Within just six months, Malti Purti, a Munda tribal girl from Ranchi who used to play Kho Kho, turned into a national squash player competing in the U-17 category. Purti is among the aspiring rural players across the country for whom 67th National Level School Squash Championship held in Pune came as a hope for their future. “I once dreamed of playing Kho Kho nationally since it was the only game I had known from my childhood in a government school. However, after picking up this new sport a few months ago and now being given a great opportunity, I feel proud to be here," says Purti whose father is working as a labourer in the construction field. For many like Purti, the journey to the national level tournament, however, was not an easy one. A player from Jharkhand was almost pressured to leave the court because she could not arrange the shoes. Coach Ashish Kumar Banerji says that many young athletes from Jharkhand were unaware of squash, which often called the game of elite. Ashish also expressed concern about the insufficient backing from the state government for nationals in squash preparation. "Our players, mostly from rural areas, manage with a few pairs of shoes. They are rotating just one pair of shoes and requesting shoes from players of other states to be in the court and game," he says. “This creates a psychological pressure inside them which also becomes a challenge for the coaches," he adds. Ashish explained that rural players often stick to games like Kho Kho and Kabaddi but he intentionally brought them into squash since the game is in its developing stage. Keshav Kumar Jalchatri, a 30-year-old sports teacher in a government school in Chhattisgarh, says that his team encountered challenges right from the beginning. Despite lack of resources and a journey without confirmed train tickets, the rural players from Chhattisgarh somehow managed to be at the event for the first time. He shared that five athletes in his team originated from tribal regions who had never dreamt of playing squash before. “Seeing young players from bigger cities can be tough for those players, leading to demotivation due to disparities in backgrounds. Howeve, we had provided them with physical and mental training at our end," he says. Keshav said that the region where he teaches sports is tribal dominated and the players often face issues of malnutrition. Despite the players lacking resources, they successfully made it through the selection process,” he says. Bhojraj Netam, a tribal boy from Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh, mentioned his journey as a district-level Kabaddi player and was unfamiliar with squash. “In our school, we usually play kabaddi, kho kho, or football but discovering squash has opened up some new opportunities for me. I will continue playing both the games in future," he says. Keshav said that until 2017, it was primarily a game for urban athletes, but then he made efforts to include students from tribal areas. Pradeep Khandare, a president of the Maharashtra Squash Association says that he is trying to reach the local people to pick up racquets to break the class barriers in squash. “Since squash has been included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, gradually, it will gain popularity at the local level,” he says. A total of 391 squash players from 17 states is taking part in the tournament, which commenced on January 10 and will end on January 13. The tournament was inaugurated by Rajesh Deshmukh, the District Collector of Pune.
