For those who scoff at miracles, here’s Anu Oraon, 17, a living miracle.
Anu, the daughter of two leprosy patients who beg on the streets of Ranchi, is basketball star. A swift mover with quick reflexes, Anu is seen as a one of the most promising players in Jharkhand.
The young girl is representing Dhanbad in the inaugural edition of State Games going on at Hotwar in Ranchi.
Though Monday started on a depressing note for Anu — Dhanbad lost to East Singhbhum, 32-40, and Chhotanagpur, 11-35 in the girls’ basketball seniors — the girl is confident of bouncing back.
A true survivor, Anu knows how to dribble past temporary setbacks on court or in life. Not for nothing has the Basketball Federation of India put her on the promising cager list.
But her breakthrough moment came last year. Anu, who has represented Jharkhand in junior and senior national championships, was sent by the Jharkhand Basketball Association to Bangalore for a month-long U-18 training camp “where I rubbed shoulders with top cagers and learnt new techniques”.
The basketball outfit also bought her to and fro plane tickets, she beamed widely. “I love flying,” she said, excited like a typical teenager.
For her, the thrill of a plane journey also signifies how
far she has come. The girl, whose parents had contracted leprosy before her birth,
was taken under the wing of social outfit Damian Welfare Society when she was just four. The Society took Anu to Dhanbad and admitted her to Nirmala School where she studied till Class X. She passed her Class Xth boards from Nirmala School in first division. Currently, she studies at Guru Govind Singh Public School in Class XI for free, thanks to her reputation as a cager and stays at the Nirmala hostel.
She’s very candid about her family. “My father Tunwa Oraon has leprosy in both hands and feet, my mother Babi has the disease on her left leg. My parents beg and spend whatever they get. All my siblings, elder brother Rahul, elder sister Manisha, I and my younger sister Renu, are healthy. Rahul is married and lives with my parents, his wife Biras and Manisha at the lepers’ colony in Harmu. Renu is now in Class X at Divine Onkar Mission School in Ramgarh,” she said.
Rahul and Manisha are not very educated, but the brother does odd jobs and the family gets by somehow.
Anu’s life is completely different. But she added she loved her parents. “I love my parents and want to stay with them for life. I am loving my time with my parents in Ranchi now,” she said.
Her mentor Anthony Francis said Anu could be a top cager. “I train her daily in Dhanbad. She is very sincere. I see a bright future for Anu in basketball. She’s also good in studies,” he said.
State basketball outfit vice-president Harbhajan Singh said they were aware of Anu’s talent and her family situation. “We always boost her confidence and help her from time to time. We want her to go far.”
