Mandals gift yoga champ a home

PUNE: He has won 2 golds and a bronze for India but today he can barely be assured of a roof over his head.
Sixteen-year-old Kamlesh Jha is one of a team of six boys from a slum in Pune who represented the country at the Yoga World Cup, held in Delhi last December. India won 7 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals at the event.
Kamlesh lives in a slum on Sinhagad road.Many hutments here have received demolition notices from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Kamlesh's family received a legal notice on August 28 from the Tilak road ward office of the PMC stating that the hutment had to be vacated in three days or it would be demolished.
"I live with my parents and cousin in a small hut we had bought for Rs 10,000. One day, we received a notice from the PMC that we would have to vacate the hut as it was illegal," said Kamlesh, whose mother is a housemaid and father a watchman.
That was when his yoga instructor, Avinash Dhas contacted a few social activists and sportsmen to seek help for Kamlesh. "Kamlesh is in Std X and this notice has affected his studies as well as yoga practice. Kamlesh studies in a PMC school and has made India proud at the international level, but the authorities have not taken note of this. Instead of helping him, they sent a legal notice," said Dhas.
Luckily for Kamlesh, help poured in from a number of Ganesh mandals. "Almost 40 mandals chipped in for the noble cause and we have collected Rs 2.15 lakh," said Rajendra Deshmukh, general secretary, Pune District Kabaddi Association, who helped gather financial support.
Deshmukh said that they had already zeroed in on a few flats measuring 300-350 sq ft in Dhankawdi and Wadgaon Dahiri. "We will be having a formal ceremony in the next 10 days in Pune and will hand over the documents and keys of the flat to Kamlesh," confirmed Deshmukh.
"I am really grateful that someone is trying to help us. We would have been out on the streets as we cannot afford another house. All we needed was a roof over our heads, even if it was a hut," said a relieved Kamlesh.