Promising young archer from Seraikela-Kharsawan, Anil Lohar, is mulling to quit the game which has earned him laurels in the state and national circuit.

A tattered bow, insufficient arrows and lack of support from the state government are reasons enough to make him disillusioned and think of quitting archery.

The 24-year-old finds no scope to progress without a compound bow. He was very optimistic that competing in the globally-accepted compound division of archery would help him progress and someday land a job.

Former chief minister and Archery Association of India president ,Arjun Munda, had made a recommendation to the state government to provide a compound bow to Lohar last year, However, the government is yet to act on the recommendation.

"I was very optimistic when Mundaji recommended my name for the bow. But it has been almost a year and nothing has moved forward. I am very disappointed and am thinking of quitting archery. What is the use of continuing when there is no support from the government. I am jobless and have a family to feed," Lohar, a resident of Pinderabera village in Gamharia block, 35 km from Jamshedpur, said.

Lohar told The Telegraph Online that he seldom goes for practice nowadays and was concentrating on selling chicken. "Condition of my Indian round bow (traditional bamboo bow) is in poor condition. and arrows are also insufficient. I cannot afford to buy a sophisticated compound bow on my own. I am somehow keeping my wife and two infants afloat," he added.

A compound bow costs around Rs 2.5 lakh.

Lohar is selling chickens in areas surrounding his village. However, the income is not enough to sustain his family.

“I have no other option than to sell chickens even though I am facing problems in sustaining my family. The state government should help out sportspersons who have won medals in national and international competitions. It should encourage sportspersons," Lohar, who claimed gold in the Indian round section (shooting with traditional bows and arrows) in the senior national archery championship in Cuttack in March 2019, said.

He received a cash award of Rs 75,000 for this feat but that money has since exhausted.

Though union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda could not be contacted, Seraikela-Kharsawan District Archery Association secretary Sumant Mohanty said the government was least concerned about the plight of sportspersons.

“We are aware of the problems faced by Lohar. He (Lohar) is a promising archer and has the ability to make progress in compound division. A compound bow would do a world of good to him. Lohar is facing monetary problems. We would ask him not to quit archery. We need a promising archer like him,” he added.