Odisha boy’s ascent from bare fields to tangled kho kho terrains – The New Indian Express

Express press service

BHUBANESWAR: Until two years ago, Lipun Mukhi worked as a salesman in an optical shop in Balasore and in his spare time sold fish in his brother’s shop to supplement his family’s income. Today, the 24-year-old is a national-level kho kho player.

A member of the Odisha Juggernauts team who became champions of the inaugural Ultimate Kho Kho League – India’s first-ever professional kho kho league – held recently in Pune, Lipun’s impressive performance as a striker l brought to light. He played two games in the tournament.

His journey from Parkhi’s home village of Balasore to Pune, however, was not easy. Born to Bijay Mukhi and Bimala Mukhi who are farmers, Lipun was introduced to the game of kho kho while he was in Class – IX at Balkrishna High School by his brother Sipun.

Sipun is also a kho kho player who played in the national junior championship. While pursuing their studies, the brothers worked part-time to finance their studies and supplement the family income. The brothers never received professional training in Kho Kho. Amid the struggle, Lipun did not give up the match.

“My older brother coached me and we used to practice on my school grounds until last year. Despite my lack of proper training, my brother made sure I competed in championships. ‘State and Nationals,’” recalls Lipun, a member of the Odisha men’s team who finished runners-up in the 21st Kho Kho East Zone Senior Championship in West Bengal in 2018.

The young sportsman has represented Odisha in six senior national kho kho championships so far. “Last year I participated in the 54th Senior Kho Kho National Championship in Jabalpur where I got a call from Odisha Juggernauts team to join,” he said and added that after having been part of the Ultimate Kho Kho Championship this year. , he realized what it was like to play on a kho kho mat.

“Until now, I had only played on bare ground. It was new for me and I found it very difficult because it took more effort to generate speed,” he said. Lipun increased his training hours to play on the mat floor in Pune and his championship efforts paid off. The Odisha Juggernauts team clinched the coveted title of Ultimate Kho Kho Champions after beating Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in the final at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. The team received `1 crore in prize money.

“The best part of a game like kho kho is that you don’t need a lot of financial support. If the state government continues to support players like me, many grassroots players will benefit,” said said Lipun.

BHUBANESWAR: Until two years ago, Lipun Mukhi worked as a salesman in an optical shop in Balasore and in his spare time sold fish in his brother’s shop to supplement his family’s income. Today, the 24-year-old is a national-level kho kho player. A member of the Odisha Juggernauts team who became champions of the inaugural Ultimate Kho Kho League – India’s first-ever professional kho kho league – held recently in Pune, Lipun’s impressive performance as a striker l brought to light. He played two games in the tournament. His journey from Parkhi’s home village of Balasore to Pune, however, was not easy. Born to Bijay Mukhi and Bimala Mukhi who are farmers, Lipun was introduced to the game of kho kho while he was in Class – IX at Balkrishna High School by his brother Sipun. Sipun is also a kho kho player who played in the national junior championship. While pursuing their studies, the brothers worked part-time to finance their studies and supplement the family income. The brothers never received professional training in Kho Kho. Amid the struggle, Lipun did not give up the match. “My older brother coached me and we used to practice on my school grounds until last year. Despite my lack of proper training, my brother made sure I competed in championships. ‘state and nationals,’ recalls Lipun, a member of the Odisha men’s team who finished runners-up in the 21st Kho Kho East Zone Senior Championship in West Bengal in 2018. The young sportsman has so far represented Odisha in Six Senior National Kho Kho Championships “Last year I participated in the 54th Senior National Kho Kho Championship in Jabalpur where I got a call from Odisha Juggernauts team to join,” said he said and added that after being part of the Ultimate Kho Kho Championship this year, he realized what it was like to play on a kho kho mat. “Until now, I had only played on bare ground. This was new to me and I found it very difficult as it required more effort to generate life. esse,” he said. Lipun increased his training hours to play on the mat floor in Pune and his championship efforts paid off. The Odisha Juggernauts team clinched the coveted title of Ultimate Kho Kho Champions after beating Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in the final at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. The team received `1 crore in prize money. “The best part of a game like kho kho is that you don’t need a lot of financial support. If the state government continues to support players like me, many grassroots players will benefit,” said said Lipun.