“We practice with boys here; our punches have become harder and more aggressive over time. Our stamina, and pain threshold have elevated, too,” shares Durga Sri, a student from SRM University, Vadapalani, who stepped into boxing to lose weight but found herself gaining a new life. “Seeking exercise for fitness, I was encouraged by my parents to join the club. During the weight loss journey, my coach motivated me to take part in a competition where I won gold at the 5th National Junior Girls’ Boxing Championship 2022 by BFI in Manipur. That motivated me to take up the sport full-time,” she says. “All this while my world was restricted to my home, school, and tuition. With boxing and the victories, I can travel across the country, take steps for my career through college admissions and job placements, and also people will know my name. They know who Durga Sri is. I won gold in the CM Trophy.”
And then there’s Lenin, a student at Kerala Vidyalayam. “I started boxing at the age of six. I used to observe my brother Siva Shankar practice in the ring and replicate the punches at home,” says the now 16-year-old. From punching in the air to learning and using his favourite techniques — one-two and side-to-side lateral movement — to winning silver at the CM Trophy, Lenin found a sport to cling on to and carve a recognition for himself. “The coach and annas at the club motivate me a lot and I am thankful to them for my win,” he adds.
Their coach, U Govindharaj, watches each of them like a proud father. “Sports make a man complete. It upgrades a man’s life,” he says. “The role of a coach is to create athletes. What I failed to do in my boxing days, I will achieve through my kids.”