When sport adds magic to lives
NEW DELHI: Parvati Baban Pujari’s father used to work as a construction worker, supporting her mother and five sisters. The nine-yearold would have been part of India’s seamy underbelly, nameless and faceless, had Magic Bus not come into her life.
“They used sport to teach us life skills. While playing football, they would make two extra goal posts on the sidelines. If we scored in the conventional ones, then it was two points, on the sides it was one. Then the main goal posts were called vegetables and the ones on the sides were junk food; we always went for vegetables,” said Parvati, here on Sunday.
Some 14 years later, Parvati is a national trainer with the not-for-profit organisation and about to finish her graduation. Parvati was here for the first International Day of Sport for Development and Peace celebrations organised by Magic Bus and the Wimbledon Foundation at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA).
Like Fifa’s Football For Hope programme, the ICC’s association with Room to Read and Franz Gastler’s Yuwa India, Magic Bus aims to teach life skills to children from economically weak backgrounds through sport. They help around 25,000 children across 14 states.
“Our main reason for existence is to get the kids back to school,” said Bidisha Fouzdar, head of communications for Magic Bus, as a large number of children cheered Vishal Uppal, former India Davis Cup player, when explaining to them the basics of tennis.
While every child they reach out to may not be a success like Parvati, teaching them the basic hygiene such as washing their hands and about gender equality has made an impact.
“I just wanted to move on from where my family is from. Had it not been for Magic Bus I would have grown up with the same ideas and values. Two of my sisters were married by the time they were 13, I’m 23 and still single!” said Parvati with a wide smile.