CHENNAI: The medal felt heavier than it appeared to be, the announcements were still being made for other categories, camera shutters went off in haste, amidst dreams getting shattered and the few winners crowned. Exhausted and euphoric, 10-year-old R Raja, standing atop a podium, held high the gold medal for the boys under-19 25-kg judo tournament at the 68th National School Games held in October last year in Gujarat, ensuring the only adjective that would be used to describe him was “champion”, and not the ones assigned to him, especially not a shelter kid.
Long before the blue foam mats that turned the boy a victor, there was the cold blue of fear that accompanied the floods that washed away his identity, one that poured into his home in Guduvanchery. Raja’s family, who had recently moved from Villupuram to the outskirts of Chennai city in search of job opportunities, was one among the nearly 18 lakh people displaced from their homes during the 2015 Chennai floods. Soon after the disaster, the boy’s mother succumbed to health issues, leaving his father B Ramesh, a daily wage labourer, to support Raja and his younger brother R Raghavan single-handedly. Roofless, the boys were later given a place at the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) shelter in Thiruvanmiyur, run by the Jeeva Jyothi, a non-governmental organisation. At present, Raja is a Class 6 student at the Greater Chennai Corporation School in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.
When all of the world had hunkered down to evade a deadly virus in 2021, the boy’s crucible moment arrived in the form of a Japanese martial art. D Sarathy, who has a black belt in judo with a master’s degree in physical education, joined the shelter as a night security guard on February 17, 2021. He introduced the Olympic sport to all the children at the shelter, aiming to inculcate discipline and excellence in them. Demonstrating the instructor’s unwavering commitment was his choice to reside at the shelter to teach the children, despite owning a home in Triplicane.
Looking back on the moments kindly, Sarathy, a physical education teacher at the AGR Global School, said, “It all began in 2021 when I started teaching judo at the shelter.” He said the children were being given judo practice twice a day. Soon, amongst all the kids at the shelter, Raja stood out, showing a level of perseverance, which the judo instructor said he had “inherited from his father”. Adept at learning new skills, the boy locked in duel after duel on the mat to hone his techniques, which laid the groundwork for his accomplishments, which are nothing short of extraordinary. Besides clinching gold in the 68th National School Games, Raja became the first kid from the GCC shelters to qualify for national-level sports events. Recognising his achievement, the Chennai Corporation Education Department conferred on him the State Achiever Award. Recently, Raja won silver at the Chennai District Revenue Department School Education Judo Tournament 2024-25.
Talking about his experiences, Raja said, “Before every match, I think about the technique to use and attempt to execute it well. I like to use different techniques for every match. I also want to maintain a balance between studies and judo. My friends and I help each other by fixing our mistakes and learning together.” Apart from deeply appreciating his judo instructor’s mentorship, Raja also expressed gratitude to Rani, the physical education teacher at his school. “My dream is to make this shelter proud,” said Raja, who aspires to represent the country in international tournaments and the Olympics -- the holy grail of every athlete.
“Like Raja, there are several children at the shelter with immense potential,” said Sarathy, highlighting that many more could represent the nation in sports if provided with adequate support and with the state’s rethinking of the systemic approach to talent among the underserved communities. “The biggest support the government can offer the children in this shelter is providing them with critical documents like birth certificates, Aadhaar cards, and community certificates. Right now, six talented children in the shelter do not possess said documents, which restrict them from participating in many tournaments. Sponsorships for their education and travel to tournaments would make a significant difference,” said the instructor.
(Edited by Thamizhamudhan Sekar)