Pooja Chauhan, 13, recently won a silver medal at the state-level taekwondo competition in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, which took place in June of this year.

Pooja, a tea vendor’s daughter, resides in a run-down home that has been reinforced with bamboo and polythene sheets to keep out dust and moisture in Kanpur, roughly 100 kilometers from the state capital Lucknow. The home is located right outside the main gate of the historic Anandeswar temple.

The teenager has not let living in poverty or hardship prevent him from having huge dreams. The eighth-grade student at the Kanpur Nursery Junior Higher Secondary School has only one dream: to become a world-class athlete.

Just outside her kaccha home, her father, Satish Kumar Chauhan, runs a tea stall and sells biscuits and wafers, the sole earning source of the family. Despite his poor financial situation, the 48-year-old father is leaving no stone unturned to help her daughter realise her dream.

“My income from the tea stall is just enough to run my family — my wife and three children. I sell bread, biscuits and tea and on a good day, when there is some special occasion in the temple, I manage to earn about Rs 600 – Rs 700. Otherwise it is no more than Rs 400 a day,” Satish Chauhan told Gaon Connection.

Just outside her kaccha home, her father, Satish Kumar Chauhan, runs a tea stall.

It was at his tea stall nine years ago, in 2014, that Pooja first dreamt of donning the white dress of Taekwondo champion. Of course, the little girl, all of four years then, didn’t know what the sport was all about.

“I was about four years old when I would sit outside while my father worked at the tea stall. And, every morning a bunch of children, all dressed in white, would pass by,” Pooja told Gaon Connection. Curious, Pooja asked her father where the children were going. She learnt that they were athletes who were going to the nearby Green Park to practise their sports.

That was in 2014, and ever since Pooja has held on to her dream of becoming a sports person too.

“In 2014, I joined Taekwondo classes at Green Park, and the following year in 2015, I participated in the circle level Taekwondo competition. The very next year, in 2016, I won the gold in the same event,” said Pooja.

Since then she has participated in Taekwondo events in several states such as Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Delhi.

Pooja has no coach to train her, but that has not stopped her from practising tirelessly in a small park near her home. In June this year, she won the silver medal at the state level championships.

I participated in the circle level Taekwondo competition. The very next year, in 2016, I won the gold in the same event, said Pooja.

Pooja’s family couldn’t be happier. But, there is the constant lurking worry of not being able to keep her in sports because of lack of money to find her a good coach and feed her nutritious food.

Pooja’s father is fully aware that his daughter needs a high calorie nutritious diet to keep her at the top of her game.

“I should ideally consume dry fruits, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Pooja. But with just enough to feed a family of five, her father has to borrow money even to send Pooja to the various competitive events.
Pooja’s elder brother Akash was also a keen cricketer. “I wanted to play cricket for the country, but our financial situation did not allow it,” the 24-year-old told Gaon Connection. He dropped out of studies after his Intermediate (class 10) and began to help his father in his tea stall.

Despite all the challenges and lack of financial stability of her family, Pooja has been sweeping in the medals, and she has an impressive haul of them.

With her grit and determination, Pooja has been sweeping in the medals.

Pooja’s former coach in Green Park, Sushant Gupta, was all praises for Pooja’s grit and determination. “I am confident that with just a bit of financial support, Pooja has it in her to win accolades for the country. I have seen her focus and hard work. She has often told me that she wants to bring glory to the country, just like Mary Kom did,” Gupta told Gaon Connection.

Pooja’s father asked numerous officials for assistance after she earned her medals. He expressed disappointment, saying, “I wrote to corporation officials, the ministry of sports, the office of the chief minister, and the prime minister himself, but we have received no answer from anyone.

While this is happening, Satish Chauhan and his wife alternate between feelings of pride and despondency as their flimsy home is in peril.

“We spend the entire night awake when it rains. We appreciate the temple trustees giving us permission to live here, but I lack the resources to turn it into a sturdy, secure home for my family, said Satish. I want to make my daughter’s dreams come true, but,” he faltered.

(With input source)