With absolutely no support from the government, Anuradha has been able to bag an international medal. Even after her recent victory, there has been no communication from the state government.
Chennai :
It’s common to look for signboards on unknown roads. But, en route to Nemmelipatti in Pudukottai, huge flex boards with congratulatory messages for 26-year-old P Anuradha, a resident of the village who won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship held at Samoa from July 9 to 14, guide us. The 4-km stretch from Perungalur leading us to the lush green village is dotted with posters of Anuradha, the pride of Nemmelipatti.
We reach the village, which has a population of about 1,000 people. Just the day before we visited, Anuradha was given a hero’s welcome at Tiruchy airport and her village. For young girls in the village, Anuradha is a beacon of hope, of what can be achieved with pure grit, determination and hard work. The people of Nemmelipatti, Anuradha tells us, have always been supportive of her dreams. They have been a great source of support for her family.
We make our way to Anuradha’s house, find a quiet spot and chat with the champion who is soaking in the success of her win and her brother P Marimuthu, about the journey so far. Flanked by agricultural land, Anuradha’s house is a simple abode which her brother has built. From living in a thatched hut to having a house they call their own, Marimuthu is an example of what can be achieved by hard work. We sit in the verandah of their house, their rooster and goats also making us aware of their presence.
With absolutely no support from the government, Anuradha has been able to achieve an international medal. Even after her recent victory, there has been no communication from the state government. No word of congratulation from the CM or anybody from the state government. She was only felicitated by the collector of Pudukottai.
Sibling support
Like most teenagers, Anuradha was unsure about her career goals. She considered a career in engineering, but her brother had other plans for her. “I thought it would be better for her if she pursued sports. I didn’t want her to be one among the 1,000 engineering graduates without a job. So when she completed class 12, I wanted to expose her to the world of sports,” recalls Marimuthu. In 2009, he enrolled her into weightlifting training.
“I used to play handball in school. But, I was told that it is difficult to succeed in a team game. My brother’s friend suggested weightlifting would be good for me. That’s how I started training at the Pudukottai Government Stadium under master Muthuramalingam,” shares Anuradha, a Computer Science graduate from Rajah’s College.
Practice made Anuradha perfect. “I used to leave home at 5 am, train at the stadium from 6 am to 8 am and then attend college. I used to train again in the evening and reach home only by 10 pm,” she shares, confessing that she initially didn’t enjoy the drill. “I was the only girl training with 10 men. I was scared and unhappy. But my brother motivated me.”
Gold calling
The turning point in Anuradha’s life arrived when she bagged her first gold medal in 2009 at an inter-college meet. This victory helped her focus on weightlifting. She went on to win several medals in university championships and national tournaments.
In 2014, she completed her post-graduation in MSc Computer Science from JJ College. But, life came to a standstill. “I didn’t have a job, I wasn’t aware of how I could participate in national championships. There were no coaches or facilities in Pudukottai,” says Anuradha. Her distress turned into relief when she heard of the National Institute of Sports in Patiala, one of Asia’s largest sports institutes. But it came with its own price. Training at this facility required funds, which was a luxury that the brother-sister duo couldn’t afford.
Overcoming challenges
Talking about their ordeal, Marimuthu says, “I lost my father when I was in class 12. My mother was working as a coolie. We didn’t even have money for food. I discontinued my studies and started working in a factory. I was not able to provide the kind of food Anu’s training required. I hardly used to earn `4,000 per month. But, I knew that Anu had the strength to be a good weightlifter. So, I decided to send her to Patiala.” The coaching in Patiala cost `1.75 lakh a year. Marimuthu sold a portion of the agricultural land he owned and borrowed money from his company. He calls it his “best decision”. In Patiala, Anuradha met international weightlifters.
Making TN proud
In 2016, after completing her training, Anuradha returned home. She joined the TN Police Force the same year and joined Thanjavur District Medical College as a trainee sub-inspector. Two years later, she participated in the TN Police Weightlifting Competition and bagged a gold medal. For two consecutive years, she bagged gold in the Senior National Championship.
In March 2019, she had the chance to train at the Indian Camp in Patiala under Sai Central Government’s sponsorship. She participated in the trial for Commonwealth Championships in May and got selected. The rest is history. Anuradha hopes to help young girls pursue sports. “It took me 10 years to win an international gold. I could have done this four years back with proper guidance. I want to create awareness in schools about sports as a viable career. Students can go to the government sports hostels for training,” she says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Sowmya Mani / Express News Service / July 27th, 2019