Beating all odds, several underprivileged kids from Noida바카라s Gejha village are learning basketball with a hope to make a name for themselves and helping their families to overcome hardships.
These kids, whose parents work as house helps, security guards, plumbers, electricians, vegetable sellers and small-time shopkeepers, come to 바카라Dribble Academy바카라 -- a basketball training centre at the premises of NEM Public School at Sector 93 here -- after their school hours with a hope to do well in their lives. Dribble Academy is the brain-child of Noida-based Pradyot Voleti, a former basketball player.
바카라We have been working with around 3,000 underprivileged kids in seven villages. At Uttar Pradesh바카라s Gejha village project, we currently have around 400-500 children and half of them are girls,바카라 said Voleti, founder of Dribble Academy Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, which runs this academy to train kids free of cost.
He said, these children come from a very difficult background and their parents work as gardeners, electricians, plumbers and domestic helps. 바카라Basketball has definitely been a game changer for them. Through this sport they learn discipline, team work and time management. They also learn to respect each other as boys and girls compete together,바카라 said Voleti.
Our request to the government is that every five-ten square kilometre of area should have a mini stadium where children have an opportunity to learn multiple sports, he said, adding that, "Just an empty ground with some grass is purposeless".
Children deserve an equal opportunity as a fundamental right to have basic access to multiple sports, Voleti said, and asked the government to come up with a policy to set up sports infrastructure at village levels.
바카라I have been coming to this training centre for the past four years. I want to encourage more girls from my area to learn basketball,바카라 said Kajal Kumari, a 15-year-old student. Kajal, whose father works in a private factory, wants to convince parents of other girls from her area to let their children play basketball as she feels that they can do wonders in their life by learning the game.
For Anshu Pal, another young player from the academy, learning basketball has made her confident and also brought many positive changes in people around her. 바카라Initially, neighbours were a bit unhappy about girls wearing shorts for playing basketball. But, after having joined this academy, I have noticed positive changes in people around me,바카라 she said.
Like girls, boys from the area also come in huge numbers to practice and learn the game. 바카라Once my father saw me playing basketball in one of the recent tournaments. May be he realised my potential in the game and since then he has controlled his alcohol drinking habit,바카라 said Arun Kumar, a 13-year-old student.
Kids at the academy firmly believe that playing basketball keeps them physically and mentally fit. Basketball has brought happiness not just in the lives of these kids but for their parents also, as they feel their children now remain busy constructively.
바카라I have two children, a boy and a girl. Both of them come to this academy. I have seen a lot of changes in them. They get up early, do their work themselves and then go to school and also to the academy. I wish they keep playing and make a name for themselves,바카라 said Shalini Jaiswal, who works as a cook in a neighbouring housing society.
Urmila Singh, a coach at the academy, aspires to become an international coach herself. 바카라It is heartening to see these underprivileged children play so well,바카라 said Singh, who is pursuing bachelor바카라s degree from Delhi University.
(With PTI inputs)
