Drug addict turns karate champ with big dreams

Balveer Purviya is an addict for the second time in his life, but this time around the 18-year-old is getting his kick from karate, education and dreams of a better life, not drugs and alcohol.

Updated on: Mar 16, 2012, 02:03:39 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Balveer Purviya is an addict for the second time in his life, but this time around the 18-year-old is getting his kick from karate, education and dreams of a better life, not drugs and alcohol.

Leaving an impoverished home at the age of seven - a decision influenced by the presence of a drunkard father and absence of mother, who died when he was four - Purviya landed from Datia district of Madhya Pradesh in bustling Gwalior.

The royal city's railway station was his home and undoing for the next three years. Forced by anti-socials to pick pockets, he got hooked to drugs, alcohol and sniffing whiteners.

Purviya landed in state capital Bhopal at the age of 10 and was rescued for the first time by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Bachpan. But he ran away, before being rescued by NGO Childline, which proved the turning point.

"Childline provided me a shelter for a year. Later, they enrolled me in bridge course classes where I learnt from 0 to 100. I also started karate training," he said.

Setbacks continued, but Purviya fought on to acquire a brown belt in karate and an Industrial Training Institute certificate. Pursuing high school education, he has his heart set on becoming an electrical engineer.

Earning money by providing karate training and working at electric shops, Purviya has bagged multiple medals in junior national and international karate events.

The once no-hoper, who owns a motorcycle now, said, "If children like me find an appropriate place to stay, as I did, their lives would change." Childline director Archana Sahay said, "I am proud of Balveer. He is an inspiration for poor kids."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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