Mumbai's Bhiwani: Malad school trains slum kids into young boxing champs

When students from St Mathewrsquos High School in Malwani Malad snapped up five boxing medals mdash two gold one silver and two bronze mdash at The Mumbai Schools Sports Association MSSA interschool boxing tournament in January their achievement was not solely a sporting feat These lesser fortunate young adults many from the slum in the vicinity some children of labourers and autorickshaw drivers are defying all odds to get ahead in the sport and pursue an education in the hope of a better life What makes their achievement outstanding is the speed at which they have landed success After all they started training only a year agoStudents of St Mathewrsquos School in Malwani Malad came home with five medals at the MSSA interschool boxing tournament in January They have been training for barely a year PicsNimesh DaveIt may be stretching the analogy a bit but this pocket in the northern suburbs of Mumbai could be the cityrsquos Bhiwani promising to become a powerhouse for pugilistsKetan Saini the son of a rickshaw driver and domestic help is the schoolrsquos champion His weight due to poor nutrition is a worry says his coachBhiwani Boxing Club in Haryana shot to fame in 2008 as four of the five boxers who represented India at the 2008 Summer Olympics in China mdash among them is Vijender Singh who won a bronze medal mdash were from BhiwaniIllustration Uday MohiteIn Malwani the glint of metal from the medals around the studentsrsquo necks shines bright But even brighter is the smile that coach former national level boxer Santosh Dhaygonde flashes He trains these 30 students mdash 20 boys and 10 girls every alternate weekday Dhaygonde a Physical Training PT teacher at an international school in Kandivali takes time off to teach the children in the mornings from 8 am to 11 am The Bhayander resident says ldquoIn a very short time they have managed to win medals Many students are physically weak but what they lack in power they make up with determinationrdquol to r Nidhi Yadav Ketan Saini and Harshid Shaikh practice with coach Santosh DhaygondeTight funds mean 30 students use four pairs of boxing gloves three punching bags two red corner and two blue corner headgear and a pair of mitts mdash all donated by NGOs Itrsquos not enough but they are making the best of what they have ldquoItrsquos tough to rotate the gloves and boxing gear among students since they get sweaty Size is also a problem Some children wear shoes that are loose since they are borrowed This causes discomfort during competitive fights Given their resources they are doing a great jobrdquo says assistant coach Jaydeep Mali also a PT teacher at the schoolThe 30 students share four pairs of boxing gloves donated by NGOs They make the most of what they have says their coachldquoI was always interested in boxing and excited when I got a chance to train The movie Mary Kom was an inspirationrdquo says Nidhi Yadav who along with Manisha Saroj travelled to Parbhani in Marathwada for a state level event early February The duo had started boxing only a month prior to the selection Yadav though acknowledges that reel life is nowhere close to real life ldquoIt is different to actually be inside the boxing ring and get punched by the opponent but that only spurs me onrdquo Saroj adds ldquoI am practicing hard and will surely win at the state level next yearrdquoKetan Saini the school champion at his home in Azad Nagar Malwani His mother Nirmala rear right works as a domestic helpA part of their learning process includes watching boxing matches on sports channels Itrsquos here that they draw inspiration and pick up some nifty moves Irfan Khan an under14 boxer says ldquoI try to hook and upper cut like the boxers on TV though in the ring it is a very different feeling But I enjoy my time in the ring and I like winning I learn so much by watching others box in competitions toordquoMalwanirsquos boxing story began back in 2004 when Larzy Varghese principal and trustee of St Mathewrsquos Educational Trust that runs the school decided to set up the institution after seeing children squander their lives away in the nearby slum ldquoI gave up my job at a school in Malad sold a parcel of land in Kerala and bought the plot on which the school stands There are 2000 students who study here and 56 are currently giving their SSC examsrdquo Varghese says the children are eager to learn Education is their only means towards a better lifeThe former Kerala literacy officer was part of the 1985 Literacy Campaign to spread education in the southern state Launched in the 1980s it encouraged young educated individuals from the state to go into the villages and teach people how to read and write their name The campaign bore fruit in 1990 with Kerala becoming the state with the highest literacy rate in India Varghese a mother of two says she spends more time mentoring the children at the school than with her own sonsMarriage brought Varghese from Kerala to Mumbai where she taught in a school for more than 12 years ldquoI remember seeing the children play in gutter water They did not go to school Tenyearolds wasted their time roaming That touched me deeply I decided to start a school for them so that they could learnrdquoMost teachers at the school are volunteers mdash retired teachers or faculty at private schools who spend their free time teaching hereA Marathi teacher at the international school Dhaygonde teaches at was the one to inform him about St Mathewrsquos ldquoHe told me how a school was working at providing kids with an education I started teaching them PT two years ago and during the course introduced boxing They took to it like a duck to water I decided to take a special classrdquo says DhaygondeHis star student is Ketan Saini son of an autorickshaw driver and domestic help currently the school champion He has won two gold medals at the interschool level ldquoHe will be the next Vijender Singh He needs to put on weight thoughrdquo says VargheseSaini a Std VIII student and resident of Azad Nagar started boxing one year ago and has already won a slew of bouts Dhaygonde says he punches hard and is nimble on his feet What has been a cause for concern is his weight Last year Saini weighed only 30 kilos A nutrition programme introduced by Varghese ensures that the schoolrsquos boxers get three square mealsThey are given eggs bananas milk and oats for breakfast Lunch and dinner includes roti vegetable dal rice and eggs ldquoEarlier students would faint during practice because they would not eat breakfast Their punches were weak and they would tire easily From the time Varghese Madam has started offering them breakfast their performance has improvedrdquo says MaliItrsquos far more than Saini who has three siblings would get on a regular day at home Often dinner would be just a glass of milk In one year he has put on five kilos Now cheered by their principal teachers and coaches eight boys including Saini and Khan will aim for gold in Chandrapur near Nagpur at the State level boxing tournament scheduled from March 30 to April 1Posing for our photographer outside his home Saini says ldquoI want to make my school proudrdquo Nirmala Saini his mother says ldquoThere have been times when all I could give my children was milk I work as a domestic help in Orlem and my husbandrsquos income depends on rickshaw fares We have four children to feed and educate Itrsquos a good feeling to see Ketan become a star in schoolrdquo