Remote hamlet in Mahabubabad produces champion athletes

Mahabubabad: Many teenagers and youth from Jayapuram village in the remote Narsimhulapet mandal in the district are proving their mettle in different sports and games, thanks to the support of the Vangala family from the village. While 17-year-old Chandhu Lavanya from this village has made it to the Indian team for the upcoming Under-20 Asian […]

Mahabubabad: Many teenagers and youth from Jayapuram village in the remote Narsimhulapet mandal in the district are proving their mettle in different sports and games, thanks to the support of the Vangala family from the village.

While 17-year-old Chandhu Lavanya from this village has made it to the Indian team for the upcoming Under-20 Asian Volleyball Championship to be held in Kazakhstan in July, several other youngsters have participated in State and national level volleyball tournaments and other games.

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A retired physical director Nelakurthi Veera Reedy has been offering coaching to the students and youth since his retirement in 2015 with the support of the Vangala family. It may be worth mentioning that Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy, an international badminton player, also hails from this village, and incidentally, she is the daughter of Veera Reddy’s brother.

One of the members of the Vangala family, Vangala Praveen Kumar Reddy, who is working as Executive Director of Shriram City union Finance, set up a charitable trust in 2018 to encourage sports talent from Jayapuram and surrounding villages, while his ancestors led by Vangala Sudharshan Reddy had encouraged sports and games since 1974 by establishing the Kakatiya Youth Club.

Speaking to ‘Telangana Today‘, Praveen Kumar Reddy said that he had been conducting summer coaching camps for 40 to 50 students in the village since 2016 in memory of his father Ramchandra Reddy and uncle Vangala Sudarshan Reddy. “I am going to set up an indoor stadium and a library on our own piece of land,” he said. “This year 40 students attended the summer camp,” Praveen said. According to the villagers, more than 100 people got government jobs due to the advantage of having a sports background.

“While 40 people worked as Physical Directors and Physical Education Teachers, 48 people got jobs in the police, excise, and uniform services,” said a villager. Veera Reddy, who coached Chandu Lavanya, said she had represented Telangana eight times at the national level. While in service, Reddy said he always wanted to see his students represent the country. “But Lavanya fulfilled my dream post-retirement. I am very happy about this,” Veera Reddy said. Several youngsters from the village are also employed in the private sector thanks to the support and reference of Praveen Kumar.