Ajay’s induction to Mrida’s residential school happened out of his curiosity and interest in football. We are happy that he gathered his courage to seek out a different path for himself.Ajay belongs to the native Gond tribe in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. His father Vishnu Singham Maravi is a farmer and has studied up to class 3rd. His mother, Janki Maravi is also involved in agricultural work along with her husband. She has studied up to class 6th. He has an elder sister studying in class 11th. Ajay’s father has no other means of income but to work as an agricultural labourer since they do not possess any family landholdings, due to this the family suffers frequent financial difficulties.
At the time of enrollment, Ajay weighed 33 kg and his height was 56 inches and was malnourished. Before he joined the school’s academy, he was supporting his family by working along with his father as farm help. Now he is part of the 13-player enthusiastic football team of the academy. The story of how Ajay got enrolled in the academy is quite interesting to know. The academy’s coach Kushal remembers those days when Ajay used to observe Mrida’s academy kids playing football on the school ground from afar. One day he gathered his courage and approached the coach. He inquired if he could join the game and play with the other players.
The coach encouraged him to attend the next day’s football training session sharp at 6 am. The next morning, Ajay reached the school ground even before the coach and that really impressed the coach. After 3 months of continuous practice, his parents were invited for Ajay’s formal induction into the Mrida’s school and Narmada Valley Football Academy. It was really heartening to see that even after 2 years of his enrollment Ajay continues to attend Mrida’s day school considering the hardships he had to bear – he travels 10 km to and from his village every day. He used to cover 20 km daily for the 2 years he was in school by cycle till the pandemic locked down the school.
The other kids who had shown interest in football training were also encouraged by the coach to attend practice sessions but many of them have not resumed after the lock-down relaxation. It is quite remarkable that Ajay still visits the school campus daily for practice. His ambition is to become a Goalkeeper. He is a quiet boy with a calm mind and constantly reassures the coach “I will do it; you don’t worry sir” before the matches. Yoga has made a huge difference in his and other children’s health. Some of the academy players used to feel nauseous, dizzy and would constantly complain of stomach related issues. After they started with the early morning Yoga sessions the complaints have subsided.
Like many other children at Mrida’s school, he loves to eat the local favourite Dal bada but doesn’t like vegetables such as bitter gourd. He studies regular subjects like Hindi, Mathematics, Science, English, Computer and History at Riverside Natural School and his favourite subject is Math. He is weak in English and attends the remedial coaching classes provided by Mrida’s teachers after the school hours He does his classwork and homework diligently. He is a curious learner who loves asking a lot of questions to teachers in the class. He enjoys class participation and does not shy away from interacting with his classmates.
He helps his friends and exhibits leadership skills by positively influencing others in the team. According to his class teacher, he is a quiet nature boy who is well behaved and helpful towards everyone. He participates in extra-curricular activities such as dance, drama and singing devotional songs besides playing football. He consciously takes care of his health and hygiene. He respects his teachers, maintains cleanliness in the classroom, and the campus premises. He is conversant in Hindi, besides the local dialect and has good knowledge of computers.
When Ajay was asked to say a few words about the sports academy, he quietly mentions that “he loves to be at the academy since he loves playing football and has made good friends here”. He aspires to become a professional football player and dreams to play for the club Manchester United. The coach at the academy beams proudly of the fact that the kids here who once upon a time had no goals to live by are now dreaming of getting inducted in different clubs at the National and International levels. The kids have become knowledgeable about football and football players since they watch the game videos through the Audio-Visual aids during the coaching sessions.
Ajay’s love for the game is evident in the way he continues to practice under difficult family and financial circumstances. We at Mrida firmly believe in Ajay’s dream and are determined to make it a reality. Our community has been generously supporting us through the difficult times to keep our education and sports programs going for the children from poor families in the impoverished Mahakaushal region in Madhya Pradesh. Join us at [email protected] to make a positive impact on such children’s lives.
