Footballer Who Once Represented India At Under-16 Level Now Works As A Food Delivery Agent

Several documented cases of players having to take low-paying jobs or drop out of the sport to make ends meet have surfaced online.?Behala youth Poulomi Adhikary, who had previously played on an international and national level, had to put her football dreams on hold due to extreme poverty and injuries to her ligaments and cartilage.

The 24-year-old has a new job with a food-delivery service, but she still finds time to play football after a 12-hour shift.

Poulomi still dreams of playing for India, so she invests two hours a day of football practice.

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There is hope since her perseverance and determination have propelled her to the forefront of the Internet. Social worker Atindra Chakraborty recently posted details on Poulomi on his different social media platforms.

On Tuesday, she was called by the Indian Football Association (IFA), and Poulomi should meet with IFA officials on Wednesday.

Former stopper Poulami's career was derailed when, in the middle of 2018, he suffered ligament and cartilage injuries while training.

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Despite multiple successful surgeries, she was never given a second opportunity. But Bulti, as she is known in her Shibrampur area next to Behala Chowrasta, couldn't longer wait due to the difficult financial circumstances at home.

Finally, she decided to take the food-delivery job, working double shifts from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Her father, Kishore Adhikary, who works as a part-time cab driver, stated,?"I could not even provide Bulti a good pair of shoes when she needed it desperately."?

When Poulomi started working, the online food delivery market peaked during the Covid period.

She started by renting motorcycles and scooters and making enough money to buy a bicycle. She used to make between Rs 200 and Rs 300 daily, but now the competition is so fierce that she earns much less.

"Being a girl and a cycle-user, I usually get short distance assignments, through which I can earn an average of Rs 20-30 per delivery," said?Poulomi in an interview with TOI.?

Poulomi is in her third year as a BA student at Charuchandra College. She lost her mother when she was only two months old.

Her aunt, Ashima Patra, raised her in Behala at her maternal uncle's home. After midnight, she logs out for the night.

"Initially, I was frightened to work late at night but thank God, I have never faced anything untoward on the road," she said.?

"Poulomi was highly talented and came from an impoverished background when I started training her at 14. She took part in the women’s junior national under-16 team in the 2013 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) football qualifier at Colombo in Sri Lanka, representing India,"?Anita Sarkar, a football coach living in Behala, was quoted?in the TOI report.?

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She was the Indian team's representative in the 2016 Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, Scotland.

Photo: R. Ravindran/Hindu

After successfully defending their crowns in both the men's and women's categories at the 14th Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, Mexico celebrated a double win.

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