Please tell that boxer Sarita Devi had attended a conference of IIT Guwahati. In which he recalled the days of the 90s when extremism was at its peak in Manipur and told that sports saved him from following the path of extremism.
Sarita said, ‘I was moving towards extremism after being influenced by the extremists. I used to provide weapons to them, but sports changed me and inspired me to work to make my country proud.
Along with this, Laishram Sarita Devi further mentioned in her statement that about 50 militants used to visit her house daily. With whom she was impressed and wanted to be exactly like them.
The former world champion said, ‘I used to live in a small village and used to see militants every day when I was 12-13 years old. Around 50 militants used to visit the house daily. I used to see their guns and wanted to be like them. I was moving towards extremism. Sarita admitted that at one point of time she used to transport weapons of militants from one place to another.
“I used to dream of being like him and I loved playing with guns. I did not know that through sports you can bring fame to yourself and the country. One day his brother thrashed him after which his life changed. “I got into sports and then I represented India for the first time in 2001 at the Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok and won a silver medal,” Sarita said.
IND vs AUS: Now Ashes will be played in India, new era has started
In such a situation, when her national anthem was played and everyone honored her, she became emotional. She said, ‘That was the moment when I got emotional. After that I worked hard and participated in many competitions from 2001 to 2020 and won many medals. Sports changed me. I want to see a similar change in the youth of our country.
40-year-old Sarita Devi, a resident of Manipur’s Amingaon, won a gold medal representing India at the 2005 World Boxing Championships. Apart from this, she has also been a world champion in the lightweight class. However, Sarita Devi was also awarded the Arjuna Award in the year 2009 due to immense success in her career.
IND vs AUS: Mahesh Pithia met his idol Ravichandran Ashwin by touching his feet, then asked a special question
Source: navbharattimes.indiatimes.com
: Language Inputs
This post is sourced from newspapers, magazines and third-party websites. For more information please check NewsDay Express Disclaimer.
