There used to be a time when M. Pandeeshwari and S. Azhagupandi spent most of their time practising at a make-shift boxing ring in Government High School in Kachakatti near Vadipatti in Madurai district.
“When boxing was first introduced in our school, our Physical Education master came to our class and asked if any of us were interested. Until then I had never taken part in this sport but I had participated in running and other athletic activities. It seemed interesting and I joined the coaching that took place after school hours,” says Ms. Pandeeshwari who is presently studying Class 12 at Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Vadipatti.
Her peer Ms. Azhagupandi, studying Class 11 at the same school, says when the coaching began for her in Class 9 in the old school, both of them took it lightly. “It was a pleasant distraction from school work and anyway it was new. So I was excited,” she says.
But soon boxing became an obsession for the two girls. They went on to win State-level tournaments.
Training, however, came to an abrupt halt when they had to move out of Kachakatti to attend higher secondary school. Without a ground, ring, coaches and equipment, the two could not train. They now yearn to get back to boxing.
“If they practise properly and regularly, the girls can represent Tamil Nadu at national-level events,” says R. Chandramohan, their former coach and PT teacher at the Kachakatti school.
The two are daughters of vendors selling spinach at weekly markets in Madurai. Mr. Chandramohan says prior to their first divisional competition in Madurai in 2016, both the girls could train only for two months. “They practised hard and maintained a healthy diet, thanks in part to the mid-day meal scheme which provided eggs and pulses daily. When the holidays come, they would not eat as much and lag in strength. They needed an extra push. It all paid off when Pandeeshwari won the first place in the divisional tournament. It fired up Azhagupandi too and she qualified the very next year,” he says.
Ms. Pandeeshwari was placed third in a State-level tournament in 2016. She says her parents were supportive. Sports runs in the family as her four older brothers are kabadi players. “In Kachakatti, girls rarely travel far to take part in tournaments. But my parents would ask me to go and bring medals. It was a huge boost,” she says.
Ms. Azhagupandi says she would spend half-an-hour each morning and an hour in the evening to fight her opponent Ms. Pandeeshwari who says she took inspiration from Tamil film Maan Karate.