KASARGOD: At 7 pm every day, Akshay Kumar H, 18, can be seen punching the heavy bag at the Lion’s Boxing Club in Kanhangad. He is sweating it out for the 50th Kerala State Amateur Boxing Championship to be held in Kollam from October 11 to 13. Akshay looks forward and his confidence stems from his bronze-medal feat at the state championship in Malappuram last December. At 9 pm, when the club closes, the affable pugilist too wraps up. For Akshay, the two hours at the boxing club was the third round of his long day.
The first-round bell rings at 3 am. In half an hour, he is at Kanhangad town to pick up the first bundle of newspapers. He is an agent for four dailies, including The New Indian Express, and delivers them at 300 houses. “I’ve been doing it since I was in Class VIII,” he said. He was 13 years old back then.
In 2014, Akshay had to leave the national selection camp at Thiruvananthapuram after barely a week because of his daily commitment. “My friends weren’t delivering them at the right address and I started getting relentless phone calls.
“I don’t think I can ever make it to the next level. How will I stay away? I’ve to do my bit to support my family,” he said.The bell for his second round of the day rings at the Nehru Arts and Science College, where he is pursuing BSc polymer chemistry. “After college, I often help my father, who’s a daily-wage worker,” he said. His father Namadeva H, who is a woodcutter, also plucks coconuts for a living.
But both the father and mother, Pushpalatha, say they want their children to excel in sports.
“My daughter Rajeshwari, 17, too is a boxer. She has won gold at the state sub-junior championships,” said Pushpalatha. “I’m happy with their progress, except when they come home with cuts on the forehead and nose.” Rajan M, who has been coaching the siblings since their schooldays, says Akshay is a bit short in height. “But he makes up with his gumption and determination. Now he says he wants to box and win like his sister,” said Rajan.
On his advice, Akshay has reduced his weight by 12 kg to 52kg. “The target is to reduce it to 48kg for January’s university games,” he said.Apart from boxing, Akshay is a district champion in judo and grapples on the mat too.His judo coach Jojo comes from Ernakulam and wrestling coach Suresh from Kottayam once in a while, and the practice sessions are held at the Durga Higher Secondary School. “But my heart lies in boxing,” he says.