National-level athlete forced to sell pakodas for a living

This is not the first time similar narratives of Indian sports have been heard. Twenty-three-year-old Mamta Tuddu, a national-level archer and gold medal winner in junior and sub-junior level in 2010 and 2014, respectively, is coerced to sell grocery items. Her situation deteriorated owing to the lockdown imposed due to coronavirus and to tackle poverty he has been selling groceries in her village in Damodarpur in Dhanbad.

In a report published by the publication The Telegraph, Tuddu alleged that her condition is an outcome of the insensitivity of concerned authorities and red-tapism of the system. Tuddu, a daughter of a retired BCCL employee, was training at Center of Excellence for archery in Ranchi from 2018. After the lockdown was imposed, her academy was shut and she had to return home. She could not resume her training due to economic constraints.

“I am the eldest among the seven brothers and sisters. All of my younger siblings had to quit their studies midway as my father’s pension is yet to start. So,our family is totally dependent on the income from the makeshift shop where we sell items like roasted and sprouted grams, pakoras, rice flakes and other such items,” Tuddu told the publication.

She still competes at the senior level but without the government's support, she has decided to stay back with her family and find means of income. Her former coach, Md Shamshad was hurt when he loearnt that Tuddu has been selling pakoras and grams to support her family.

District Secretary of Dhanbad Archery Association, Jubair Alam told The Telegraph, “Though no application for any financial assistance has been sent by her or her father, we will visit her on Saturday and find out the reason for penury and try our level best to extend help to her.”

Inputs from The Telegraph

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