That we treat cricketers like gods is probably India's most ill-kept secret. While cricketers sign deals worth hundreds of crores to endorse hair oils, shoes and just about everything they can get their hands on, they buy motorsports teams, launch their own clothing labels, date actresses, buy bikes worth your 3-years salary - in a nutshell - they are living it up like rockstars. And they should too - cricket is a huge sport in India. The problem is not that cricketers make a lot of money, but the fact that several other sportsmen don't make any.

ANI

A prime example of this is national-level gold medal-winning boxer Kamal Kumar who is now forced to collect garbage from door to door to make a living. Kamal said that he wanted to become the pride of the nation, but the government remained ignorant and so he didn't get any financial support.

"I am sad because even after playing at national level I was not able to get a fourth class job. I am doing this job of collecting garbage for a living, as I have a family who is dependent on me," Kamal is quoted as saying by ANI. "I have four children and two of them are boxers. I train my elder son, who is also a national level player. I was very much passionate about boxing but got no financial support. I am sure my children will fulfill my dream," he added.

Former National level Gold medal winning boxer Kamal Kumar of Kanpur now cleaning garbage for a living pic.twitter.com/Rt07vTAY9Z — ANI (@ANI_news) September 3, 2015

The worst part is that Kumar is neither the first Indian non-cricketing hero who's struggling to make ends meet, neither is he the last. Very recently, we'd carried the story of another boxer Rishu Mittal who was forced to work as a maid.

With Inputs From ANI