SALEM: There must be something in the water around here. After Mariyappan Thangavelu and Thangarasu Natarajan contributed in putting the city on the sporting map of the country, it is now the turn of Selvamani K. The 25-year-old, a native of Thekampatti in Omalur Taluk, struck it big at the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auctions on Monday as he was bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for a whopping `73 lakh, one of the costliest buys in the history of the league.
Having already featured in three of the four previous editions for Dabang Delhi, he knew he would be picked up at the auction. But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would go for beyond `70 lakh. “I thought around `40 lakh to be honest,” he tells Express. “But 70 and all... wow. I wasn’t following the auction and it was late at night when one of my friends called to inform. I actually thought I was in a dream. It all still feels surreal.”
Selvamani‘s love affair with the game started when he was in 9th standard . This continued after he joined a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at CSI Polytechnic, Salem. During his final year he joined the Tamil Nadu Amateur Kabaddi Association (TAKA) where he received professional training and mentoring and eventually got selected to the State team in 2014. With continued encouragement from the association, it was only going to be a matter of time before PKL found him. And it was Delhi who took the chance for just `2 lakh a couple of seasons ago. Since then, he has grown in stature.
His previous exertions with PKL have helped the family close out loans and with the new-found money, he hopes to build a house. “Next, I want to build a house for my family,” he says. “And also I have a youger sister who is currently pursuing an M.Phil. The money will help in arranging her marriage.” Given it takes years of work and toil to strike it rich in a sport like kabaddi, he is quick to compliment the efforts of A Safiulla, President of TAKA.
“If I am to express gratitude for those responsible my achievements, I must first mention A Safiulla the President of Tamilandu Amateur Kabadi Association and R Swamiyappan, Secretary Salem District Amature Kabaddi Association. Their guidance and support catapulted me into the big league. Coach Ponnappa of Delhi team was the one who guided me into making the leap.”
Selvamani, who works as a clerk in South Central Railway, is clear on his next agenda. “Marriage can wait. Up next is finding a spot in the national team for the Asian Games next year.” Locals in the area attribute Selvamani as the reason behind the sport taking off in a big way. They cite the example of Subash, another Thekampatti man, who is set to feature in his first PKL.
It’s also obvious that the sport is strong in these parts of TN. As many as six people from the surrounding areas will be taking part in the upcoming edition. Out of those six, four have been trained by TAKA, according to Swamiyappan.
More faces could emerge as the league hopes to spread its tentacles far and wide.