It is double delight for Kabaddi player Mamata Poojari. With the Government set to felicitate her along with other achievers at the Golconda Fort as part of the Independence Day celebrations and also present a cheque of Rs. 25 lakh, this star player has also been named as one of the Arjuna Awardees this year for her outstanding contribution to the sport.
Ever since she landed in Hyderabad in 2006, the 28-year-old has been one of the mainstays of the Indian team including a career-high of a gold medal in the last Asian Games.
For someone who led India in the 2012 World Cup, Mamata owes a lot of her latest honour to her coach Dhanam Reddy. “You rarely come across such a wonderful coach. He will be at the RRC grounds by 5.45 a.m, traversing almost 24 km from Artillery Centre (Golconda) is a proof of his commitment,” she points out.
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For the stocky Dhanam Reddy, who looks more like former Aussie cricketer David Boon, this is a third Arjuna Award from his stable, the others being: Neeta Dadwe and Tejaswini Bai.
“Winning World Cup gold and the Asiad gold are the other best moments for me in my career. When I started, I never dared to dream so big. But, thanks to the efforts I had put in under the able guidance of the coach and the officials, I could achieve these things”, she explains.
A former native of Udipi district in Karnataka never felt as an outsider at all. “I enjoy every moment here,” she says and states that the Pro Kabaddi League, on the high-profile IPL pattern, is a huge fillip to the sport itself.
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“I think the kabaddi player is more respected now thanks to these concepts,” she signs off, preparing for the next month’s Asian Games.