The dull thud of boxing gloves striking the punching bag. The whoosh of skipping rope passing beneath a pair of feet at lightning speed. The drumming of shoe-clad feet against unkempt grass — the Corporation playground at Kottivakkam Kuppam echoes with the sound of a silent transformation. It is here that Manikandan, Govindaraj, Krishnamurthy, and a whole gang from the kuppam practise boxing every evening. What do these boys from the fishing community have to do with the sport? Why do they spend a good part of the day sweating it out at the grounds? Fisherman G. Mohan is the answer.
The 37-year-old has won one State-level gold and three silver medals in boxing in his younger days. Today, he trains boys in his area in the sport. Mohan is from a family of fishermen. His father went fishing on a catamaran to feed his family and Mohan followed suit once he was old enough. “I couldn’t finish school,” he says. He went on to buy his own boat. A chance encounter with a State-level boxer at the beach one morning changed his life. Mohan was drawn to boxing. Every morning, as he went to sea with his net slung across his shoulder, he stopped to observe the boxer practise. Then, Mohan plucked up the courage to approach him. From then on, there was no looking back — Mohan trained whenever he had the time. He hoped that the sport would land him a government job. “I won several medals and travelled to various places for tournaments,” he says. “Sometimes, an important tournament would come up and mother would tell me that there was no food at home. I had no choice but to go fishing instead,” he smiles sadly. “I’ve missed a lot of crucial tournaments since I had to go to sea to support my family.” With no sponsors and contacts to help him, Mohan struggled to balance his livelihood and passion.
“I couldn’t succeed,” he sighs. “People I have beaten in matches have landed government posts. I wanted to somehow come out of fishing and lead a better life.” Today, ‘master’ as Mohan is affectionately known to the boys, has inspired several youngsters in the kuppam to take to boxing. “Experience has taught me the right way to go forward in the sport and I want to help as many boys as I can,” he smiles. Once his fishing for the day is done, Mohan spends the rest of the evening training his students.
“ I’ve missed a lot of crucial tournaments since I had to go to sea to support my family. ”
Alcoholism is known to wreak havoc in many families in the fishing community. Mohan is doing his bit to root out the problem by inculcating discipline in his students. “Any sport demands discipline,” he says. “My students know that very well,” he adds. “I come to the ground straight after I return from the sea,” says student Govindaraj. “I’m not tempted to lounge on the sand and drink or go to the movies. All I have in mind is to practise hard if I want to join the Police Department.”
The last rays of the sun light up a puddle formed due to the previous day’s rain at the playground. Mohan says, “It’s fishing that gave me the strength to pursue boxing. The task involves a lot of physical work; as a result, we are very fit,” he says. “The long hours at sea helped me concentrate at the tournaments.” Perhaps fishermen are natural sportsmen.
