Limba Ram hit the bull's eyes many times,, but government kicked him in the back

Limba finds shelter in a garage

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jaipur, January 11
Care for sports persons, ever if they are acclaimed ones, has hit its nadir in the country when Arjuna Awardee and Khel Ratna award winner archer Limba Ram was virtually rendered homeless after he was forced to vacate his temporary residence in MLA quarters here last night.

Thirtyseven-year-old archer, who equalled world record in 30 m category and won gold in the 1992 Beijing Asian Championship, is putting up in a garage of a flat allotted to a congress MLA Arjun Bamania in the MLAs colony (vidhayak nagir) here.

Limba Ram, coach of the National Archery Academy and of the Indian Archery team that would compete in ensuing Commonwealth games, was living in flat no 8/12 of BJP MLA Babu Lal for two years. However, the MLA told him to leave immediately.

Just outside his house, labourers and beggars live in shanties on the footpath, "I share the same fate despite winning laurels for the country all over the globe," said the ace archer fighting tears.

Unmarried and without a family, Limba was living in the flat with two archers whom he was training.

It is at such times that he remembered a promise of a house and 25 bigha land made to him by the Rajasthan government in 1992. Sixteen years after that, he is still awaiting a house.

"I don't know where would I go. I don't earn much to afford a house. I was told to live in the MLA quarters by the previous government till land or house was found for me." he rued.

Dr Kirori Lal Meena, an independent MLA and husband of state minister Golma Devi, has offered him his flat but Limba Ram has refused.

"I would live on the road now rather than take such temporary residence. Gurparkash Singh and Wakeel Raj, learning archery from him said they were hugely demoralized, "If this is the fate of our ideal, the star, what is future for us?"

Limba Ram has been one of the most celebrated Indian archers. Born in the non-descript Saradit village of Udaipur district and belonging to the Ahari tribe of Rajasthan, Limba has indeed come a long way since his days of game hunting in the jungles of Udaipur.

In 1987, Limba Ram along with three other archers, including first Arjuna Award winning archer Sham Lal, were selected in a talent scouting trial conducted by the Sports Authority of India.

In the same year he created the national record at the Senior National Archery Championship in the 50 metre and 30 metre events.

After stamping his authority in the national circuit, Limba equalled the world record in the 1992 Beijing Asian Championship in the 30 meters event to bag a gold medal.