CoP gifts Rs 75k to cop to participate in Intl bodybuilding event, DGP assures Rs 1.5 lakh
Days after messages did the rounds on WhatsApp that head constable A Purushothaman, attached to Adyar traffic investigation wing, was struggling to generate funds to participate in an international event for bodybuilders at Uzbekistan, city police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal on Sunday presented Rs 75,000 to the official at his office, while DGP Sylendra Babu has reportedly assured Rs 1.5 lakh to take care registration fee, travel and lodging.
Purushothaman has already won Mr Tamil Nadu eight times in 2000, 2002 and five consecutive years from 2004 to 2008. Though an accident stalled his stride, Purushothaman made a comeback in 2018, almost a decade later, and won the Mr Tamil Nadu title for the eighth time. He has also won a silver medal for Tamil Nadu police at the all-India police meet.
He was able to meet the expenditure to participate in such events by himself, and his friends and colleagues collected Rs 1 lakh to send him to Chandigarh last month to participate in a national event. He is one of the 10 bodybuilders from the Tamil Nadu Amateur Bodybuilding Association shortlisted to participate at the international event, World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship 2021, to be held at Tashkent in Uzbekistan from October 1 to 7.
As the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports did not extend the financial support to take part in the event, Purushothaman was left to generate funds once again to make it to the international podium. His requirement is Rs 3 lakh – Rs 1.5 lakh for airfare, visa, boarding and lodging, agency and registration fees, and the remaining Rs 1.5 lakh to prepare for the event.
Learning about his struggle to participate in the event, Commissioner Shankar Jiwal invited Purushothaman to his office and handed over Rs 75,000 as his contribution.
When contacted, Purushothaman told DT Next that he met the DGP on Monday and has been assured the financial assistance upto Rs 1.5 lakh. “I have already paid the registration fee with the support of friends. So, with the financial support of the officials, I will be able to participate at the event without hurdles,” said Purushothaman.