Boxer Chandrika inspiring slum kids

CHANDRIKA Pujari is carving an inspiring path for herself. Hailing from Tadiwala Road slums in Pune, the 17-year-old has been defying odds to highlight her aptitude for boxing at the international stage.

- ANMOL GURUNG @ Chennai

On Sunday, the 17-year-old captured a gold medal in the World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 in Bangkok, a tournament which is part of the pathway to the Youth Olympic Games that will be held in Dakar later this year.

Given the disadvantages she faced, it’s a monumental result for Chandrika, who has been taking steps in the right direction ever since she took up the gloves at Yuva Boxing Club, an organisation that has been instrumental in her promising growth as a boxer. “She was just 10 or 11 when she joined our club. She is from the slum region. Her parents are originally from Karnataka but Chandrika and her father were born here. Her grandfather is from Karnataka. Her father works as a helper in a private company and her mother goes house to house to do cleaning jobs. She is doing great and has been inspiring many from the region to take up sports,” Sachin Shinde, the person who took up the initiative to form the club, said.