Subhash Rajta
- Balbir Singh is a retired Army man and small-time farmer. His daughter Rimpledeep Kaur is in the US, pursuing Masters of Science in Financial Analysis and Investment Management.
- Karamjit Singh is a bus conductor at a private school. His son Dalwinder Singh won the National tennis title last year, becoming only the second player ever from Punjab to achieve the feat.
- Ram Chander Maurya is a gardener. His daughter Gauri Maurya has completed B Tech from a reputed university.
There runs a strong common thread among these bright youngsters, working their way up the socio-economic ladder rather swiftly. To begin with, all of them hail from Jassowal, a small, nondescript village some 30 km away from Ludhiana; and all of them owe their eye-catching rise to Harvest Tennis Academy in their village. “My parents often tell me, ‘We gave you birth but Harvest raised you.’ And it’s so true,” says Rimple, who’s on a 100 per cent tennis scholarship in the US.
“There is no way my parents could have given me the opportunities Harvey uncle (the man who set up the academy) brought in my life through tennis. I often look back and think, ‘If it wasn’t for tennis, I would have been married by now! But now, every single day I have some different and amazing goals to reach, and priorities to take care of,” says the 24-year-old, sounding extremely delighted with how her life has panned out.
Playing ball in fields
Rimple’s life, and that of several other kids in her and surrounding villages, changed course when Harvinder Singh Saran aka Harvey brought the elite game of tennis to their doorsteps in 2005. Born in Jassowal, Saran had migrated to Canada in search of greener pastures decades back. Over the years, this son of soil made a fortune in a real estate business there. And now he wanted to give back to his roots and his village. This philanthropic thought resulted in a state-of-the-art tennis academy in the middle of open fields, a rather unconventional setting for a tennis academy. The doors of the academy were flung open to the village kids free of cost, and they took to it like duck to water, even though they didn’t even know what tennis was all about until then.
“Harvey uncle came to our school and asked us if we would like to play tennis. We thought he meant badminton and said yes,” recalls Dalwinder. In hindsight, saying ‘yes’ to tennis has been probably the best decision Dalwinder and many of his friends made. Last year, he became only the second player from Punjab to win a national title. His parents are understandably delighted. “We had nothing to support our son. Wherever he is today, it’s because of the academy,” says Karamjit, his father.
Dalwinder, too, is full of gratitude. “I’ve been playing at the academy for 13 years now. All these years the academy has taken care of all my requirements. Even when I travel for international tournaments, the academy bears the expenses,” says the grateful player. “Coming from the background that I do, there was no way I could have afforded the expenses involved in the game. Here, all I am required to do is play and give my best shot.”
Opening new avenues
For those who failed to go beyond a point in competitive tennis, the sport opened up several career options in others fields. Gauri, for instance, managed to land a B Tech seat through sports quota after she quit playing competitive tennis. “Whatever I am doing today is all because of tennis and the large-heartedness of Harvey uncle,” she smiles, adding the sport prepared her and many others for life after tennis. “I played competitive tennis for almost a decade, travelled across the country, met so many people, made so many friends... nothing could have prepared me this well for life.” Incidentally, her brother also played tennis at the academy and is a coach now. “My children couldn’t have been where they are today if it wasn’t for the academy,” says Gauri’s father.
“Many of our trainees have taken up coaching assignments abroad,” says Gaurav Bharadwaj, tennis manager at the academy. “A few of them are coaching here with us.”
Growing along with disciples
Along with its trainees, the academy, too, has grown over the years. Making a start with three clay courts in 2005, the academy now has an enviable network of 14 floodlit courts (11 deco turf, three clay), state-of-the art gym equipped with high-end equipment, top trainers and coaches. “We have been hosting ITF tournaments for a while now, and top tennis players of the country train with us,” adds Bharadwaj.
Even as the academy has become one of the most-sought after in the country, it has steadfastly stuck to its founding principle — offering poor village kids a chance to play tennis for free. “That will not change, we will continue to offer the opportunity to the poor village kids without any payment,” says Saran. With a view to offering holistic development to its trainees, Saran has opened an international school in the same premises. “We have a provision of providing free education to the village kids who excels in tennis,” says Saran. Rimple is a perfect example of what the right combination of sports and education could do. Thanks to the academy, she rose to top-3 in U-18 category in the country. And when she had to look for a vocation beyond tennis after an unfortunate injury cut short her blossoming career, she was more than ready to go for the best, thanks to the few years she spent at the school.
To date, the village kids have produced the best results for the academy, with Rimple and Dalwinder being the best. “There are many others who are doing very well in age-group tournaments. You will soon start hearing about their feats,” adds Dalwinder. Fingers crossed.
Man who made it happen
Harvinder Singh Saran says he’s still losing Rs 7 to 8 lakh per month on the tennis academy. That’s in addition to the $20 million he has already spent on raising the state-of-the-art sporting facility and an international school. Yet, Saran has no regrets over the enterprise he started 15 years back, and promises to keep the doors to the academy open to the poor from the village. The satisfaction and delight he derive from watching the deprived village kids grow in life through his initiative strengthen his resolve further. “It’s very satisfying to see kids of my village going on tennis scholarships to the US, earning sports quota seats in good Indian institutions, and a few going on to do well in tennis,” adds Saran.
As for results on the court, he understands tennis is extremely competitive at international level. “Our kids are doing well on national circuit. One of our boys won the National title last year, and we have high hopes from him in the future,” he says. “Internationally, it’s extremely tough to do well in tennis. You need to have the best in terms of coaching and facilities, and we are leaving no stone unturned to provide the best to our boys,” he adds. If there’s one thing that irks him, it’s the country’s obsession with cricket. “We’ve hosted so many top tournaments at the academy, but it doesn’t evoke much interest,” says Saran. “Most are obsessed with cricket, so others sports don’t get as much attention as they deserve,” he laments.
My parents often tell me, ‘We gave you birth but Harvest raised you.’ And it’s so true. There is no way my parents could have given me the opportunities Harvey uncle brought in my life through tennis. If it wasn’t for this game, I would have been married by now. — Rimpledeep Kaur, won 100 per cent tennis scholarship to the US
It’s very satisfying to see kids of my village going on tennis scholarships to the US, earning sports quota seats in good Indian institutions, and a few going on to do well in tennis. — Harvinder (Harvey) Singh Saran, founder of harvest tennis academy
I have been playing at the academy for 13 years now. All these years the academy has taken care of all my requirements. Even when I travel for international tournaments, the academy bears the expenses. — Dalwinder Singh national-level tennis player
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2HOqPpb
via Today’s News Headlines
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