Playing Against Barriers

When 13-year-old Kuldeep Gupta peeks into the translucent glass wall of Kheshala, it transports him into another world. His
side of the divide consists of a narrow lane with roadside tea-stalls and snack-carts, one of which is owned by his mother. On the other side of the glass, focus shifts to a sprawling facility with two squash courts, a state-of- the-art gym and a clean and hygienic surrounding unlike the slums in which he dwells.
At the urban village of Attawa in Chandigarh, populated mostly by
Rickshaw drivers , 22 kids like Kuldeep lead a dual life. In the mornings and late evening, they reside at home and assist parents with chores, but in the middle of the day, they disappear into this facility. Here, they play squash under the
watchful eyes that trained a legend of the game— Jansher Khan-along with receiving yoga and music lessons periodically. The entire gamut of activities is offered to them free of cost.
Khelshala is an NGO under whose aegis these activities are conducted. It is the brainchild of Satinder Bajwa, Harvard Univ. Director of Squash (1999-2010). This enterprise aims to go beyond providing the slum kids a temporary refuge from the harsh realities of their lives. It endeavors to transform their lives by cultivating life-skills through sports, academies and extra-curricular activities. “These kids will not become world champions but I am going to get into their heads and make them better human beings,” says Bajwa passionately.
“This initiative in its present form has taken 22 years to evolve,” he adds. He traces the seeds of Khelshala back to the 1989 Malaysian Open, where Jansher Khan asked him to be his coach. It was through his experiences with Jansher, Bajwa first realized how squash could help bring about improvements in an individual not only on court, but in their day-to-day life as well “Jansher was known to have disciplinarian issues and problems with authority. For instance, he would not show up at award ceremonies, refuse to take a bow in front of kings etc. It became Bajwa’s job to rein the champion and confront him on his attitude lapses.
Once Jansher’s professional career came to a close Harvard University, which offered him the position of Director of Squash. He accepted the offer, as he felt that like Jansher, many young players at the university go through difficult times and he could help them tide through. However, after spending ten year in America, he felt this sort of initiative made much more sense in India.”