I was searching for the boxer Akhil Kumar who lost the quarterfinal round at Beijing Olympics. And what I come across is a dedicated coach, Jagdish Singh.
“In 2001, I had the thoughts but not the funds. Eventually, I had to withdraw from my GPF, utilised the money from the output of the agricultural land I had 24 kms from Bhiwani, mortgaged my home here and some other land in Bhiwani, to get a loan of Rs four lakh from the Grahmin Bank to buy the land on which stands the BBC now,” reminisced Jagdish.
And then you can get a feel about the facilities and what the government and sports officials are doing;
A tin of covers the boxing arena. A majority of the kids here don’t have their own gloves. And to drink water after practice, the lone hand-pump has to be operated very slowly, otherwise sand particles will start coming out along with the water.
What the coach yearns for:
Jagdish has “ambitious plans” for the BBC. “I want to build an AC indoor hall with two wooden rings. I also want mirrors for the boxers so that they can correct their techniques.”
I am wondering if this is coach’s “ambitious plans” then what can be termed as basic facilities?
And read about the results;
And because of this, despite the very basic facilities, Bhiwani has become the boxing hub of India. In the recent Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia, five of the 11-member squad were from this town. They bagged four of the seven medals India won.
We the ungrateful, ever sleeping, self centered onlookers, salute the BBC boxers’ spirit. Lets see, if some of us can learn something from you, besides reading about your glorious journey as boxers.
1. What noticeable results can be brought about by the determination of a single person mixed with the enthusiasm of a few others!
2. Wonder why such stories are not highlighted to the extent they need to be. Perhaps because of the lack of funds to hire PR personnel.
3. Although this particular sport has earned us dignity and glory, do you think it needs to be promoted just to gain medals?