While their sporting idols might be Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, the 14 tribal youths from Erumadu in Pandalur came away with wins in a variety of running events held at the second edition of the International Tribal Games at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi in May of this year.
The tribal youths, all aged between 14 and 20 and belonging to the Mulla Kurumba and Paniya communities in Pandalur, have become local celebrities in their villages of Kappala and Kootattu. V Natrajan, an ex-serviceman who trained the youths, said that they had only a few days to prepare. “These children are all from primitive tribes and they are well known here by the locals. I had seen these boys play football and felt that they were natural athletes,” said Mr. Natarajan.
All 14 members of the squad from the Nilgiris managed to win medals in their respective events, with the boys taking part in 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter events.
C Vishnu, 17, from Kootattu hamlet, who finished second in the 800 meter event, said that he and the others were not used to running in cleats because they had not worn them during training. “We all ran barefoot and we still performed really well, and this has given us a lot of confidence that we can improve even further and compete nationwide,” he said.
Similarly G Siju, 18, who won the 400 meter event, said that he initially thought they had little chance of making it. “Our performance shows that with better training and equipment, we can do even better,” he said.
Their coach Mr. Natrajan said that the boys' involvement in sports activities will have a beneficial effect on their lives. “Because they are so focused on sports, they will not take to alcohol or drugs, and a few boys on the team are also planning to pursue higher education,” he said. The best athletes from Erumadu could be soon on their way to a month-long training camp designed to hone their skills later this year. Sabina Samad, the secretary of Touching Souls India, the NGO that organized the event, which was supported by the ONGC, said: “Not only did they demonstrate their talent, they also got to connect with youths from other tribal communities from across India,” said Ms. Samad.
