we build dreams...

Nestled quietly amidst misty mountains is Erikuttu, a village in Vellore's Pernambut. At the crack of dawn, a group of girls is already busy practicing kabaddi, a popular contact sport.

- DHEEPTHI OJ

Leading them is D Sanjai Gandhi, a 25-year-old passionate coach and former national-level kabaddi player himself. He trains young girls across the state in the sport.

After practice, the 25-strong group of girls head back to the hostel that Sanjai set up in 2019 where they are getting ready to head to their respective schools and colleges. The one-acre field where they practice was lent to Sanjai by a nearby resident.

Practice sessions during weekdays and holidays see high attendance and are therefore intense, as students from other districts would join them. These students usually come from underprivileged families. They also have to balance their daily lives with their practice sessions. Their parents are employed as daily wage laborers in construction, agriculture, or domestic work. A shared passion for kabaddi brought these students together to Sanjai's hostel. Every month, the team attends matches, and the prize money they receive is used to run the hostel. Sanjai also borrows money to meet expenses if this doesn't suffice.

Sanjai grew up in Erikuttu as the second youngest of eight siblings in a poor family in the village. As he lost his parents young, he found solace in kabaddi, a sport that kept his entire village fervent. He learned kabaddi from members of his family, specifically his brother D Muniyandi and his uncle K Cholapandian. Sanjai recalls, "We had at least 10 teams here and always wanted to outperform teams from the neighboring villages."