When Dharmender ‘Fouji’ returned to his village, Mohammadpur, in 2014 after 17 years of service in the Army, his village was no longer the way he remembered it.

He said he saw the village youth entering ATM booths, throwing out the guards and drinking liquor there. A lot of them had started taking drugs, there were many incidents of loot and the police would have regular meetings in the village to discuss how they could control the crime rate, he added.

That’s when Dharmender decided to take matters into his hands. He gathered these youngsters, mentored them, enrolled half of them at a gym in Sector 10 at his own cost, and started teaching kabaddi to the ones with a lean build.

Mohammadpur now has 400 young people training in sports and the village has already produced at least 14 national-level players, two of whom have gone on to participate in international events. “Now, you won’t find anyone in the village who is younger than me who drinks (liquor) or is into drugs,” said the proud 38-year-old.

Dharmender’s free sports academy started with 10-12 persons in 2015. “I would teach them kabaddi and handball in the evening. Other kids in the village followed suit,” Dharmender said. He said he used to take the children to a ground in Kherki Dhaula every morning to practise kabaddi.

“I would make them run to and from the ground every day. But since it was another village, many parents started objecting to it, which is why I had to look for a solution closer to home,” he said.

Dharmender and his students used a fellow villager’s land for practice until the sowing season arrived. He then decided to approach his brothers, whose families owned parts of land, and clubbed it together.

Today, his academy, which is on six acres of his family land converted into a running track and an outdoor practice ground for handball, volleyball, shot put, wrestling, kabaddi and discus throw, has more than 400 people – of both sexes, aged between six and 30 years.

They assemble in the ground at 5 am every day, practice for four hours, meet in the evenings at 4pm and again practice for two hours. People from other areas of the city, such as Farrukhnagar, Pataudi and Arjun Nagar, also attend the academy.

Dharmender said that a lot of families in the village had given up hope for their children, as they weren’t particularly good at studies. He said the families have a lot of money at their disposal thanks to land deals, but few opportunities for all-round development of their children. Over time, they went astray, he said.

“I personally went and convinced each family to let their children play sports. I explained to them how sports could be a great career option,” he said.

The district-level tournament that they organised at the ground in Mohammadpur was the first time girls of the village played a competitive match.

“That was the turning point. Earlier, some parents would object to girls playing in the open and boys and girls playing together. But, we have made sure they maintain discipline,” Dharmender said, adding that the villagers eventually saw their dedication and lent them their support.

However, sports equipment, such as handballs, nets and training ropes, are expensive and need to be replaced often.

“Whatever money I get in pension, which is around Rs22,000 per month, goes into buying the sports gear,” Dharmender said. Apart from this, corporates often volunteer to sponsor players’ jerseys, shoes and travel expenses.

This March, the academy organised a state-level tournament at their ground that saw a participation of 1,200 players — 600 boys and 600 girls.

At least three of Dharmender’s students have qualified for the government’s ‘Khelo India’ scheme. Sixteen-year-old Maninder is leaving for Thailand in a few days to represent India in an under-17 handball tournament. Multiple trophies adorn the walls of the homes of many of his students.

Kajal, a kabaddi player and Dharmender’s student, wants to play for the country someday. “Guruji (Dharmender) never let anyone bring us down by their comments. He has helped change the attitude of the village towards girls in sports,” she said, adding she loves playing the boys so that she can beat them.

Dharmender, who is also the president of the Handball Association, Gurugram, and general secretary of the Kickboxing Association, Gurugram, said that the city is full of talent but lacks infrastructure. “There is not a single indoor sports stadium in the city. Sports has taken a back seat in the world class cyber city of Gurugram,” he said, adding that avenues to promote young sports players should be encouraged.

First Published: Aug 16, 2018 06:39 IST

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