The many moments in the life of a pugilist. Picture by Srinivas

Her knockout success is in an arena considered to be a typical male bastion. This is the story of a gritty and determined lady.

Meet Aruna Mishra, a pugilist, who has carved a niche for herself in boxing by winning recognition both at the national and the international level.

The latest addition to her laurels, is the winner?s trophy at the recently concluded National Championship held in the steel city.Hailing from a family of sportsmen, it is not surprising that she developed a natural inclination to make it big in the world of sports. But little did she know that fame and success would be hers so soon and in a sport beyond her wildest of imagination.

Although a world-class pugilist, boxing was never her first choice when she took the plunge in sports. ?Handball was always my favourite game. But all that changed when I was not selected for a national camp, it left me heartbroken,? says Aruna, still unable to hide her disappointment at the mention of the instance, which later proved to be a turning point of her life.

For one who had nearly thought of quitting sports, her sister came to the rescue by introducing Aruna to boxing. Though reluctant to take it up initially, she agreed and today expresses her gratitude to her sister without whose insistence her life would have been a different story today. ?She literally forced me to take up boxing, and as I started developing my skills at the game, I realised that it was my true calling,? says Aruna, smiling.

So how bad was her reception as she took her baby steps in to the ring. ?Oh, quite a lot,? pat comes the reply. More than her parents, it was the over concerned relatives who came to her with suggestions.

?My mother stood between them and me and supported me throughout. Without her shield, it would not have been possible for me to take up the sports ,? she admits. However, things started changing once she began to win matches.

This Musabani born girl, who went on to complete her graduation from Jamshedpur Women?s college, found the right opportunity in the form of Tata Steel Boxing Centre. Once enrolled, there was no looking back for this world-class pugilist. Her coach, E. Lakra proved to be the mentor guiding her into the nuances of the game ? right from working on her ?moves? to her killer punches.

?Boxing is an individual game where results directly depend upon the amount of hard work put in by the person, unlike a team sport where the efforts of the members determines the result,? views Aruna.

The first recognition came for Aruna at the National Games held in Patiala in 2001 where she won a silver. ?The day I won silver, I promised to myself that I will win gold for myself ,? says a determined soul. And once she made the promise, nobody could hold her back.

In 2003, her talent was recognised and she got her maiden call to attend the national camp. From there she went on to represent the country at the International Boxing Championship in Turkey.

Next stop, she won the bronze at the meet beating 40-odd contemporaries from all over the world.

So did she not feel any flutters when she first entered the ring? ?No, not really because even my opponent was a woman, on the other hand, I drew inspiration from her,? she said recollecting her international debut.

A year down the line, she participated in the World Boxing Championship in Norway and won gold. Meanwhile, what bothers this young achiever is the lack of proper utilisation of opportunities in the steel city. ?Youngsters keep complaining about lean resources here, but never make the most of what is served to them ,? states Aruna.

A staunch believer in women, she feels that every woman should know methods of self-defence. ?No woman is weak, we only need to channelise our skills depending on the situation,? she adds.

For someone who is bound by a tight schedule that involves rigorous practice for several hours, cooking for the family comes as a welcome break. .

?I enjoy experimenting with chicken preparations whenever I find time,? says Aruna. Her hobbies include collecting small knick-knacks and different currencies and listening to old melodies of Lata and Rafi. She is equally fond of driving cars.

Come January and she will be in Delhi attending a national camp based on which pugilists would be sent to Australia for a training camp. While her professional engagements promise to keep her busy for quite some time now, she feels she is not yet ready to enter commitments on a personal level.

At the moment, she wants to concentrate fully on boxing and win many more laurels for the state and country before she settles down.

And going by the high standards that this young boxer has set for herself, there is no doubt that she will be a force to be reckon with in the world of boxing very soon.