A mango orchard at Uttar Pradesh's Malihabad, a town located 30 km from Lucknow, has been converted into a boxing ring by the children of the area in their bid to learn boxing.
The children are daily seen at the orchard donning their boxing uniforms and gloves. People passing by the orchard watch the children practise the sport.
Due to lack of resources, these children hang punching bags in the twigs of trees in the middle of the gardens and practice combat sport.
Mohammad Saif Khan of Josh Academy Committee, an NGO, had been training the 84 students who learn boxing at the orchard.
Khan while talking toreminisced about the journey of how Mahilabad's children adopted boxing. He told ANI, "I saw the children at Mahilabad and started motivating them to learn boxing. Even after my lakhs of efforts, children were not fond of boxing, but an accident changed the scenario. People were robbed and women were molested by a group of gangsters".
"That incident inspired the boys and girls of the village to learn self-defence. Soon the children came to learn self-defence from me and gradually I started teaching boxing to the children and the number of children gradually increased," he said.
"A lot of children come here from far-flung areas, some come by bicycle, some come on foot. I wish that the children here participate in the Olympics one day. As you know that renowned players like Mary Kom and Vijender Singh have come from small villages," he added.
"My NGO has been helped by other NGOs, the police officers of Malihabad after they saw their talent. They have also given boxing gloves and punching bags and many NGO's," he said.
He has been training self-defence to girls for 15 yrs. He now trains them in a mango orchard of his friend. "There's need for a boxing ring, gloves, better facilities. I urge the government to intervene so that good talent is nurtured well," he said.
"We have been learning boxing from Khan sir for three years. I have played district and state level and I won a silver medal at the state level. I want to play for Olympics. I come from far-flung areas by bicycle. I ride for 18 km to come here. We don't have a place to practice so we practice here only. We are hoping that we get a stadium here. My inspiration is Mary Kom," said Shivani, a boxing student.
( With inputs from ANI )
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