SPORTS: The Bhiwani Boxing Club delivers the goods in spite of the odds; only help came from local businessmen and the police
“He has become the hero of the country,” gushed Mahipal Singh, even as his son Vijender Kumar was stopped short of anything more than a Bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics by his Cuban opponent.
The family still has no count of the sweets it has fed to the hordes gathered and the kettle keeps brewing tea non-stop. There is an air of expectancy about the celebrations when Kumar returns. Even the local administration has been stirred to act — it wants to surface the lane leading to the pugilist’s home.
A short distance away at the Bhiwani Boxing Club, the mood was sombre as soon as Vijender Kumar lost the first round of the bout. His now famous coach, Jagdish Singh, did not watch and chose to spend his time praying alone for his prodigy. When the outcome was final, he tersely announced: “Practice at 5.30 pm.”
The club looked an unlikely breeding ground for world champions. The walled plot was inundated in fetid water from the month’s record rainfall.
There was murky water from a single well to drink from and some frugally assembled gym equipment. The only shiny quarter was the boxing ring. There was no nutritious grub for students. All the talk of being a “little Cuba” only got a wry laugh and a glance towards the surrounding water.
Coach Singh was very succinct when asked about what he proposed to do with all the rewards that have been announced: “I just want to be left alone to continue to work for all the forthcoming championship. If I do get any money, I will buy the two surrounding plots to add to my club and use it to expand facilities.”
This is the biggest private boxing coaching centre in the town. There are four more private initiatives, with the next-largest run by former champion Raj Kumar Sangwan. There is also a dilapidated one run by the Sports Authority of India.The Bhiwani Boxing Club, which got its present shape in 2003, has had the more illustrious prodigies.
About two hundred young boys train here and each of them with a dream to become a champion boxer. But the final objective is to gain a secure government job through sports quota. The people involved with boxing in the town rattled off the names of boxers trained here, who have joined the police, armed forces, paramilitary forces and other government undertakings.
“This is one of the most backward regions in Haryana,” said Anil Kumar Gaur, a Hindi teacher and NCC instructor at the Government Senior Secondary School, lamenting the lack of viable job opportunities for the young men from the town.
Jagdish Singh, who is also a designated coach with the Sports Authority of India, has mobilised about Rs 40 lakh to run the place through the sale of his land and borrowed money. He has also dipped into his savings, including his provident fund. His has been a single-handed effort. Almost.
On the brighter side, the local police and business community have provided the club logistical and financial support, respectively. While the police have helped with transport and preparing venues for bouts, local businessmen chipped in with the prize money ranging from Rs 11,000 to Rs 25,000 for winners in various categories.
Prominent supporters have been jewellers Brijlal Saraf and Vijay Kishan, and Ram Bhajan Aggarwal, a former Haryana minister and proprietor of the Chinar brand of suitings.
“We give our support because of the belief that there is talent in the soil,” said Aggarwal, an octogenarian. The Mittal Foundation has backed a few boxers with equipment, helped them find houses on rent, provided for meal allowances and arranged for travel expenses.
But new vistas might soon open up, as sports talent management firms have already started turning up here.
A senior executive from Kolkata, who did not wish himself and his clients to be named, said: “There are a number of companies who have approached us with interest in funding grassroot activities. They are not looking at returns but a platform. Just look at what the Mittal Foundation enjoys now.”
