Kicking for success

17 year old Priyanka looks delicate with her lean frame and sharp features. But shake hands with her and you can see she is tough as nails being a wrestler and a kick boxer.

Priyanka began her sports career by practicing to be a belt wrestler and a free wrestler ever since she was in high school but of late she is into kick boxing. And has become a champion at it.

Born to poor parents Priyanka lived in the Rainbow Home run by APSA (Association for promoting Social Action) an NGO that works for children and for community development in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. 

Rainbow Homes program is part of Association for rural and urban needy (ARUN) under which there are homes for children who are underprivileged due to poverty, children living on streets, orphans, lost, trafficked and have no access to basic care. The Rainbow homes shelter these children and provide them with all the basic amenities, education, care, love and guidance molding their future and encouraging to dream of a future where they can be secure and happy.  There are 45 such homes across the country and 19 of them are in Hyderabad.

  Priyanka’s father who worked as a bus conductor met with an accident that made him incapable of working again and her mother took up a job as security personnel in a mall. Bringing up 6 children single handedly was a huge task for her mother so she enrolled 4 daughters, Priyanka included in the APSA (Association for promoting Social Action) Rainbow Home in 2009 when she was a 10 year old kid.

Priyanka and her sisters adapted to their new life in the Rainbow home and were cheerful all the time. Priyanka showed more inclination towards sports and so her teacher at school began to coach her in belt wrestling and free style wrestling. The director of the organization Srinivas Reddy engaged a coach for her when he saw the spark in the girl’s eyes

Priyanka worked hard getting up early mornings for the exercises and training. The care takers and mentors at the Rainbow Home encouraged her at every step. Waking her up in the mornings, with her diet and boosting her spirits in her small defeats and victories.  

 And the hard work paid off when Priyanka was selected to play for the state. And Priyanka won first place at the state level and went to Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh in 2016 and then again in the next year she qualified for the National level at Maharashtra.

But both the years she could not win gold in the wrestling competition. However it was still a victorious moment for her when Mr. Akramullah from the Sports Association for Telangana State saw her wrestling skills. He immediately contacted her guardians at the Rainbow Home on his return to Hyderabad and after the initial formalities of seeking permission; he took her under his wing and coached her in kick boxing where her real potential lay.

Just after 2 months of rigorous training the state level competitions for the ‘under 19 category’ came up and Priyanka won the gold medal and qualified for the national levels – WAKO India National Kickboxing championship.

WAKO India (WAKO – World Association of Kickboxing organizations) event was held from January 25^th -28^th 2018; for the first time in Telangana State with nearly 1600 participants from 23 states of India. And our girl Priyanka was one of them.   

 Priyanka participated in the National level WAKO India National championship and after defeating her opponents from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh she entered the final round with a girl from Maharashtra. After a tough match Priyanka emerged the winner.

It was a moment of pride for all of us from APSA when she won and the gold medal adorned her neck. And as she lifted her trophy and posed for photographs her mentors gloated with pride. It was not just Priyanka but all the girls who lived with her in the Rainbow home who had won that day. She was an example to them and the junior girls had always looked up to her. And she had not failed them this time either. 

Her mother cried in happiness hugging Priyanka. The sacrifice of keeping her daughters away from her had not gone in vain. Priyanka did them proud.

Priyanka wants to ease the burden of her mother by taking up a job as soon as she finishes Intermediate 2^nd year and turns 18. She wants to become a police constable although her ultimate goal is to become an IPS.

Says she, “I can’t afford to wait that long to support my mother. So I will first join as a constable, support my mother and pursue a degree through correspondence. And once I finish my degree I will appear for the UPSC exams. I want to join the IPS.”

But right now she is gearing up for the WAKO Asia International level the venue of which is yet to be declared. But Priyanka says she is ready and rearing to go beat or get beaten. Though we all hope she beats all her opponents and emerges a champion.  

All the very best to Priyanka Mankar.

with the staff and director of APSA