Truck driver’s son from Udupi strikes gold at South Asian Games

[email protected] (CD Network)
February 7, 2016

Udupi, Feb 7: An atmosphere of celebration prevailed in a poor household of Chittoo village in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district after 24-year-old Gururaja won a gold medal at the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati on Saturday.

gururaj

This son of a truck driver made it to the top due to sheer hard work and dedication, despite all the financial hardships the family faced in the village.

He is the fifth among six sons of Mahabala and Paddu Poojary. The entire family was ecstatic after hearing the news of Gururaja winning gold in the 56 kg weightlifting category.

“Gururaja was only interested in sports since his childhood, so we encouraged him. Though sometimes it was difficult to get the money, I somehow managed,” said his father.

Gururaja did his schooling at the Sri Mookambika Temple School and PU College in Kollur. During his PU days, he was interested in wrestling, and learnt it under his coach Sukesh Shetty in Kollur.

The turning point came when he joined the SDM College in Ujire, Dakshina Kannada, for his graduation. It was his coach Rajendra Prasad M. who encouraged him in weight lifting.

“Gururaja used to practise two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. During competitions, he used to put in two additional hours,” he said. Mr. Prasad coached him for five years until Gururaja got selected for the post of aircraft-man in the Indian Air Force under sports quota. He has been undergoing training in Belagavi for six months.

Gururaja, who spoke over the telephone from Guwahati, said he owed his success to the unstinting support of his parents, and his coach Mr. Prasad.

Comments

A. Mangalore
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

He has made our Mangalore proud. Congratulations Dear.There are lots of youths are their like Gururaja. Unfortunately without proper education , finance and proper guidance they could not achieve anything.
Most of them are under the fold of Sangha Pariwar, where their rich leaders sends there own children abroad for education and they use these boys for goondasm in Mangalore.

Suresh kamke
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

nice lift, hardwork came to like a fruit.

Manjuran
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

really great, working for indian airforce only a big achievement,. clubbing to that he took gold medal in weight lifting, proud to be mangalorean.

Manish Sisodia
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

parents really lucky to have this kid, god bless u all

Mahesh
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

awesome lift, deserve the golden medal,

Ahmed
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

Congratulation Mr. Gururaj... Good Luck ...

Goodman
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

Not only a Tuck driver, even a lowest in the man made caste system cam also participate and they are also a human being.
He is in the open society. He can dream and accomplish it.

The constitution is secular, but the people of some sects are making polarization.
The God has not made such division.

Saleem Baigh
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

Parents must be proud of him, did a very good achievement.

Koli Fayaz
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

excellent, well done all the best keep up the winning movement.

Anwar
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

Congrats Gururaj,U have made the country proud.All the best for Olympics.

Rich Muslim Fathers Son(Father in Gulf,Father big business in Mlore) from Mangalore roams in City Center/Forum...hahaha...Wa avasthe marre.Care ijji.

Marali schoolige alla...dakshina kannadada makkalige bekirudu Shale/Colleginalli sari daarige/100% markige.

Just go and see Aloysius/Milagris muslim students mark....hahaha...lagadi pother matha....ONLY JOLLY.

keshava Poojary
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

live example for poor family kids, if someone want to get success they dont need anybody, hardwork make them success.

Mahabala
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

we are proud of you, a national salute to the brave boy.

Vinith Poojary
 - 
Sunday, 7 Feb 2016

well done boy, keep it up and congratulation.

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News Network
March 26,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 26: Karnataka Primary and Higher Education Minister Suresh Kumar on Thursday clarified that the SSLC examinations have not canceled as being claimed by many. 

Taking to Twitter, he said there was confusion among students and parents as wrong news was published in a some of the news papers and even in social media also.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 17,2020

Bengaluru, May 17: Amidst mounting demand form Kannadigas across the world for repatriation flights in the wake of covid-19 lockdown, Dr Arathi Krishna, former Deputy Chairman of the NRI Forum of Karnataka government, has written to Hardeep Singh Puri Minister of Civil Aviation to operate more special flights to Gulf repatriate Kannadigas from gulf countries. 

Dr Arathi Krishna’s first request in the letter was to add flights from Kuwait, Bahrain and Jeddah to Bengaluru as many (from Karnataka) are stranded in these cities in precarious situations.

In addition, she also requested for a couple of flights from Dammam and Riyadh to Bengaluru as there are more than 3780 Kannadigas registered to return from Saudi Arabia and members of Bearys Chamber of Commerce and Industry are requesting the same. Any number of flights from Dubai to Bengaluru and Mangaluru will also help the stranded people, the letter stated. 

“Old and sick people, pregnant women and others are in urgent need to connect with the world are looking up to you for getting flights from different comers of the world. Indian communities are hopeful that you will use your position to help them to get the much needed mobility at this time,” the letter stated. 

She also said that the people in Karnataka are grateful to you (Mr Hardeep Singh Puri) for adding two flights from Dubai to Bengaluru in the last two schedules and one flight each from Riyadh, Dammam, Muscat and Doha.

Dr Arathi Krishna is currently serving as the Chairman of the NRI Cell of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and Secretary of Indian Overseas Congress.

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News Network
May 14,2020

Bengaluru, May 14: Reformed underworld don Muthappa Rai, who was battling cancer for the past year, was said to be in a critical condition at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, late Wednesday night. Doctors said he was on life-support at the time of going to press. Rai (68), realtor, entrepreneur and founder of pro-Kannada organisation Jaya Karnataka, had retired from public life after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was part of an ongoing investigation into gangster Ravi Pujari, who was extradited from Senegal recently.

Born in Puttur into a Bunt family, he started out as a bank employee in Bengaluru, and later ran a live band restaurant. In 1994, he was shot in a Bengaluru court by a man dressed as a lawyer, after which he was bedridden for a couple of years.

Rai Moved to Dubai in 1996. He was deported from the UAE to India in 2002, and was arrested in Bengaluru when HT Sangliana was the police commissioner. Both Rai and Pujari had allegedly been associated with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

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