Daughter of a former Maoist to represent India in volleyball tournament

Sirisa Kurami, the daughter of a former woman Maoist cadre from Odisha’s Malkangiri has been selected for the under-18 national volleyball team that would take part in the international volleyball tournament to be held in China in August.

15-year-old Sirisa, the daughter of former Maoist Chelemma Kurami was selected by the selectors for the national team for her outstanding performance at junior national volleyball championship camp held at Ernakulum in Kerala from April 19 to 24, said district sports officer Gyanendra Prasad Badoi.

Sirisa Kurami is a student of Government (SSD) Girls High School in Kalimela run by the SC & ST Department and has been undergoing training in the district sports hostels at Malkangiri during her vacations for the last four years. She has won more than 10 medals representing the district and the State at various levels, Badoi added.

Chelemma had joined the left wing extremism in 1990s, but with a desire to return to the mainstream, she surrendered before the police. Serving six years in jail at Visakhapatnam and Malkangiri, she was released in 2000 after which the administration offered her the job of a cook at Kalimela Kanyashram.

Trying to break free from the past, she was determined to set an example for others by giving good upbringing to her daughter.

Sirisa was able to carve a path for herself and is now a trendsetter in the Maoist infected area. While people across the district are elated over Sirisa’s success, they didn’t forget to appreciate the role of her mother Chilamma who is instrumental in shaping her career.

Claiming that her dream has come true, a proud Chelemma, who has been receiving greetings for her daughter’s success, told Indian Express that Kurami would certainly make the nation proud. “I am happy today. But I will not forget those bad days and the hardship I faced in managing the family and shaping the career of my daughters,” Chelemma said.

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