Sachin Tendulkar shares his inspirational story with young athletes from rural Maharashtra

Mumbai, India: Four young female athletes from the Mann Deshi Champions programme, which is supported by the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation, got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai recently. The four young medal-winning track and field athletes from rural Satara, who were accompanied by their two coaches, could not conceal their joy and excitement on meeting their sporting idol and asked Sachin questions about his career, diet, and fitness journey.

All four girls hail from farming families in rural Satara district. Vaishnavi Sawant from Pulkoti, currently pursuing an MA, has won gold, silver, and bronze medals in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the National level. Arya Kale from Jambhulani, an 8th-grade student, has secured a National bronze medal in the 2000-meter race. Arati Babar from Dhokmoda, presently pursuing a BA, has actively participated in 5 Km and 10 Km races at the State level. Payal Bhosale, also from Dhokmoda, has won a silver medal in the 600-meter race at the District level.

The girls also wanted to know how a sportsperson could deal with failures. Sachin gave them advice from his experiences, “Failures are natural and a part of your journey as a sportsperson. You will face failures, and things will not always be in your favour every day. What really matters is your mindset in facing failure and not allowing it to affect your long-term plan. It is important to believe in yourself and keep working towards your goal. Just like you train your body to be strong, you must also train your mind to be resilient, learn from failures and move forward.”

The Sachin Tendulkar Foundation began working with the Mann Deshi Foundation in December 2023, supporting the Mann Deshi Champions programme with financial support to provide young boys and girls in rural India with sports facilities that nurture their overall physical, mental and social development.

Sachin, who was accompanied by his wife, Anjali Tendulkar also enquired about the girls’ training routine. He appreciated their dedication in not missing their twice-daily rigorous training, once before attending school in the morning and then in the evening after school. The Mann Deshi Foundation provides these young athletes with healthy and nutritious food after the training sessions.

The Sachin Tendulkar Foundation supports the Mann Deshi Champions programme in its mission to identify prospective outstanding athletes in rural India, offer financial and professional coaching support to participate in state, national and international competitions, and promote a career in sports. With a focus on increasing girls’ participation in sports, it also trains local coaches to identify and train talented athletes.

The Sachin Tendulkar Foundation supports multiple philanthropic initiatives to build a better tomorrow for India’s next generation. It works in the areas of children’s health, education and sports. Its other initiatives in supporting sports for children include working with the Hi-5 Foundation to develop character, confidence and team spirit in children in tribal areas of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Gujarat through a basketball excellence program called ‘Hope Through Hoops’ and backing Shreeja’s ‘Football and Beyond’ initiative which is empowering young girls from tribal areas of West Bengal.