His journey from the sandy dunes of Stuartpuram village to the shores of Queensland, where Australian Weightlifting Championship is under way, is a story of remarkable courage and grit.
Thanks to the spectacular sporting success, the village, once dreaded for its notorious bandits, would be remembered for producing one of the finest and talented sportspersons.
The transformation of the village began with the advent of missionaries in the early 20th Century, who reformed them by providing them with training, opportunities for alternative employment at settlement colonies in Sitanagaram, Staurtpuram — named after former British Home Secretary Harold Stuart, and at Kavali and at Kalichedu settlements.
Ragala Varun, who has just won gold in the 77kg category, joined his illustrious brother Ragala Ventak Rahul and firmed a place in the Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia in 2018.
The siblings training at National Institute of Sports in Patiala, Punjab, have won more than 60 medals for the country in various meets.
But the story of their spectacular success began in the backyard of a thatched house at Vedullapalli.
Their father, Madhu, a national Kabbadi player, nursed a fierce dream to make his sons sportspersons. Refusing to be bogged down by poverty, Madhu was determined to place his sons in the finest sporting schools. He sold his house worth ₹25 lakh for ₹15 lakh and later sold away his ancestral property too. Working as a farm labourer, he raised his sons in a small thatched house.
“I used to train Rahul from the age of one itself by making him to lift small weights, making him run around. When he passed Class three in the village school, I admitted him at Hakimpet Sports School. Since then, my sons have been winning medals in various championships,” Mr. Madhu said.