Rayagada: They say dreams die hard and in spite of all the hindrances L Ramesh has not given up on his hope of participating in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Karate will be a demonstration sport in the 2020 Games (both in the regular and para sections) and karateka Ramesh is toiling day and night to seal a spot in the Indian squad. However, his biggest enemy is poverty.
Ramesh stays in Madhusudan Lane near the daily market of this town. He lost his mother at a very early age and at the same time polio struck his right leg leaving him physically handicapped for life. But that did not prevent him from pursuing his dream of becoming a karate exponent.
From a very young age Ramesh had to work in a tea stall to make both ends for his family. As luck would have been, there was karate training camp being conducted on the ground close to the tea shop. And seeing that Ramesh’s dreams only grew and he saw a chance to turn it into a reality.
Ramesh knew he did not have the financial means to afford coaching. So he used to watch from behind the trees and bushes how coach Appana was training his wards. And then on his own, he used to practice to master the art. This went on for a couple of years, till Appana caught Ramesh watching the action from behind a bush in 2007.
On questioning Ramesh, the coach came to know about the youngster’s dreams and aspirations and decided to train him free of cost. That is how Ramesh’s life changed overnight.
After a few days of training, Appana was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ramesh was easily competing with regular students. In spite of polio-affected right leg there was no hindrance for Ramesh in performing ‘Kata’ or succeeding in ‘contact karate’. So Appana decided to send Ramesh for tournaments.
Ramesh’s first chance to show his prowess at the district level came at a tournament in 2010. He surprised everyone by winning gold.
Ramesh then started participating in various state and national level competitions and mostly won the yellow metal. Then participating at an event organised by the Karate Association of India at Bhubaneswar, he emerged on top.
Ramesh has achieved international success also winning medals at competitions in Kolkata, Visakhapatnam and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Buoyed by the success, now he is targeting a medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. However, to achieve that distinction, he needs financial help and a proper diet. Since the demise of his father, the entire family responsibility is now on the shoulders of Ramesh. He works in a factory and earns a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,720. Peanuts if thought about Ramesh’s goals, but the karateka simply refuses to give up.
Appana however, is confident that Ramesh has the ability to win medals at the international level. “Ramesh has the talent and technique to win medals at the international level. But he needs modern training and proper diet,” observed the coach.
Ramesh laments the fact that his feats have not been recognised by the Odisha government. “The government provides training facilities to so many sportspersons, but then why am I deprived,” he asked. Ramesh also wants a proper karate centre to be built at Rayagada.
Locals have urged the district administration to help Ramesh so that he can achieve his goals.
PNN
