HYDERABAD:Aruna Budda Reddy is the second name from the world of gymnastics to become a household one in India. Post her bronze at the World Cup in Australia, she was showered with heavy accolades.Besides the state government promising Rs 2 crore to the 22-year-old, Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) had presented her Rs 20 lakh. All through this, N Brij Kishore, her coach of ten years, was bedridden at a hospital, where he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Express had reported about his family finding it tough to meet the expenses, even when SATS had given him Rs 2 lakh.
Substantial help arrived for the coach’s family on Sunday when the state government handed him a cheque for Rs 25 lakh. “The CM had said that we will be helped. So, I was expecting something,” said Anjali, the coach’s wife. While monetary help has brought much relief, Kishore still has to struggle for survival. “He has just undergone one of the 12 chemotherapy sessions recommended by the doctors,” Anjali lamented.
All these physical limitations have not stopped the 51-year-old from interacting with Aruna, who is preparing for the Commonwealth Games. “He is in regular touch with her over the phone. He still finds the strength to guide her for CWG,” Anjali said. However, the question of regularisation of SATS coaches still looms. Kishore works for SATS on a contractual basis, and earns Rs 43,000 per month after 25 years of service. With Anjali working as a private teacher and earning around Rs 15,000 per month, the parents and their two daughters are struggling to make ends meet.
Winds of change, though, might just be around the corner as there are voices within the government that seem to be paying heed. “The SATS managing director has written to the state government on the regularisation issue. Discussions over the issue have been going on. I will give an update on the matter soon,” said SATS chairman A Venkateshwar Reddy.
vishal@newindianexpress.com