Adilabad: Adivasi kabaddi players lack basic essentials

Adilabad: Two Adivasi professional kabaddi players of Adilabad, Thodasam Bheershav and Atram Dharma Rao have been selected for the Telangana Premier Kabaddi League (TPKL). They neither have shoes, mats nor track suits essential for practice matches that will begin on September 1 in the Saroornagar indoor stadium, not do they have the money to buy them. TKPL’s matches are scheduled from September 16 - 30 in Hyderabad.

Thodasam Bheeshav, 30, of Para village in Jainoor mandal has been playing kabaddi from the 7th class, while studying in the Tribal Welfare Sports School in Utnoor. Thodasam Bheeshav is a farmer and takes care of his aged mother Thoorpa Bai. Bheershav said that he has played senior kabaddi tournaments in Bihar, Jharkhand, Goa, Jammu Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and was the captain for the Adilabad district kabaddi team for 8 years. He said that Kabaddi Association secretary Ramachandram has been encouraging him in kabaddi since a long time. He said that '20,000 is required for each player to get all the material required for the game. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor gave '50,000 towards expenses of the kabaddi team of eight members to participate in a tournament in Khammam last year.

Bheershav trained Atram Dharmarao, 28, of Devudupalli in Sirpur ( U) mandal and fashioned him into a professional kabaddi player who was now playing state level tournaments. Both Bheershav and Atram Dharmarao have completed their degree and are now doing B.PEd to get a job so that they can continue playing kabaddi. Beershav plays for Karimnagar Kings and Dharmarao for Nalgonda Eagle franchises. These two are now running from pillar to post for financial help.