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Hope floats

Photo: BHagya Prakash k.

Helping hand Sheetal (second from left) with avid footballers Radhika, Shashipriya and Rajalakshmi

As recession churns up pink-slip nightmares, S.M. Sheetal, an IT professional for eight years, opted out with a good cause in mind — setting up a sports NGO Aata Odanaata (AO) to help under-privileged children chase their sporting dreams.

“A group of friends and I used to visit an orphanage in Puttenehalli and we always used to think about helping out the children. All of us got busy, but last year I decided it was time to do something and I quit Inatech, the IT company where I worked for eight years and from last October, a group of eleven friends including me have been busy realising our dream,” says Sheetal.

Sheetal and her group believe that poor children have a right to enjoy sports and that monetary impediments should not come in the way.

“At AO we believe in encouraging under-privileged children learn and play different sports and we want to identify and support sporting talent. I have to thank my team members – Lakshmi, Shobha, Lakshmi Hariharan, Ashwin, Ashmita, Shobashri, Rajani Radhakrishnan and Hemant – for all their support,” Sheetal says.

“Through another NGO Shikshana we had access to 130 schools and from them we short-listed five children from very poor families in the Kanakapura region and gave them access to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium where coaches V.R. Beedu and Kantamma gave valuable tips. In fact we told them to forget about their bare feet and compete with the urban well-heeled kids and I am glad that they won a few medals in the recent Deccan weekend athletic meet.Right now we are conducting a twenty20 cricket tournament and the final will be held at the Government High School Ground in Kanakapura on February 21.”

The former State player in cricket, handball and baseballstresses that the children training under the aegis of AO will also have the privilege of training with the legendary P.T. Usha in Kerala.

“We met Usha before we launched our NGO and she has promised support from her Usha School of Athletics. Our wards have also trained at the Sports Authority of India campus.” Sheetal adds that athletics, cricket, football and other sports will all be dealt with in a phased manner.

A touch of “Bend it like Beckham” also lingers in the air as AO helps girls from the Old Fort High School in Basavanagudi kick start their football hopes. “We found these girls from poor families, keen to play football and thankfully coach Chitra Gangadharan nurtured them and there are also hopes of these girls making it to the SAI campus next year,” Sheetal says.

R. Rajalakshmi, an eager footballer, says: “Chitra Madam has been extremely kind and we all dream about playing for India one day.” And her friend E. Radhika pipes in: “Despite our lack of finances we have AO’s support to play football.” Another footballer S. Shashipriya says: “Initially we were not clued into technique and strategy but now we know our moves.”

The AO dream might lack a brick-and-mortar structure in terms of a sports complex but Sheetal believes that these are still early days and progress will be made. Sheetal hopes that corporates and the State Government will chip in with finances and expertise while she and her team fiercely believe that poverty should never hinder potential.

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