Shaping future dreams

Sunil8217;s practice partner, roommate and Punwire trainee since 1995, Delhi8217;s Akshay Vishal Rao, is yet another impressive performer. But in his case, things were much smoother. In the courts, from the age of six, his family shifted to Delhi just for his tennis career to take off. Moreover, he8217;s been lucky to have Kawaljeet Singh as coach right from his Guwahati days. Within a year of Singh taking over as chief coach at Punwire, Akshay travelled on a one-way ticket into a rather familiar set-up in Chandigarh.

Started in 1994, the Punwire academy from the house of Punjab Wireless Systems Limited, has Naresh Kumar, former Davis Cup Captain, heading its selection committee while Gurjeet Singh Gill, as physical trainer, has been quite a find. Kawaljeet Singh also has an additional charge as Director Coaching, CLTA.

Initially, the scheme was limited to the senior level and helped out Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Gaurav Natekar with sponsorships. Later, in 1995, when they had a clearer idea of where the venture was headed, the Punwire team took in Sunil Kumar and Akshay on a renewable two-year scholarship.

Both trainees are still with the academy, and despite the temporary lull due to their Class X exams this March, they8217;ve done well for themselves. Right now, Akshay is away in Hiroshima playing the World Youth Cup. He is the only Indian junior to be invited by the International Tennis Federation for the under-16 European circuit this year.

Though the comparison doesn8217;t hold in Sunil8217;s case, Akshay8217;s best performances, incidentally, have come after joining Punwire. But of course, the best thing to have happened for both of them is the tremendous international exposure they have got after the Chandigarh stint 8211; something that would have been impossible had they been toiling like all those not lucky enough to find themselves in an academy.

Talking of money, Punwire spends about Rs 14-15 lakh every year on the scheme helping both the trainees travel to exotic Western destinations 8211; Southern Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany 8211; and there8217;s more to come.

Though, things have been working out well, it might be a good idea to have more than just two trainees. That would provide an effective second string when the first two move out rather than having to take two raw youngsters through the long learning curve all over again.

In any case, for Sunil, whose fantasies never travelled beyond Punjab8217;s saffron fields, Punwire is a dream destination.