Sakyasen Mittra
In his brief stint as coach of the junior Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid regularly harps on one statement – “Take success as failure in the same manner, but always dream better.” For Orissa karateka Anuradha Patra (better known as Anu), this saying probably holds very true. A bronze medallist in the recently-concluded Senior National Karate Championships at Angamaly in Kerala (incidentally she is one of the two medallists the state has produced this time around), Anu now has already started working towards her next goal – gold in the next edition of the tournament.
The lithe lass has that determined expression on her face which is the essential route to success. She smiles during the course of the tete-a-tete as she takes a break from her training schedule to talk to
Orissa Post. But her focus is firmly fixed on her future goals.
“This was my first exposure in the Senior Nationals” states Anu. “I have realised that I have to improve on my speed and endurance. I train six hours a day (two in the morning and four in the evening), now I plan to increase it to eight. Only hard work can lead me to my next destination – the gold medal.
In the nationals, Anu lost in the semifinals to an Arunachal Pradesh karateka. “She deserved to win… she was faster, better. But I am not giving up. I intend to improve in all aspects of karate,” she states in a determined manner.
The daughter of retired Subedar Sudhakar Patra and Diptimoyee Patra, Anu is eldest among three siblings. She liked all forms of sports while in school. “My father had a transferable job, so I studied in schools in Dehradun and Alwar. I wrestled a lot, took part in athletics events like the long jump and played volleyball and basketball regularly,” informs Anu. “In fact, without sports, my life has no real meaning.”
It was only in 2013 that Anu seriously started pursuing karate. “You can say my friend Anupama Swain (also a karateka) inspired me a lot. We used to gym together and it was she who propelled me to the sport,” add Anu with a smile, lighting up her face.
Since then there has been no looking back for this upcoming karateka. She caught the eye of Hari (Patnaik) Sir who started training her. In 2014 she won a bronze in the Open India Karate Championships in Bhubaneswar and followed it up with a gold the next year.
“I do not watch TV so I don’t have any sports idol or anything like that,” she states candidly when asked about her favourite sportsperson. “Hari Sir is my idol as well as inspiration.”
But then what attracted her to a sport which has lot of physical pain? Pat comes the reply: “If you are passionate about something, you really don’t feel the pain. You forget everything else if you pursue something with single-minded dedication. Frankly I have never thought of pain or getting hurt… if it happens, it happens. But then accidents do occur in other sports also.”
Anu however, is the first to admit that more than her, it is her mother who at times, turns tense because of her love for karate. “She is worried at times, but then that is quite natural. However, my father has always backed me in my endeavours,” she informs.
In spite of not watching TV much, Anu likes to watch what she terms ‘fighting movies’. “I can’t remember names, but I am great fan of Chinese and Japanese movies which have a lot of martial arts,” she states with a shy smile.
And her hobby… well don’t get surprised. The hand that punches hard and strong turns soft when she picks up the paintbrush. “Yes, you can say painting is my hobby, I love to paint,” she admits.
Her parents are from Kendrapada but as of now, the family has settled down in Patia. Other than chasing her golden aspirations, Anu also runs a gym at Jaidev Vihar. After all these activities, whenever she gets time she prepares for competitive exams. But then will she give up sports once she gets a job? “No I won’t,” she asserts firmly. “I love karate too much to hang up my gloves. My goal is to achieve success in international meets also.”
Best of luck Anu.
