Jyoti

Pratishtha Pandya

Editor

large_01-_BTR3164-JS.jpg

medium_01-_BTR3164-JS.jpg

small_01-_BTR3164-JS.jpg

thumbnail_01-_BTR3164-JS.jpg

01-_BTR3164-JS.jpg

“One day I want to win a medal for India in the Olympics,”
she says, still catching her breath after a long running drill on the tar road that
goes past her sports academy. Her tired and injured bare feet are finally resting
on the ground after four hours of arduous training. 

This 13-year-old
long-distance runner is not barefooting on some modern-day fad. “I run that way
because my parents can’t afford to buy expensive running shoes,” she says. 

Varsha Kadam is the
daughter of Vishnu and Devshala, agricultural labourers from Parbhani, one of the
state’s poorest districts in the drought-prone Marathwada. Her family belong to
the Matang community, listed as Scheduled Caste in Maharashtra. 

“I love running,” she says, her eyes
shining. “The five-kilometre
Buldana Urban Forest Marathon was my first [run] in 2021. I
felt very good when I came second and won my first medal too. I want to win
more competitions,” says the determined teenager.Her parents recognised her passion when she was only eight. “My mama [maternal
uncle] Paraji Gayakwad was a state-level
athlete. He is in the Army now. Seeing him I also started running,” she adds. In 2019, she secured a second rank in the
four-kilometre cross-country running at the interschool state-level
competition and, “that gave me more confidence to pursue running.”

The pandemic in March 2020 meant no school. “My
parents don’t have a phone [smartphone] for online classes,” says Varsha who used
the time to run – two hours in the morning and two in the evening. 

In October 2020, at the age of 13, she joined the Shri
Samarth Athletics Sports Residential Academy on the outskirts of Pimpalgaon
Thombare village in Parbhani district of Maharashtra. 

There are 13 other athletes from marginalised communities – eight boys
and five girls – who also train here. Some
are from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in the state. Their parents work as farmers, cane
cutters, agricultural workers and migrant wage labourers in the Marathwada region,
better known for its crippling droughts. 

Training here, these young people have
reached the finish line in state and national-level races, and some have even
represented India at the international level.

The star athletes stay at the academy through the
year and attend school and college in Parbhani, 39 kilometres away. They return
home only during breaks. “A few of them have morning school, and
others go in the afternoon. So, we schedule practice accordingly,” says Ravi Raskatla,
the founder. 

“There is lot of potential for various sports among the children here,
but it is hard for them to pursue it as a profession when the families are
struggling for two square meals,” says Ravi. He used to teach sports in Zilla
Parishad schools before starting the academy in 2016. “I decided to coach such
[rural] kids from a very young age by providing them the best training for free,”
says the 49-year-old coach who is
always on the lookout for sponsors for coaching, training, diet and shoes.

The academy is
a makeshift tin structure, painted blue and located in the middle of fields, adjacent
to the Beed bypass road. It stands on a one-and-a-half-acre
portion of land that belongs to Shankarao, father of Jyoti Gavate – an athlete
from Parbhani. He used to work as a peon with the state transport office;
Jyoti’s mother works as a cook.

“We used to stay in a house with a tin roof. I was able to invest some
money and we managed to build a one-storied house of our own. My brother [Maharashtra
police constable] is also earning more than he used to,” says Jyoti, who has dedicated her life to running. She felt the family could
afford to offer their farmland to ‘Ravi sir’ for his sports academy and had the
support of her parents and her brother. “It is a mutual
understanding,” she says. 

At the academy, tin sheets divide the space into two rooms, each about
15 x 20 feet in size. One is for the girls and five of them share three beds that
the academy has received from donors. The other room is for the boys and
mattresses are lined up on the concrete floor.

There is a tube light and a fan in both the rooms; they come on when there is power which is often infrequent. Summer temperatures in this area
can go up to 42 degrees and winters it
drops to 14 degrees.



The Maharashtra <a href="https://sports.maharashtra.gov.in/nfsshare/sports_en/about_department/1530855933_sport_policy_-_eng1.pdf">State
Sports policy of 2012</a>, makes it mandatory for the
state to provide sports complexes, academies, camps, and sports equipment to upgrade
the performance of athletes. 

But Ravi points out, “ten
years of policy remains just on paper. There is no real implementation on the ground.
The government fails to recognise
such talent. There is lot of apathy among sports officials.”  

Even an <a href="https://cag.gov.in/uploads/download_audit_report/2017/Report_No_6_of_2017_-_General_and_Social_Sector_Government_of_Maharashtra.pdf">audit
report</a> filed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in 2017 accepts
that the aim of the sports policy to develop sports infrastructure from taluka
level to state is far from complete.

Ravi says he manages the daily expenses of the academy
with private coaching. “Many of my
students who are now elite marathon runners, donate their prize money.”  

Despite its limited monetary resources and facilities,
the academy ensures a nutritious diet for the athletes. Chicken or fish is provided three to four times a week. On other days, green vegetables,
banana, jwari, bajri bhakri, sprouted beans like matki, moong,
chana and eggs are given. 

The athletes begin practice on the tar road
from 6
a.m. and stop at 10 a.m. In the evening,
after 5 p.m. they practice speed work on the same road. “This
road is not that busy but while running we still have to be careful of vehicles
passing by. I take great precautions for their safety,” explains their coach. “Speed work means
covering maximum distance in minimum time. Like in 2 minutes 30 seconds one
kilometre distance must get covered.” 

Varsha’s parents look forward to the day when their
athlete daughter’s dreams of becoming a national-level athlete come true. She has been participating in several marathons across Maharashtra
since 2021. “We want her to excel in running. We give all our support. She will make us
and the country proud,” says her mother happily. “We would really like to see
her running in competitions. I wonder how she does it,” adds her husband,
Vishnu. 

The couple used to migrate regularly when they first
married, in 2009. When Varsha, their eldest child was three years old, her parents
would migrate out of their village in search of wage work – sugarcane cutting.
The family would stay in tents and always be on the move. “The constant travel in
trucks would make Varsha sick, so we stopped going,” recalls Devshala. Instead they
began looking for work around the village where, “women get 100 rupees and men
200 rupees a day,” says Vishnu who also migrates to the city for six months in
a year. “I go to Nashik, Pune and work as a security guard or at a construction
site, or sometimes I work at nurseries.” Vishnu is able to earn Rs. 20,000 to
30,000 over five to six months. Devshala
stays back, ensuring their other children, a girl and a boy, do not miss
school.

Despite their best efforts, Varsha’s parents have
not been able to afford a pair of proper shoes for Varsha. But the young athlete
brushes it off saying, “I try to focus more on my speed and technique of
running.”

Chhagan Bomble is a marathon runner who had to wait to
win his first race before he could afford a pair of shoes. “I bought my
first pair in 2019. When I started, I had no shoes, but when I earned some
prize money by winning marathons, I got these,” he says showing us a rather ragged pair he
is wearing just now.

The 22-year-old is the son of agricultural labourers from the Andh tribe, and his family live in Khambala
village in Hingoli district.  



Shoes he now has, but without the socks that he can ill afford, he can feel
the rough asphalt road though the worn-out soles. “Of course, it hurts. Both synthetic tracks and good
shoes would provide protection and fewer injuries,” he informs this reporter matter-of-factly.
“We are habitual to walking, running around, playing, climbing hills, working without
chappals in the farm with our parents. So, this is not a big thing” he says
brushing off regular wounds and cuts. 



Chhagan’s parents, Maruti and Bhagirata don’t own any
land and depend on wages from agricultural labour. “Sometimes we work in a farm.
Sometimes we take farmers’ bullocks for grazing. Any work which comes our way,” says
Maruti. Together they earn Rs. 250 a day. And work comes only for 10-15 days every
month. 

Their runner son, Chhagan
keeps participating in big and small marathons at city, taluka, state and
country level to support his family. “The first three winners get prize money.
Sometimes 10,000 rupees, sometimes 15,000,” he says. “I get to participate in 8
to 10 marathons a year. It is difficult to win each one. In 2022 I won two and
was a runner-up in three others. I earned some 42,000 rupees then.”

Back home in Khambala village, Chhagan’s one-room
house is full of medals and trophies. His parents take immense pride in his
medals and certificates. “We are anari [illiterate] people. My son will
do something in life by running,” says 60-year-old Maruti. “This is more precious
than any gold,” chuckles Chhagan’s 56-year-old mother Bhagirata, pointing at
the medals and certificates spread out on the floor of their small mud house.

Chhagan says, “I am preparing for bigger things. I want to become an Olympian.” There is a distinct ring of resolution
in his voice. But he knows the odds. “We need at least basic sports facilities. For runners the best score is
maximum distance in minimum time. And the timing on mud or tar roads differs
from synthetic tracks. As a result, it gets hard to get selected for the
national and international running competitions or for the Olympics,” he
explains.

Parbhani’s young athletes make do with two dumbbells
and four PVC gym plates with a rod as equipment for strength training. “There
is not a single state academy in Parbhani or in all of Marathwada,” confirms
Ravi. 

Promises and policies abound. The 2012 State sports
policy now more than 10 years old, had promised sports infrastructure at the taluka
level. Not after <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1721632">Khelo
India</a>, under which the Maharashtra government received Rs. 3.6
crore for opening 36 Khelo India Centres, one in each district.

Still to come are the 122 new sports complexes of international standards for rural Maharashtra –
the ‘sporting powerhouse’ of India – as announced by Chief
Minister Eknath Shinde during
the launch of the Maharashtra State Olympic Games in January 2023. 

Narendra Pawar, the district sports
officer, Parbhani says while speaking over the telephone, “We
are looking for a place to build an academy. And the construction of a taluka
level sports complex is underway.” 

Athletes at the academy do not know what to believe. “It is sad that
politicians, even citizens, recognize our presence when we win medals in the Olympics,”
Chhagan says. “But until then we remain invisible; our struggle for basic
sports infrastructure remains unseen. I felt this even more when I saw our Olympian
wrestlers fighting for justice and getting brutal treatment instead of support.”

“But sports people are fighters. Whether it is for
synthetic running tracks or for justice against crime, we will fight until
our last breath,” he says with a smile.

Chasing Gold on a tar road in Parbhani

گولڈ میڈل جیتنے کا خواب پورا کرنے کی تیاری

తారు రోడ్డుపై బంగారు కలల పరుగు

பர்பணியில் தார்ச்சாலையில் தங்கப்பதக்கத்தை விரட்டும் இளம்பெண்

ਤਮਗ਼ੇ ਦਾ ਪਿੱਛਾ ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਪੁਲਾਂਘਾਂ

ପରଭଣୀର ପିଚୁ ସଡ଼କରେ ସ୍ୱର୍ଣ୍ଣ ପଦକ ପାଇଁ ଦୌଡ଼

പർബനിയിലെ ടാർ റോഡിൽ സ്വർണ്ണം തേടി പായുന്നവർ

ಪರ್ಭಾನಿ: ಡಾಂಬರು ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿನ್ನದ ಕನಸಿನ ಓಟ

क्या सुविधाओं के अभाव में टूट जाएगा गोल्ड मेडल जीतने का ख़्वाब?

આંખમાં સુવર્ણચંદ્રક, ઉઘાડા પગ, ડામરની સડક ને પરભાનીના દોડવીરો

परभणी के डामर सड़क मं जुच्छा गोड़ ‘सोना’ के सपना

का खालिए गोड़ दउड़े वाला के गोल्ड के सपना टूट जाई?

পারভানির পিচরাস্তায় স্বর্ণসন্ধান

পাৰভানিত স্বৰ্ণৰ স্বপ্নৰে দিঠকৰ কঠিন দৌৰ

खडतर रस्त्यावर धावणारी सुवर्ण स्वप्नं

Pimpalgaon Thombare

At present, we can only accept donations in Indian rupees by Indian citizens. All donations made to the CounterMedia Trust are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Here is a copy of our exemption certificate.


India is bigger than New Delhi. And people need to know more about the rest of this vast nation.


Younger, media-saturated generations are growing up knowing little about their country, but a lot about the elites of a few metros and towns. For a narrowly-owned, commercially-driven media, the dumbing down of a nation is part of standard operating procedure. The last available data of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS, Delhi) show us that reports from New Delhi account for 66 per cent of news on the front pages of major dailies. The CMS data also found that just about 0.24 per cent of front page news came out of rural India. The TV channels are not much better.PARI exists to change that.We are a non-profit organisation. We publish under creative commons, and do not charge readers a subscription fee or put-up advertisements. Nothing is behind a paywall and we are completely free-to-access by anyone. We guard our independence and receive no direct grants from governments and corporations, nor any funding that could dictate our content. So, we are dependent on volunteer labour, donations from individuals, foundations and institutions that see value in independent and free media.PARI is changing the way Indian journalism reports and documents the rural.India is more than the elite of a few metros and towns. We report on rural lives and livelihoods, languages, communities, migrants and more. We need your help to pull off this most ambitious of Indian journalistic endeavours. The scale of this effort costs money. Donate generously - and spread the word about PARI.&nbsp;

Donate FAQs


Let’s get you acquainted

Welcome to PARI

All our content is, and will forever be free to consume. If you enjoy our work, you can support us by becoming a volunteer or by donating to help fund our work.

Want to republish this article? Please write to <a href="mailto:zahra@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">zahra@ruralindiaonline.org</a> with a cc to <a href="mailto:namita@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">namita@ruralindiaonline.org</a>

IN TELUGU - Want to republish this article? Please write to <a href="mailto:zahra@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">zahra@ruralindiaonline.org</a> with a cc to <a href="mailto:namita@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">namita@ruralindiaonline.org</a>

Chasing Gold on a tar road in Parbhani

Young athletes from rural Maharashtra are winning medals despite poor equipment and the glaring absence of state support. A story for National Sports Day, celebrated on August 29

Related stories

A rain-scented walk in Sivagangai

Living on ravaged land

Biswas and the bamboos on his bike

Recycling energy, Godda style

Bhadels of Goa

Pookadai: still throbbing with morning life

Koli Kadlas

Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study

Wheels of the rural Indian West

Living Under a Red Cloud in Bellary

Vedla – earrings of the Maher community

Dreaming of water, drowning in debt

Kali: the dancer and his dreams

Farmer's diet worse than a convict's

In Yavatmal, life goes on

Suicides are about the living, not the dead

Death of a carpenter

Hoisa Shigmo!

Women farmers: weaving a life in Anantapur

Defiant in Dhinkia

Spice and all that's nice

Kerala's Green Army

The ‘jugaad’ not-a-mobile

Health as someone else's wealth

Calibrating in a Kudumbashree assembly unit