Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Where they all work up a sweat

— Photos: K. Ganesan.

A DIFFERENT SCHOOL OF THOUGHT:Students of Alanganallur Government Boys' Higher Secondary School

, Headmaster: “Poverty should not come in the way of participating in sports.”

, Physical Education Teacher: “Our children can reach great heights, if they get right teachers.”

, Taekwondo champion: “My mentors deserve all the credit for my achievements.”

MADURAI: It was around 3 pm on Saturday evening.

A group of children was chattering near a bus stand at Alanganallur (renowned for its ‘jallikattu') near here and one of them, aged around 14 years, was smoking a filter cigarette without much botheration about the onlookers.

He ran away when confronted and enquiries with the locals revealed more shocking facts about lack of discipline among many others like him.

A stark contrast

In a stark contrast to this, a few metres away, it was heartening to see another group of children sweating it out at a gymnasium inside the Government Boys Higher Secondary School!

SDAT move

The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) had recently furnished the school with a multipurpose gym equipment, a treadmill and 100 dumbbells at a cost of Rs. 3 lakh, thanks to efforts made by its Headmaster D. Jeyabalan and Physical Education Teacher T. Godwin Vedanayagam Rajkumar.

The school also boasts of an outdoor boxing rink built at a cost of Rs.1.5 lakh. It was sponsored by the district administration after the school's athletes met the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Union Minister M.K. Azhagiri, through Sholavandan MLA P. Moorthy, here on October 31, 2007.

Never an easy task

It had never been an easy task to build up the infrastructure in the school, as the teachers and students had to struggle to get each and every facility.

In 2002, they sent a 75 metre long representation to the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa seeking a cement basketball court and it was built in 2003.

A similar representation signed by 1,500 people was sent to her in 2005 seeking a good playground for the school situated in a rocky terrain.

The efforts bore fruit and the school managed to get the facilities.

The infrastructure was put to optimum use and the result was evident with the students bagging trophies after trophies.

Trying their

hands in all

The students of this school do not hesitate to try their hand at any sport, be it boxing, fencing, swimming, squash, taekwondo, judo, weightlifting and even Sepak Takraw, a sport similar to volleyball but allows the players to touch the ball only with their feet, knee, chest and head.

Sixteen-year-old S. Velumani, a Plus Two student, bagged a silver medal in the 30 {+t} {+h} National Taekwondo Championship held in Chennai between September 30 and October 2.

Now he has been provisionally selected to participate in an international championship to be held in South Korea next year.

“My father is a trader who sells garments in a hand cart. I have been learning this martial art free of cost from my master Channa K. Nagaraj. I travel all the way to Madurai city to attend classes every Sunday morning. My mentors deserve all the credit for my achievements,” he said with humility.

Encouragement

Mr. Rajkumar said that the headmaster of the school had been a great source of encouragement and he was very particular that these students, though poor, should be made to participate in every event conducted at district, regional, state and national levels through sponsorship.

“Our children can touch great heights if they get the right teachers and mentors. Take for example, the ongoing Asian Games.”

“I hear many cribbing that India's medal tally is only a little over 20 as against 230 plus bagged by China. But what is the point in cribbing unless there is a collective will to achieve,” Mr. Rajkumar rued.

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