This Yadgir shepherd stands out from the herd, makes waves on volleyball court

From a shepherd to a migrant worker to a national volleyball player, 19-year-old Nagesh Yadav's journey has been quite eventful.

Yadav, from Chintakunta, a small village in Yadgir district, was busy grazing sheep until he was 13. But his parents had to sell the sheep to marry off their daughter, forcing them to migrate to Bengaluru.

In Bengaluru, while working as a construction worker, Nagesh was seen by representatives of NGO Sparsha Trust which rehabilitated him and admitted him directly to class 8, based on his age.

"I developed interest in playing volleyball as soon as I joined the school. Somehow my talent and interest have been recognised and I am thankful to everyone, especially to Sparsha Trust," Nagesh said.

Gopinath R, from Sparsha Trust, said: "We are happy with his growth. Every child has a hidden talent which needs to be recognised and supported."

After clearing SSLC in 2019, Nagesh enrolled for PUC at a private college in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, he was recognised by the Sports Authority of India which shifted him to a sports hostel in Kerala for coaching. He is studying an undergraduate programme.

Nagesh is currently playing in the Under-21 national volleyball tournament which is going on in Uttarakhand. He represented the state in the Under-16 sub-junior volleyball tournament in Odisha, the Under-17 nationals in Andhra Pradesh and the Under-18 nationals in West Bengal. Having made his mark in age categories, the promising spiker has set his eyes on state senior call-up.

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