Odisha man mortgages land to travel for Delhi kickboxing event, wins gold

Billu Tirkey, who is a schoolteacher in Odisha’s Sundargarh district and gets ₹3200 salary monthly, won the gold in the 74 kg category

Published on: Nov 11, 2022, 09:12:44 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 41-year-old primary schoolteacher from Odisha’s Sundargarh district won a gold medal at an international kickboxing championship this week after mortgaging his land to fund his travel to New Delhi for the competition.

Billu Tirkey often takes up work as a labourer under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to supplement his monthly ₹3200 salary. (Sourced)

Billu Tirkey, who often takes up work as a labourer under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to supplement his monthly ₹3200 salary, won the gold in the 74 kg category at the second edition of the World Association of Kickboxing Organization (WAKO)’s Indian Open International Kickboxing tournament.

He defeated a kickboxer from Assam to win the medal, said Santosh K Agrawal, president of WAKO (India), which organised the event from November 2 to 6. He was among the five boxers from Odisha to win medals.

Kickboxing is a martial art involving kicking and punching opponents in a ring with boxing gloves and bare feet. The International Olympic Committee has granted it provisional recognition. But it is yet to be included in the Olympics.

Tirkey said his friends encouraged him to participate in the tournament. “...I have been doing kickboxing for over 12 years...[but] never [participated in] an international event. ...my friends asked me to try my luck in the international championship...I did not have the money to travel to Delhi.”

He said his coach, Bichitra Jena, bought the railway ticket for him. “But I was short of ₹30,000 entry fees and accommodation in Delhi. I mortgaged 1-acre farmland for ₹20,000 and borrowed the rest of the money at high-interest rates from friends,” said Tirkey.

Tirkey received a warm welcome at the Rourkela railway station when he returned from New Delhi. He has since been felicitated at several functions. Tirkey said he was worried about the mortgage and repaying the loans. “I would be happy if someone gives me a cash award. My wife also works as an MGNREGS labourer to supplement our income.”

Jena said Tirkey can do wonders at international events if he gets financial support.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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