User:Kamalmujtaba/sandbox

In April 1983, a boy was born to an impoverished family in Mominpore, Kolkata. He was the fourth child to his parents and his father died when he was all of forty days. Huddled in a small rented room of five, his mother worked as a seamstress in a garment factory for eighty rupees wages per week while his oldest sister juggled between studying and teaching to support the family. But the human spirit cannot be thwarted by poverty or initial setbacks, Kamal had sports in his blood and started playing football from a very tender age, from regular games on the road to local matches. His tryst with boxing happened as if by divine intervention while playing a game of hide n seek at Nawab Ali Park near Calcutta Medical Research Institute, where he stumbled upon Kidderpore School Of Physical Culture (KSOPC). There on started a life worth sharing and his unparalleled story of true grit and perseverance. The date was 15 May’94.

Kamal’s oldest sister used to teach in a school that was associated with an NGO that sponsored underprivileged children, providing them food, education and uniform and as if by miracle, Kamal received nine-hundred rupees from his sponsor from UK after a week and used it to buy his boxing uniform and getting admission in KSOPC straightaway. There was a Bengal championship going on that time and little Kamal was among the hundred odd students at the institute. Little Kamal showed promise in boxing and within a year, after winning district and state level championships, he won bronze at the national boxing championship held in Allahabad between 10 and 19 October, 1995.

Out of the two hundred participants competing nationally, Kamal was among the forty toppers selected for the Indian team. The group was divided into four camps as per region and he started further training at the East camp, conducted at Salt Lake stadium.

Over a span of ten years he played at twelve national matches and won eleven medals that included gold, silver, bronze and two for best boxer for overall performance. The sum rewarded to him by the state government that time was thirty six hundred rupees per year and seven thousand and two hundred rupees per year by the central government for matches won. He also represented India on international platforms in Germany, Cuba, Bulgaria, Russia, Nepal and other international games held in India. Today, Kamal fondly recalls watching Mary Kom in action at Howrah Maidan for the 97 District Championship.

Tragedy struck the family when Kamal’s mother passed away when he was jut a teenager, leaving four siblings fending for themselves. His struggle for survival went on as he juggled between education, survival and his greatest passion – boxing and fitness. Kamal worked at a leather factory, doing pasting job for wallets and bags for fifty to hundred rupees wages per week, assisted in the packaging of rose water used during Moharram processions and other odd jobs to sustain himself.

The government inducted Kamal into the Indian Railways under sports category in 2002 at six thousand rupees salary per month.

But Kamal was insatiable, the driving force in his heart pushed him further and his ambition drove him to make it bigger in life. He finally decided to step up in life. In 2005 he declined his last national championship and decided to support his family, which was going through an extreme financial crisis and applied for a loan. A lifetime of financial struggle and finally the bad crisis made him think hard. He decided to travel offshore to Hong Kong where his friend owned a restaurant and started earning a living as a waiter and delivery boy. During this period Kamal met an Australian trainer and proposed the idea of implementing boxing as a fitness tactic, requesting him to demonstrate his idea at the gym he was associated with. The trial sessions were an instant hit and the owner of the gym invited him for training sessions, paying him handsomely for each three hour session a day. Kamal was an instant client magnet, his method of training being utmost professional and efficient and he started earning as much as four hundred Hong Kong Dollars per session. But the local trainers, being overshadowed by Kamal’s increasing success, felt quite insecure and tricked him back to India, promising an offer for work visa in Hong Kong and never reverted.

However that didn’t thwart Kamal’s spirit and he returned back to Hong Kong, joining another reputed gym called Jab and started training players for a corporate boxing match, earning as much as five thousand to twenty thousand HKD per month and eight hundred HKD for personal training. After this successful stint in Hong Kong, Kamal returned back to India in 2007. Soon he shifted base to Singapore and worked at Vanda gym as a trainer. Unfortunately his work visa was rejected, thrice at that, because Singapore authority didn’t permit a third foreign national working at the same company, the other two trainers being Scottish and Thai.

But life was now unstoppable for Kamal as he received an invitation for professional fighting in Hong Kong, his first professional fight after a four year break from boxing as a sport. The reward was one thousand USD for four rounds. Boxing promoters from all around the world admired his style and he was invited to China to fight for more matches. There he competed for few matches before getting severely injured during the last match. It was a six round fight and Kamal was doing just fine when he felt an uneasy sensation in his jaw during the fourth round. But the corner man insisted he keeps on fighting and Kamal never got knocked down. But the pain surmounted at the fifth round and he voluntarily gave up on the game. Braveheart Kamal Mujtaba had suffered from a violent jaw fracture with his widsom tooth smashed into his gums.

Kamal had to return to India in a critical condition and spent over a month on liquid diet and bed rest. But as is apparent in his story, human grit and determination won above all hurdles and he stood up against all odds.

In 2012 he was approached to be a part of the Super Fight League or SFL Challenger produced in Mumbai, elevating boxing to a new degree of showmanship and art. It was during this period that his protege, a budding boxer whom Kamal trusted and considered a brother, invested all his time long skills, client base and tricks of the trade, acted Brutus and organized a boxing match pooling in all of Kamal’s resources without his knowledge or consent.

It was a major breach of trust and a harrowing few weeks of emotional pain for this weathered fighter. But where do humans excel in faith? Kamal started shuttling between Kolkata and Mumbai, training celebrities and fitness enthusiasts to great response. It was during this time that he joined Gold’s Gym in Mumbai and got the opportunity to train Sonakshi Sinha, Vir Das, Shahid Kapoor, Sai Talwalkar, Nikitin Dheer among others.

Training aside, Kamal also had empathy and concern about local Indian boxers. It’s a known fact that every professional international boxer had a personal trainer and a manager, Kamal had none. He used to partner with random coaches for practice at matches and never really got proper guidance. Hence Kamal decided to represent boxers on an international platform and promote them as a guide, coach and manager. He started his career as a professional boxing coach and manager, promoting many Indian talents at World Boxing Council from 2011 and continued doing so with tremendous success. In the 2014 WBC conference, he was the only Indian participant.

Today, Kamal is a well known entity in the world of functional fitness, boxing as a sport as well as fitness tactic, healthy living and inspires hundreds to lead a fit and positive life. He is a senior trainer at Gold’s Gym and juggles deftly between personal training, his job as a senior train ticket examiner at Sealdah station and a training coach at the gym. He lives with his family which stood by him since birth and makes them proud.

Here’s a glimpse of Kamal’s life. We had a friendly chat where I gently probed beyond his rough and tough veneer, bringing out a lighter and more amiable side of this man of steel.

His hobbies – Traveling, which is anyways an integral part of his job. Dancing, yes this toughie loves to shake a leg too!

On asking about his ideal woman – Kamal nodded and stated as a matter of fact that no matter how unbelievable it might sound but he is absolutely single. Perhaps his hectic schedule doesn’t leave him much time and energy to invest in such a full time job as love!

‘ I would prefer a balanced, modern and responsible woman who can take charge of matters. Someone who can run the house as well as handle other responsibilities, shoulder to shoulder with me.’, said the boxing champ.

His diet – Not surprisingly Kamal’s diet is as healthy and regimental as it gets. Its all about brown rice, broccoli, beetroot juice, egg whites, lean grilled white meat, dates and dry fruits, milk and fruits for this fitness freak.

His best friend – Sabir Ali, an eminent name in the events industry who had an equally humble beginning. They are childhood friends, lovingly called chaddi buddies or knicker friends in India.

Kamal’s message to the present generation youth – He requests youngsters to balance their virtual and social life with something more earthy and real. Perhaps few hours taken away from social media and nightclubs and invested in travel, physical activities and something socially and mentally productive!

I would like to conclude my article about Kamal Mujtaba on a positive and optimistic note. These tales of struggle, hindrances, inspiration and real life triumphs should make the stories of true heroes and heroines. After finishing Kamal’s story, I aspire to embark upon a winding trail through the inspiring and interesting lives of various people from different walks of life, culture, ethnicity, social standing and stature.