Young Kho Kho player bent on clearing hurdle
JAGATSINGHPUR: Sasmita Nathsharma has always believed that obstacles are meant to be overcome and must not deter a person from reaching the pinnacle of success. The young Kho Kho player from Gopiakudua village under Tirtol tehsil, at the age of 18, has represented the country in international events surpassing all odds.
It is Sasmita’s dream to participate in the Kho Kho World Cup, scheduled to be held in February next year in Bangladesh but poverty has emerged as a barrier for the student of Plus Three Arts of Adikabi Sarala Das College, Tirtol.
Her father Saroj Nathsharma is a small-time businessman and earns around `7,000-8,000 per month. The meagre income makes it tough for Saroj to sustain a family of six. However, he has never let financial crunch come in the way of Sasmita’s dreams. “To fulfil Sasmita’s dreams, I availed loans and borrowed money from others”, he said, adding that the youngster was given financial support by the president of Kho Kho Federation at the last minute due to which she was able to play at the International Kho Kho Championship in England.
The young talent was part of the team that emerged winner at the event last year. She has also participated in East Zone Kho Kho Championship held at Haldia in West Bengal and was given the best all-rounder award at ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ Kho Kho Tournament held in Mumbai earlier this year.
Meanwhile, moved by Sasmita’s plight, Jagatsinghpur Collector has sanctioned `50,000 for the youngster for meeting her training expenses.