Limba Ram
Encyclopedia
Limba Ram is an India
n archer
who represented India in international competitions including three Olympics. He equalled an archery world record in 1992 at the Asian Championships in Beijing
. The archer who earned laurels in archery at the international level is a product of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram
which is working for the socio-economic upliftment and development of India's indigenous tribes in the remote tribal areas of India.
tahsil, Udaipur district
, Rajasthan
state, India
) on January 30, 1972. His family belongs to Ahari tribe
and because of poverty, Limba Ram was used to hunt bird
s like sparrow
, partridge
and animal
s in jungle
with his indigenous Bow
(made of Bamboo
wood) and reed
Arrow
s. In 1987 one of his Uncles brought news that government
is conducting trials in nearby village Makradeo
to train good archers. In this trial
15 year old Limba Ram and three other boys (which include Arjuna award winner Archer Shyam Lal) were spotted by selectors of Sports Authority of India
. Thereafter all these four boys were sent to New Delhi
for four month training camp(Special Area Games Programme) under coaching of R. S. Sodhi.
in National junior level Archery tournaments held at Banglore. In the following year 1988 he became overall champion in senior level national tournaments and selected to represent India in Seoul Olympics. In 1989 he reached to Quarterfinal in World Championship held in Switzerland
. In the same year, 1989, he was at second rank in Asian Cup in Individuals and India got team Gold. In 1990 he helped India finish fourth in Beijing Asian Games
. He represented India in three Olympics. In 1992 he equalled the world record of Takayoshi Matsushita in the Beijing Asian Championship in 30 meters event with score 357/360 to bag a gold medal. After receiving this news Parliament of India
congratulated Limba Ram. In 1993 at Barcelona Olympics he missed the Bronze medal
by one point in the 70-meter segment and finished with 10th rank. In 1995 he stood with second rank and team won Gold medal in Commonwealth Games
held at New Delhi
. In 1996 he was National Champion with Asian Record.
. In the same year he suffered from serious shoulder injury while playing Football in training camp at Kolkata
. He was unable to string bow and lost his focus and concentration. In 1999 he also lost his job with TATA due to under performance. He joined Punjab National Bank
in 2001 as a cashier
. In 2003 he participated in third National ranking prize money archery tournament organized by Sports Authority of India but finished 16th. In January 2009, India
n news media
reported that Limba Ram was almost homeless, living in the garage
of MLA Arjun Singh Bawania.
signed one year contract and appointed Limba Ram as National Archery Coach for 2010 Commonwealth Games
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n archer
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
who represented India in international competitions including three Olympics. He equalled an archery world record in 1992 at the Asian Championships in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The archer who earned laurels in archery at the international level is a product of the Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram
Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram
The Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram is an organisation working for the socio-economic upliftment and development of India's indigenous tribes in the remote tribal areas of India. The Ashram has been undertaking a series of programs in remote tribal villages. It has branches all over the country...
which is working for the socio-economic upliftment and development of India's indigenous tribes in the remote tribal areas of India.
Early life
Limba Ram was born in Saradeet Village(JhadolJhadol
Jhadol is a town and headquarters of Jhadol tahsil in Udaipur district of Rajasthan state of India. It is written as Jhadol to distinguish from another small village named 'Jhadol' in Udaipur district. Jhadol is spelled as 'Jharol' on Google Maps....
tahsil, Udaipur district
Udaipur district
Udaipur District is one of the 33 districts of Rajasthan state in western India. The historic city of Udaipur is the administrative headquarters of the district....
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
state, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) on January 30, 1972. His family belongs to Ahari tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
and because of poverty, Limba Ram was used to hunt bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s like sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
, partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s in jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
with his indigenous Bow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
(made of Bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
wood) and reed
Reed (plant)
Reed is a generic polyphyletic botanical term used to describe numerous tall, grass-like plants of wet places, which are the namesake vegetation of reed beds...
Arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s. In 1987 one of his Uncles brought news that government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
is conducting trials in nearby village Makradeo
Makradeo
Makradeo is a village in Jhadol tahsil in Udaipur district of Rajasthan state of India. The village is just near Saradit village and hence both villages have same PIN code 313031....
to train good archers. In this trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
15 year old Limba Ram and three other boys (which include Arjuna award winner Archer Shyam Lal) were spotted by selectors of Sports Authority of India
Sports Authority of India
The Sports Authority of India is a body set up by the Government of India. It was created in 1984 to help promote sport throughout the country. Presently, it has seven regional centres at Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Sonepat, Delhi, Mumbai and Imphal and two sub-centres at Guwahati and...
. Thereafter all these four boys were sent to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
for four month training camp(Special Area Games Programme) under coaching of R. S. Sodhi.
Career
Limba Ram was spotted and trained by Sports Authority of India in 1987. In the same year, 1987, he became overall ChampionChampion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
in National junior level Archery tournaments held at Banglore. In the following year 1988 he became overall champion in senior level national tournaments and selected to represent India in Seoul Olympics. In 1989 he reached to Quarterfinal in World Championship held in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In the same year, 1989, he was at second rank in Asian Cup in Individuals and India got team Gold. In 1990 he helped India finish fourth in Beijing Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
. He represented India in three Olympics. In 1992 he equalled the world record of Takayoshi Matsushita in the Beijing Asian Championship in 30 meters event with score 357/360 to bag a gold medal. After receiving this news Parliament of India
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
congratulated Limba Ram. In 1993 at Barcelona Olympics he missed the Bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
by one point in the 70-meter segment and finished with 10th rank. In 1995 he stood with second rank and team won Gold medal in Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
held at New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. In 1996 he was National Champion with Asian Record.
Downfall
In 1996 Limba Ram joined TATA GroupTata Group
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
. In the same year he suffered from serious shoulder injury while playing Football in training camp at Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. He was unable to string bow and lost his focus and concentration. In 1999 he also lost his job with TATA due to under performance. He joined Punjab National Bank
Punjab National Bank
Punjab National Bank , was founded in 1894 and is currently the second largest state-owned commercial bank in India ahead of Bank of Baroda with about 5000 branches across 764 cities. It serves over 37 million customers. The bank has been ranked 248th biggest bank in the world by the Bankers...
in 2001 as a cashier
Cashier
Cashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
. In 2003 he participated in third National ranking prize money archery tournament organized by Sports Authority of India but finished 16th. In January 2009, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n news media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
reported that Limba Ram was almost homeless, living in the garage
Garage (house)
A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
of MLA Arjun Singh Bawania.
Present status
After remaining unemployed for a few years, on January 10, 2009 Archery Association of IndiaArchery Association of India
Archery Association of India is the national governing body of archery in India. Its headquarters are located in New Delhi, and its current president is Vijay Kumar Malhotra...
signed one year contract and appointed Limba Ram as National Archery Coach for 2010 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
.