MLSTA starts free tennis racquet library to train tribal kids in the game

Sundar Iyer, secretary, MSLTA, said the association was already providing tennis racquets in Jalna, Hingoli and Hinganghat’s tribal regions and would soon take it to other tribal and rural areas of Maharashtra.

“Tennis is an expensive sport. Most of the players come from elite or higher middle class. It is a luxury even for the middle class. In March this year, we at MSLTA had a meeting where we decided that something should be done to bring in the poor, tribal kids who have immense talent,” says Iyer.

The library started on an experimental basis first in Nagpur, where 35-40 racquets were collected by senior players and donated to kids. The response was heartwarming as hundreds came to try their hands at the sport.

Later, MSLTA decided to launch the scheme on a bigger scale. “In May-June, we sent mails to our members and asked for their support. We received around 225 racquets. Many of them were in good condition. Good enough to practice, but not good enough to play at a competitive level. Many sent their old wooden racquets which were not really useful. But their intention was good and we appreciate that,” says Iyer. Later, Yonex, which usually accepts the old racquets and has partnered with MSLTA, also decided to give their old collection to MSLTA.

Abhishek Tamhane, a builder who played professional tennis from 1988 to 2005, was part of the group that has donated 25 racquets and wishes to continue efforts to help the tribal kids. “We were impressed by MSLTA’s tribal programme. It was the least we could do. The racquets are strong and if handled carefully, can be used for a long time,” Tamhane says.

Pravin Zite, the sports coach at Balewadi who himself comes from a poor family, says, “We used to sit by the fences, hoping to play. No one gave us racquets until we were officially in the academy. But we encourage kids to come inside and play. I think these racquets will help kids much early than we did.”
According to MSLTA, it would take at least five years before the racquet library starts showing results. “Only giving equipment is not enough. Training is as crucial. Currently, in a few cities like Aurangabad, we are providing free training by MSLTA coaches to 8-10 talented kids and soon, we’ll be hiring people for the same,” Iyer said.

In Hingoli, Jalna, Pusad and Hinganghat, where the library has already started, some courts are also being built by the association along with its partners.
Now, MSLTA is targeting the tribal areas in Thane, Nandurbar and Vidarbha. “Building courts is also very important and the demand for racquets will only increase with more courts. We’ll encourage as many kids as we can to play, because when a hundred play, we have one champion; when thousand play, we might have ten,” says Iyer.