Players are doing their bit to further the image of Kalimpong as a thriving place for martial arts

Kalimpong, Oct. 19: Players young and old alike are doing their bit to further the image of Kalimpong as a thriving place for martial arts; that too without any help whatsoever from any quarters —government or otherwise.

Trilok Subba, a veteran of taekwondo and holder of the sixth dan black belt, returned home last week with three awards from an international meet in Scotland even as a 15-member team of karatekas from economically poor background are preparing for an international tournament to be hosted by the National Karate Federation of India in Pune from October 29 to 31.

The young karatekas aged between 12 and 25 have been undergoing intensive training since October 14 at Pedong, a village about 20km from here, under the guidance of chief instructor Milan Subba. The players — most of them are school and college students — hail from the rural belt of the subdivision. They are taking time off their studies to prepare for what will be their first international exposure.

“The heads of schools my students study in have given special leave to them. We are determined to repay the faith reposed in us by performing to the best of our abilities in the championship,” said Subba.

His words do not appear to be a false promise going by the track record of his wards. In the 19th All India Kuboto Cup Karate Championship held in Jharkhand in August, the boys from Kalimpong bagged 12 medals — five gold and silver each and two bronze.

The 15 will be representing the Darjeeling Schools’ Karate Association at the Pune meet.

“The parents of most of these players are poor farmers. However, despite their poor economic condition, the parents do all they can to help their children continue with the sport. In fact, it is the parents who bear the training and travel cost of their children,” said Subba.

Some players like Manoj Rai do part time work to meet the training and travel expenses. “I am doing an undergraduate course through distance education and I teach on a part-time basis to fund my karate training,” said Rai, whose parents are farmers from Lower Kafer.

The background of 12-year-old Jiten Subba, a Class V student of Tender Buds School in Pedong, is also the same. “I have been learning karate for the last three years under the guidance of Milan Sir,” he said.

Trilok, the taekwondo expert, has brought laurels not only to his hometown but also to his adopted state Sikkim by winning national and international-level tournaments. “I am especially proud of my Scotland performance because it is a prestigious tournament where about 200 people from 20 countries took part,” said Trilok.

He is the state chief coach of the Sikkim Amateur Taekwondo Association. He won three medals — two gold and a silver — at the 3rd Scottish Open Taekwondo Poomsae Championship in Edinburg on October 8.

TT