Bengaluru: Thirteen-year-old Abdul Kalam has a dream to put India on the world map in judo, just like his namesake, the late missile man and President of India, did in aerospace.
The young Kalam has been training in judo since the tender age of six, and is now eager to represent the country at the India-Nepal international championship on 28 and 29 September — a collaboration between the countries to promote rural games and sports.
But Kalam’s dream has hit a stumbling block — a lack of funds to travel to the venue, Kathmandu.
Kalam is one of 13 boys — seven judokas and six volleyball players — from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur who has been selected to represent India, but the absence of a sponsor has put their participation in doubt.
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‘All we need is a sponsor’
The judokas from the Perambakkam Government Boys’ Higher Secondary School proudly say they’ve been Tamil Nadu state champions three years in a row, and despite the uncertainty, they are training day and night for the championship to be held in Nepal.
Angeline Kalpana, who trains the team, is not losing hope either. She has been knocking on every door possible to try and get the boys their ticket to Nepal.
“All we need is somebody to sponsor our tickets to Nepal. We will take care of the rest. I have managed to take care of the costs while we participated in Tamil Nadu and a few national competitions, but this one is just too expensive for us,” Kalpana told ThePrint.
Guru Kishore, who is Kalam’s best friend, has also won several medals in judo. He had no interest in studies, but Kalpana identified his talent and trained him in the sport. Kishore is now inspired to pursue the sport professionally so that he can support his ailing mother and autorickshaw driver father.
The trainer and her wards still face a huge challenge because school authorities and parents feel that the sport and competitions are a mere distraction, and the boys should concentrate on their education. But the boys say they are inspired to do better and hope to one day silence their critics with their performances.
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Passion and struggle
Kalpana is one of the very few judo teachers in Tamil Nadu, and trains the young boys and girls in government schools out of sheer love for the sport.
Having worked for nearly two years as a physical education director in a private college, Kalpana was initiated into judo by one of her coaches, Vishwanathan, who used to train her in fencing.
“It’s just been 13 years since I learnt judo. My first coach, Vishwanathan sir, would tell us not to be restricted to just basketball or football. He would encourage us to try new games which were not so popular in India,” Kalpana said.
Kalpana’s passion and hard work had a lasting impression on one of her students, Sakthi, who decided to pursue his education as a Bachelor of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the Annamalai University. Sakthi had been training in Judo since he was in class 9.
“She has worked so hard for us, made so many sacrifices, which words can’t describe. We did not have judo/karate clothes to wear. She would save money and buy them for all of us,” Sakthi said.
“We have practised in mud as we don’t have a proper place to train. She stood with us all through and helped us train to be good sportsmen. Now I want to finish my course and become like her… I hope to inspire many more to be like Kalpana akka (older sister).”
Kalpana has been saving up all the remuneration she receives as a judge in state-level judo competitions, and also dipping into her savings to fund these boys. Yet it’s just not enough.
“As of now, we are saving money for their judo clothes. They practise in plain clothes as we can afford only one good pair, which we use during competitions,” she explained.
Exposure is key
The selected team also comprises six volleyball players from the neighbouring Kadambathur Government School. One of the players, 16-year-old Sanjay, dreams of being one of India’s top players. Sanjay and his younger sister live with their grandmother after his parents died.
Sanjay is dejected that he may not be able to compete in Nepal, but still dreams of making his village proud.
“It’s only exposure to the top players in the world that will help us boys get better and more competitive,” he said.
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In a country where billionaires build umpteen-storied ‘homes” costing hundreds of crores, it’s inconceivable that there are shortage of sponsors for these economically -challenged sportsman wanting to represent their country.