CHENNAI: Two children from Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements in Perumbakkam were honoured on Wednesday after they made it big at international and national sporting events. The two received a total cash incentive of Rs 35,000 from the TNUHDB.
V Dheekshika (12), a class 7 student, won the Achiever’s Cup at the International Junior Target Ball Championship held in Nepal. M Soundarya (21), who is pursuing a Bachelor of Physical Education, won a bronze medal at the recent All India Inter-University Thang-Ta Competition.
Dheekshika received a cash incentive of Rs 25,000, while Soundarya was awarded Rs 10,000. The awards were presented by TNUHDB chairman Ku Pa Krishnan at an event held on Wednesday.
Speaking to TNIE, Dheekshika said her father, K Venugopal, is a daily-wage labourer working at construction sites, while her mother is a tailor. “We moved to the Perumbakkam tenements in 2019 after we were evicted from Amma Nagar in Chindadripet. I have been learning silambam for the past few years. With the help of Sumaithangi Trust, an NGO, I was introduced to rugby and target ball games,” she said.
Soundarya’s family was also evicted from Kallarai near Cooum River in Chennai Central and shifted to Perumbakkam in 2019. She said she began learning silambam during her college days and was later introduced to Thang-Ta, a Manipuri martial art, as well as gatka, a traditional martial art from Punjab.
Her father is a daily-wage construction worker, while her mother is a homemaker. She is currently pursuing her second year of Bachelor of Physical Education at Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
“I had to go to Manipur to participate in this game, so I spent about Rs 11,000. We were able to arrange the money after my brothers sought help from his friends,” she said.
“There is a selection match coming up for which I may have to travel to Manipur. I don’t know how I will manage the expenses,” Soundarya added.