Mentor taps girl power in Dwarka park

After returning from school and finishing her daily chores, 16-year-old Ashu dons a T-shirt and shorts and pedals her way five kilometres from Sagarpur to the DDA park in Dwarka’s sector-9.

The desire to rise above her mundane life has been pulling the class 11 girl to a volleyball court at the park every day for the past two and half years. Like Ashu, 24 other girls from underprivileged families, assemble there for volleyball practice.

The girls are extra-motivated after the performance of Indian women athletes at the recent Olympics became the talk of the nation.

They have been practising at the park for the last two and half years continuously. Six of them are national players while two have represented Delhi University at the inter-university championship.

The man behind the idea, Shashi Kumar, 26, is a contractual sports teacher at Delhi University’s Shyama Prasad Mukherji College and Shivaji College.

Hailing from Bihar, Kumar is born and brought up in Delhi. His father was a soldier in the Army and he, like his students, has studied in government schools.

“As a sportsperson myself, I have experienced the hardship a student who wants to take up sports as his career faces,” says Shashi Kumar.

“In my school days, we used to go to Chhatrasal Stadium for practice, spending five hours just on travelling. After such a daily schedule, there was little time left for studies. Even today if you check the educational qualification of a sportsperson you will find in most cases he or she would have completed it through correspondence.”

“When I faced such difficulties being a male, I thought about the plight of girls who had taken up sports as their career choice. Boys can play anywhere, but girls need an atmosphere where they can feel secure. That’s how the idea of open coaching for girls came to my mind,” Kumar says.

Kumar chose Dwarka as it has many parks and more space.

He has been training the girls free of cost. The training begins at 6 am on weekends and 4.30 pm on weekdays. There’s no compromise on discipline. The players first clean the area where they play, and help keep the surroundings well-maintained. There is a great rapport among players as senior girls train juniors and share the love for sport.

Kumar is not alone in this endeavour. Some other professionals like Ashish Kumar, Uttam Negi and Vishwajeet Pandey are also grooming the girls voluntarily to promote the sport and nurture their talent. Several resident welfare associations in the area also standing behind the cause.

The mentors tried several venues before zeroing in on the park. Safety was their top
concern.

“We have all girl players and this place is safe for them. Moreover, the support from the residents is there, which keeps boosting our morale to do something for the sport. One of the best things here is that children from societies around the park also join us. You can say the sport is building bonds in the community,” says Kumar.

Members of Federation of RWAs (FORWAS) offer their support to him from time
to time.

K S Bhati, president of FORWAS, says: “This is a great service to society. On one hand, we are promoting sports and, on the other hand, we are empowering the girl child.”

M K Singh, general secretary of FORWAS, adds: “We should promote girls. They are doing excellent in sports. Who knows someone from this group may make the nation proud one day!”

Realistic goals
Despite producing tangible results through his volleyball coaching, Kumar is realistic about his goals.

“I can’t give them the same training which a government stadium or a private academy gives. My main aim is to help them get a decent government job through making them eligible for the sports quota. Some of them are also interested in becoming sports teachers,” Kumar says.

“I can raise their level but there are certain constraints like diet. Because of inadequate diet these girls from underprivileged background don’t attain their full physical potential. I can train their skills but can’t transform their physique, which is very important,”
he adds.

Sportsperson can apply for jobs in government institutions like Railways, and security forces if they have played at the national level.

Talking further about what ails the sports system in the country, Kumar says unlike in China and the West, a sportsperson in India starts getting government support only when he or she reaches the highest level.

“All the scholarships, specialised coaching, and other benefits are for people who are playing at national level. At the grassroots level there is no encouragement or support from the government. At the inter-zonal championship, the prize money is a paltry Rs 1,000,” says Kumar.

“One of the reasons why Haryana is doing well in sports is because the monetary help starts right from the village level itself. Otherwise in the rest of the states only a handful of athletes reach the highest level and the rest are left to fight for their survival.” 

Meanwhile, despite the help that Kumar is getting from the area residents, lack of toilet in the park is becoming a reason for the girls to avoid coming here from far-off places.

“They come here from Sagarpur, Patel Nagar, Janakpuri for two to three hours. Not relieving themselves for such a long time is causing some physical problems for them. I have requested the Delhi Development Authority officials to think of making a toilet in the park but no progress has been made so far,” Kumar complains.