M F AHMED
Daltonganj, Nov 5: A student of Nilamber Pitamber University, Priyanka Kumari of Garhwa, who won two gold medals in the 9th All India Traditional Wrestling and Pankration Championship 2021 in Goa, is highly ‘uncertain of her studies and career’ following ‘dire economic condition of her family’.
Speaking to Lagatar24.com today, Priyanka said that she is in the third semester of History honours from Surat Pandey Degree College, Garhwa. Her economic condition makes her unsure of how she will be able to meet the expenses of higher education.
Coming from a poor farmer’s family, she knows what scarcity of amenities means in life. She won a gold medal in 63+ kg wrestling competition. She won this gold for Jharkhand, Garhwa and NPU.
Priyanka says she has to work hard to keep her diet and jersey in good shape. Every step is a challenge for her. She has high ambition in life but is unsure how to achieve it given her limited means.
She wants NPU, where she is enrolled as a History Honours student, to come forward and help her with sustainable financial aid so that she can pursue her degree education and undertake competitive examinations’ coaching to crack jobs in the state services, railways, banks, insurance sectors, the cost of which is too high for her.
Priyanka’s winning gold in the national championship and her poor penury condition was brought to notice of the registrar of NPU, Dr Rakesh Kumar, on which he said,” The University is closed for now on account of the festivals. Let it open. We will surely see how she can be financially helped by the university.”
Priyanka has so far won 9 gold medals in the national championship and in Goa 9th All India Traditional Wrestling and Pankration Championship 2021 she was on her winning spree when she defeated wrestlers of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Manipur.
Jharkhand, in the Goa championship, bagged 8 golds and two of them won by Priyanka.
Priyanka further said that she is grateful to her coach and mentor, Shailendra Pathak, as she would not have been at the place where she is now. Shailendra Pathak is All India General Secretary of the Wrestling Association.
Kishore Kunal Paswan, a male wrestler who has won a bronze medal in the same Goa championship, is lucky to have no financial stress and anxiety as he said he is a government school teacher and can take care of himself and his parents. Paswan is a bachelor of physical education degree holder. He bagged bronze in his 65 kg wrestling.
“Our colleagues, Priyanka Kumari and others, need immediate financial support otherwise economic deficiency and scarcity will cut into their wrestling career very soon,” he added.
Priyanka and Kishore Kunal Paswan had received praises from Garhwa MLA Mithilesh Thakur, Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, for bringing gold, silver and bronze for Jharkhand.
The wrestling championship in Goa was held between October 29 – 31 and had participation from many states and UTs like Maharashtra, Manipur, Andaman and Nicobar, Nagaland, Assam, Chhattisgarh Jharkhand, UP, Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka,Tripura etc.
Dheeraj Kr. Dubey, a sports enthusiast and a close confidante of the minister Mithilesh Thakur, had accompanied the team.
