Eluru, April 01: Kathala Bhim Reddy (30) of the primitive Kondreddy tribe from Kannarapupadu in the West Godavari agency can be called the ‘Ekalavya’ of modern times. . Though Bhim Reddy is an ace archer in his village and is highly talented, he is unable to make it big due to abject poverty and lack of training facilities. Like all other tribal people, he inherited bow and arrows from his ancestors who used to a make a living by hunting in the forests. He made a mark as a good archer and in Class VII, Bhim Reddy went to Delhi for training under the tutelage of well-known archer Limba Ram. He won the first prize twice in the State-level archery tournaments held in Srikakulam and Srisailam and second prize in a similar contest conducted in Parvatipuram in Vizianagaram district. He could sustain his passion for archery up to his schooling but could not pursue the sport further for want of the latest equipment.
An Intermediate dropout, he hits the target placed 10 to12 ft away with ease. But a latest archery kit worth around Rs. 1 lakh is simply out of his reach. As a result, his dream of following in the footsteps of his mentor Limba Ram is yet to come true.
“I cannot practise with crude bow and arrows we use for hunting birds and animals. To have an edge over my rivals, I must have the latest kit,” says Bhim Reddy. “My repeated pleas for financial help for purchase of the kit failed to move the authorities of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) at Kota Ramachandrapuram,” he says. Fellow tribal people say they are losing touch with archery since their dependency on the forests for livelihood has gradually come down for a variety of reasons. “We go to the forest for hunting only during special occasions such as festivals,” says Bhim Reddy’s wife Challamma, also the village sarpanch.
-Agencies