The Inspiring Story Of A Man Whose World Revolves Around The Boxing Ring

Every day, on my way to work, I would notice a young, well-built and muscular boy, and for some reason, he always drew my attention. Having a passion for photography, I decided to do a small ‘Photo-Story’ about him. Thus, one day I went up to him and introduced myself, got to know him and his family, and photographed him.

Now, I want to share his story, which I’d like to call ‘The Un-Cinderella Man’.

The Un-Cinderella Man:
In a country where talent dies an unrecognized death every day, this is the tale of a boy, named Manoj Kumar, whose world revolves around the boxing ring. During the day, he works hard to earn a living from his family’s small coal business. In the evenings, he transforms into a man of passion. Yet unacknowledged by the society, this skilled individual fights to earn a name, and respect.

These sportspeople are working hard, day and night, but they still have to struggle a lot. There are very few getaways for people like them. Even parents refrain from encouraging their children to go for sports as a career option. Sports needs more focus and priority in India. Not many children are able to fulfill their dreams to become a sports person, although there are so many passionate people here. The scholarships are insufficient, motivation or support is lacking.

Even the attitude of athletes needs change. In some cases, athletes lose hope before even competing in international competitions sometimes. Many changes need to take place in terms of providing appropriate training, infrastructure and support system for sportspersons.

People involved in sports activities must be given a little more push by the government and the common public too. Support not just the popular sports that come on TV, go out and find out about the actual sports played around your local neighbourhood and support them. Promote a culture where we don’t have one dominant sport in the country, where all our sportspeople are respected the same way, and where, once they retire, whether it’s a Cricket World Cup Winner or an Olympic Gold Medalist Archer, they can lead a decent quality of life.

Submitted By – Kanishka Mukherji

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