has never been given that chance here. For most Indians it remains a rumour of a sport — glimpsed once every four years, assumed to be foreign, expensive, someone else's game.

the gully the maidan the school floor the strip.

A nation that fences will find its champions. A nation that only admires them will keep waiting.

FROM OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENT

PORTRAIT — CA BHAVANI DEVI

Licensed action photography, sabre in hand

THE FOUNDER

She didn't inherit a system. She outran the absence of one.

India's first Olympic fencer and its most decorated sabre athlete built her career without a pathway to follow. The Foundation exists so the next fencer will not have to.

The Turkey black-card story — 60 to 80 words, in Bhavani's voice, approved by her before publishing.

"One first-person line from Bhavani on why she started the Foundation."

— CA Bhavani Devi, Founder

Tokyo 2020

India's first Olympic fencer

Arjuna

Arjuna Award

Medal

Championship

Medal

Championship

WHERE WE ARE GOING

One ambition,
not two.

An India where a child can pick up a sabre as easily as a bat — where fencing is played in ordinary schools and neighbourhoods for the sheer love of it, and where that living, everyday base sends Indian fencers to the Olympic podium, again and again.

A sport that lives only at the top is a single career away from vanishing. A sport that lives only for fun never reaches the strip that matters.

the podium

is the proof

the pathway

scouted talent, real coaching, real competition

the base is the point

fencing in ordinary schools & neighbourhoods, for the love of it

A FIRST LESSON ON A SCHOOL FLOOR A FINAL TOUCH ON THE OLYMPIC STRIP →

Reach

We take fencing into schools across the country, so a first sabre feels ordinary — open to any child, not a chosen few.

Scout

We spot promise early and everywhere — unbound by a family's income or a child's postcode.

Back

Coaching, equipment and competition few can afford alone — the difference between talent that fades and talent that arrives.

Root

Coaches, officials and infrastructure, so the sport stands on its own long after any champion puts down the blade.

Aim

Every school visit points one way — Indian fencers on the world stage, and the flag raised where it has rarely flown.

FOR SCHOOLS

Fencing on your school floor.

Everything a principal needs to know before saying yes. Tell us about your school and we'll share how a first programme could run.

AGES: Class 4 to Class 9
FORMAT: 5-day programme · two 90-minute sessions a day · up to 60 children
YOUR SCHOOL PROVIDES: An indoor hall or covered floor, two 90-minute slots a day for 5 days, and a teacher present at every session
WE PROVIDE: Two coaches, all equipment, the 5-day curriculum, a mini tournament with certificates, and a talent report for the school
COST TO SCHOOL: Free — funded by the Foundation and its partners
COACHES: SAI/NIS-qualified fencing coaches, background-checked

SAFETY FIRST

Is fencing safe for my child?

Safe kit from day one

Beginners train with foam blades and full protective gear, supplied by us.

Trained, vetted coaches

Every coach is certified and background-checked before working with children.

A published safeguarding policy

Clear rules on how every adult in our programmes works with children.

Read our child protection policy →

PROPOSED

Bhavani Devi Fencing Excellence Centre

A dedicated home for training, coaching and competition, first proposed for Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.

THE STATE BRINGS

Land / facility support

THE FOUNDATION BRINGS

Coaching, programming and an athlete pathway

PILOT

School outreach, season one

Our first school programmes. Participation figures appear here once they are verified — not before.

See the school programme →

What guides us.

Open to all

A blade should never be gated by wealth or geography.

Earned, not claimed

We say only what we can stand behind — and stand behind all of it.

Built to last

Roots, not headlines — coaches, schools, systems.

Nothing half-struck

Mass participation and Olympic ambition, held to one standard.

₹2,00,000

Kits a school team

Plastic sabres and masks for 20 children

₹80,000

Runs a 5-day programme in one school

Coaching, equipment and five days of sessions for up to 60 children.

₹4,50,000

Backs a scouted athlete

A year of advanced coaching, kit and competition travel.

ENTITY

Public charitable trust

12A

Registration no.

AAFTB6891BE20251 (Provisional)

80G

Registration no.

AAFTB6891BF20251 (Provisional)

CSR-1

Registration no.

Shown once issued

Board & advisors

CA Bhavani Devi

Founder & Managing Trustee

C A Ramani

Trustee

Suresh Kumar

Trustee

Documents

Annual report from first year Audited financials from first year Child protection policy → Founding document: Mission & Vision →

FOUNDING PARTNERS

CSR & INSTITUTIONS Fund a programme, a school or an athlete Programme, school and athlete partnerships, reported at programme level. Partner with us → SCHOOLS Bring fencing to your school floor Ages, format, cost and what we need from you — all in one place. Register interest → COACHES & OFFICIALS Help build the sport's backbone Coaches, referees and volunteers who want to grow fencing where they live. Join the build → PARENTS & YOUNG FENCERS Pick up a sabre for the first time What fencing is, whether it's safe, and how a child gets started. Start with Fencing 101 →

NEW TO THE SPORT?

Fencing 101.

Sabre, foil and épée explained. Rules, scoring, gear, safety — and how to take a first lesson.

Start here →

FOLLOW THE BUILD

Field notes, once a month.

New schools, new coaches, first results. No noise.

FOR CSR TEAMS, INSTITUTIONS & CHAMPIONS OF THE SPORT

Help build the base that builds the podium.

CSR programmes, ambassadorships and co-designed initiatives — each works differently, and we'll help you find the right fit.

Start a conversation → Download partnership overview

Or write to partnerships@bdsf.org

FENCING FOR EVERY INDIAN CHILD india,
on guard.

A country learns a sport by playing it, not by watching it.

She didn't inherit a system. She outran the absence of one.

One ambition,
not two.