World class academy set up in rural Punjab

By Kamesh Srinivasan

Indian tennis is a commercial venture these days with everyone riding on the success of Sania Mirza. Today, it is more a rich man’s game than ever before, as everything costs a lot, from getting a racquet strung to having an hour’s private training with a coach.

In such a scenario, it was quite heartening to note, as one drove through the lush green paddy fields of Punjab for the ITF men’s Futures tournament at Jassowal, 30 kilometres from Ludhiana, that somebody has actually spent a fortune, in the heart of a village in setting up a world class tennis academy so that the poor kids get a platform to play the game and hopefully excel at it.

There is no dearth of money in these parts of Punjab that boasts of more Mercedes Benz cars than anywhere else in the country. Yet, you need a big heart to set up a sporting infrastructure and provide quality coaching for nothing.

The academy, nicely spread over about three acres of land, has six synthetic courts, three clay courts apart from a gymnasium, play grounds and residential accommodation in the form of air-conditioned Swiss tents near the courts to full-fledged apartments nearby.

Five more synthetic courts are being laid out in an adjacent field, and plans are on to have a swimming pool and possibly set up an educational institution in collaboration with the Sacred Heart School, to facilitate the all-round development of the kids. Harvey Saran, the NRI businessman, who is running the academy has about 10 acres in the area to put his dream project in place, and has already spent about Rs. 10 crore.

The enthusiastic village kids reach at 4.30 a.m. even though they are called to assemble only at 5 and they are learning the game with sound basics.

“We had a coach from the Nick Bollettieri Academy for some time. We are getting two coaches from Canada soon. We have good Indian coaches also. It is common sense that you start well. The kids need to get the right start with sound basics so that they can become good players. We will also get good trainers. The kids are disciplined and work hard,” Harvey Saran said.

The coaches are well-paid and the kids are provided the best possible support. About 20 players and the director of coaching Gary O’ Brien have left for two junior tournaments in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad by flight, so that the players could gauge their growth in national level competition.

In fact, one of the tournaments was being cancelled for lack of funds, and the Academy had no hesitation in footing a part of the cost in reviving the tournament to everyone’s benefit.

“Initially, we were looking at kids in the 6 to 9 years age group, but now we are ready to take kids even three years of age, from the surrounding villages,” said Harvey, who is thrilled by the overwhelming response, as 300 kids report when 30 are required. “Whenever we are ready to take more kids for training, we make announcements in the two Gurudwaras nearby and the kids arrive in hundreds,” said the chief coach Sandeep Singh, who has been associated with the place for nearly two years.