Kolkata: Chandan Bauri still loves his track and field. A regular on the circuit and a state champion with several records and gold medals under his belt, Chandan’s dreams shattered due to consecutive lockdowns and no sporting activities.
Initially, he tried to meet ends by driving an automated rickshaw and now works as civic police with a meagre salary. His mother works as domestic help. However, in the midst of his struggle for existence, Bauri has not lost hope and is determined to hit the track again once the situation normalizes.
As a civic volunteer, his duty is under the Howrah Bridge which comes under the jurisdiction of the Howrah traffic guard. He had major injuries on his knees, ankle and groin, following which he had to leave the tracks. However, he did not lose hope. He wants to hit the tracks again. But his job as civic police is a deterrent to the fulfilment of his comeback dreams. Currently, he is a first-year student of physical education.
Previously his duty was just for three days a week. But because of the COVID-19 and lockdown situation, he has to do extra duty. “The injured parts are not getting enough rest. I have applied again and again for relief from extra duty. But nothing happened. I was supposed to receive Rs 9,000 a month. Salary is deducted in case of absence from duty. So on average, I get around Rs 7,500 a month,” he said.
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He is a resident of Tarakeshwar in the Hooghly district. Poverty has been his companion since childhood. His mother used to work as domestic help. But now her physical condition does not allow her to continue with that profession.
A few years back, Chandan emerged as a promising athlete under the supervision of his coach Rajdeep Karak. He even holds national records in the 400-meter race in the age group of 16 and 18. He also notched a record in under-20 national events.
Now his future as an athlete is facing uncertainty. But he cannot just think of bidding goodbye to his dream. “Now I am undergoing my training under Soma Biswas. In 2016, I received injuries during the practice session of the Olympics in Poland. Although I had undergone treatment, I did not fully recover then. I recovered slowly and even bagged the gold medal in the state meet in 2018. But again I was injured. Since I have flatfoot, the recovery time is more. Now I am fit and undergoing practice regularly and waiting for a comeback,” he said.
He feels that injuries are professional hazards for sportsmen. “But all I need is an opening and scope. At the same time, the duty hours are deterrents for a quick comeback. But I will go on trying,” Bauri said.
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He has bagged a total of 17 medals in different national and international level meets like the School-level Asian Championship at Malaysia in 2013, School-level World Championship at Malaysia and Youth Commonwealth Games in 2015 and SAF games at Dubai in 2016 among others.
State Athletics Association secretary, Kamal Moitra is aware of Chandan's struggle. In fact, he was the one who took the initiative to secure the job of civic police for Chandan. He sincerely hopes that Chandan makes a successful comeback.
Equally hopeful is his present coach Soma Biswas. “He underwent coaching under me for six months before the pandemic. But that is not possible now. But I am in touch with him. Since he has age on his side still, I am sure that given an opportunity he can make a comeback,” she said.
