Daughter of vegetable seller is now a boxer | Fusion - WeRIndia

Jamuna Bobo grew up in the small village of Belsiri in the Sonitpur district of Assam, where she and her family were struggling to defeat poverty. After her father died when she was ten years old, her mother, Nirmala Bodo, decided to raise her, her sister, and her brother all by herself.

For years, Nirmala has worked as a vegetable vendor, doing her best to make ends meet.

However, Jamuna has been rising above her background and may soon bring fame to her family’s name, since she has now become a successful international boxer.

Competing locally, nationally, and now across the globe, Jamuna proves how someone’s background does not define them.

When she was younger, Jamuna would see the older boys playing Wushu, a form of martial arts, in the street. She decided to pick up Wushu herself, and eventually won a gold medal in a district-wide Wushu championship.

After that, Jamuna’s Wushu coaches allowed her the opportunity to start learning boxing with the Sports Authority of India.

She began gaining national fame, winning the gold in the 52-kg category of the 1st Sub-Junior Women’s National Boxing Championship, held in Erode, Tamil Nadu, in 2010. She then became the champion of the 2nd Sub-Junior Women’s National Boxing Championship in 2011, held in Coimbatore.

Since then, Jamuna has been playing for India at an international level. She has claimed the gold medals in the 2013 Second Nations Cup International Sub-Junior Girls Boxing Tournament, held in Serbia, the 2014 World Youth Championships, held in Bulgaria, and the 57-kg category of the 2015 Youth World Boxing Championships, held in Taipei.

She is now setting her eyes on representing India in the 2020 Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan.

Although the situation at home currently remains very much the same, with her mother working as a poor vegetable vendor, Jamuna hopes to bring success back to her family and raise their lives to a whole new level.

Image Reference: BBC, WikimediaCommons