BHUBANESWAR: At Mayurbhanj’s Bholagodia village in Khunta block, rugby has become a way of life for tribal children and youth.Since the last two years, two locals J Sushil Hembram and Sunaram Kisku have been facilitating rugby training for them at the Bholagodia mini stadium free of cost through the Mayurbhanj District Rugby Football Association.
Founded by Hembram, a State-level rugby player, the association has brought focus back on the district as far as the sport is concerned. The story of the association actually goes back to 2009 when Hembram decided to identify and nurture tribal talents in the sport.
“A decade-and-half back when I was playing for the State, I realised that rugby is limited to a few institutions like the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences school in Bhubaneswar. Whereas, there is a lot of potential and enthusiasm for the sport in tribal pockets of Odisha including Mayurbhanj. This is why I started a dedicated rugby football club in Mayurbhanj in 2009,” he said.
But the club functioned in an unorganised manner till Kisku, a CSR personnel and a sportsperson, decided to intervene in 2019. It was during a visit to his village, Kisku saw interest among youths for the sport and decided to register the club as an association to facilitate their training in an organised manner. The association was registered last year.
The duo roped in 11 local tribal sportspersons who are former or current national and State-level players and the latter agreed to coach the youths voluntarily. Realising the potential of the trainees and dedication of Kisku and Hembram towards the sport, local residents took it upon themselves to provide the trainees food. They provide rice, dal and vegetables to the association every month. Kisku also got the association affiliated to Indian Rugby Football Union and Odisha Rugby Football Association.
The initial training happens in the ashram schools of SC and ST Tribal Welfare department, high schools and colleges where students interested in rugby are selected and provided preliminary training. Those selected among them are brought to Bholagodia mini stadium for advance training. “We usually look for enthusiastic children in the Under-8 to Under-17 age group because they can be trained to become professional players,” said Hembram.
Currently, 172 youths (102 girls and 70 boys) are undergoing an advanced all-year-round training in the Bholagodia stadium under the association. They are from Khunta, Chitralaya, Kuliana, Chandra, Bijatala, Jamda, Tiring, Samakhunta and Rairangpur blocks.
“We are mostly self-financed and get support from the Bholagadia community like the Sarpanch, ward members, villagers in general who contribute rice, vegetables and money for cooking food for the trainees. Besides, there are some Good Samaritans including rugby players of the State who contribute in cash and in kind for this initiative,” said Kisku. There has been no government funding for the association so far.
In June this year, eight trainees (five girls and three boys) of the association played for Odisha in the Junior National Rugby 7s Championship 2022 that was held in Bihar. While the girls became the State champions, the boys team was the runners up. “We are now planning to approach Jungle Crows Foundation of Kolkata to train our children,” informed Kisku.
Like hockey in Sundargarh, Hembram and Kisku want Mayurbhanj to become a hub for rugby. Because, the district, they said, has given Odisha several distinguished State and national-level rugby players.