Preeti led a group of girls of similar backgrounds to victory in a tournament held in Nepal last month. Earlier the team had won the national level competition. He did not have the means to go to Nepal. Since it was not a government-sponsored event, they had to look for sponsors. team coach Mr. Satish Kumar Some managed to send the girls by getting sponsors and spending a portion out of their own pocket.
“Last year I had joined the college but had to close it as I did not have a mobile phone to attend online classes. Now I have got an admission again but I have to pay for semester fees to attend classes which I don’t have. The game helps to forget the difficulties. I have been playing for the last six years, fighting against all odds,” she said.
his partner si kirtanA student studying in class XI had lost her father a year ago. Her mother works as a construction laborer to raise her four children. Kabaddi is his biggest inspiration. Keerthana, a resident of Thadgam, does not miss making the 5.30 am bus to Coimbatore’s Nehru Stadium at 7 am to practice on time. “I don’t eat in the morning. For lunch, I eat at my coach’s house and a teammate’s house on alternate days because my mother can’t pay me to eat. She asked for my school admission. Borrowed Rs 5,000 and is paying it in installments. But she keeps encouraging me to pursue the game. I am playing Pro Kabbadi League I have ambitions,” she said.
The girls came together four years ago under the guidance of coach Satish. A former kabaddi player says that the team of 20 girls is formed organically. She started out with coaching in a private school when she started being questioned by girls from other schools who were interested in Kabaddi. Today he is proud of his team. “The girls are very intelligent and have developed the skills to play in all kinds of competitions. They are just waiting for their turn,” he said.
.