Sangrampur remains a secluded village in Pratapgarh district even after boasting a huge number of national level players. The village is not connected to the cities and lacks basic facilities. Despite these difficulties, the young players train themselves to participate in the national level competitions.
Pratapgarh: Sangrampur village of Pratapgarh district is not very well-connected to the cities. The roads are not cemented, and the village is surrounded by a river. Many people still live in thatched houses because of lack of facilities. But these things are not a matter of concern for the players who work day and night to get selected in state and national teams.
In the absence of stadiums, the players make dusty grounds their practice areas and get trained to play for their country. So far, 4 players from the village have been selected in Sports College Lucknow, that have played for national championships.
Playing sports to make life better
After entering the village, young children can be seen receiving their training in various sports. It is a sight to admire. They practice under the scorching sun. Areas near riverbanks are their favourite spots for training.
Mohammad Ibrar works as their coach and gives these students training. He shares that, as many as 20 players have left the village after getting good positions. Along with their sports training, the players prepare for competitive examinations like SSB, PAC, Airforce, Army, Police etc.
Following Ibrar’s passion
Ibrar is a Junior Warrant Officer in the Air Force. Ibrar also joined the Airforce through sports quota. When professional players return to Pratapgarh during their holidays, they try their best to teach these young players the new tactics of games.
He shares that when he was a young player, he used to practice his sports training near the riverbanks. There were no facilities back then and still years later, no improvement has been made to the development of the village. Ibrar had no coach, but now he tries to be of help to these new budding talents.
His students are inspired by him and wish to move out of the village in hopes of a better life.
Making the villagers feel proud of them
Ibrar has won several awards under his name. He won a gold medal in South Asian Games, which were held in Dhaka. He won a bronze in Iran’s Asian Indoor Athletics Championship. He also holds a national record in the Indian Indoor Athletics Championship.
His passion for sports inspires his students. Mohammad Hadees used to practice javelin by making a wooden javelin for himself. In 2012, he was selected in Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow. Two years later in 2014, Hadees won a bronze medal in the National Javelin Championship; he represented Madhya Pradesh.
Another player from the village, Shah Rukh Khan participated in Junior National Athletics and won a gold medal by completing the 1500-meter race. Sheikh Nayab won a gold at the state level hurdle competitions; he was representing Mumbai in the games.
The story goes on…
Due to lack of simple necessities and facilities in the village, sports have become the only medium through which these young players dream of making their lives better. This village boasts of having excellent raw players and yet no minister attempts to construct better road facilities for connecting it to major cities of the state.
There are countless players that have won medals at the international, national and state level competitions. To name a few, Sahil Khan, Sajid Khan, Sajjad Khan, Arshad Khan have secured admissions in Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow. Looking at the enthusiasm of these players, the young players continue to train harder to follow the same path.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.