Once an aspiring boxer, now parking attendant in Chandigarh

Deepankar Sharda

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 11

Going through a tough time, 23-year-old Ritu, a national-level boxer and volleyball player, is working as a parking attendant to make the ends meet.

The youngster, who was forced to leave her studies after passing senior secondary exams four years ago, has given up hope of donning the boxing gloves again and instead wants a better job to sustain her family, including an ailing father. Ritu’s three siblings also work as labourers to earn a living.

“I have played in two SGFI nationals as a boxer and volleyball player. But after passing my Class XII exams, I was forced to look for a job as my father was keeping unwell. All of us (four siblings) do some kind of work as daily wagers,” said Ritu. Asked whether she wanted to pursue studies, Ritu said it won’t help her cause.

“Neither restarting boxing, nor pursuing further studies will help me. I want a respectable job,” said Ritu.

“My father is ailing and cannot work. We all had to work as daily wagers to support each other. At this moment, I just can’t restart from the scratch. I think, achieving any milestone in sports is very difficult in the present circumstances,” she said.

“I was assured by many people of monetary help or supporting my boxing career, but I just wanted a stable and respectable job,” added Ritu, who lives in Dhanas village.

Asked whether she had any regrets about leaving sports midway, Ritu said she had never planned her life this way.

“There were no plans of pursuing sports. Like any other sportsperson, I used to enjoy playing. Neither there were any plans of pursuing my career in sports. I had dreams of going to college and living a normal life, but destiny has pushed me here to manage the parking lot,” she said.