Haryana roadways driver's son Naveen makes waves in kabaddi

Suffice to say that the sport of kabaddi has now risen to be a rousing meticulous affair, clawing its way significantly into the households of billions. The lights. The enlivened tension with every raid. The muted silence. Several hundred million eyeballs revere the novel sight of the game's robust frames lunging, pounding, and diving upon one another in search of points. The game of the soil stands in the midst of a resurgence today, and the buzz over it in the small villages of Haryana is still part of a national revival of a rural sport that until recently was fading into oblivion.

Overshadowed by cricketing affluence, kabaddi was always almost ignored by urbanised Indians. But the once quaint pastime seems to have been souped up with thumping music, franchises, celebrity owners, and big money to the tune of stylishly executed Vivo Pro Kabbadi League.

For 19-year-old Naveen Kumar, kabaddi started with a routined evening practice in a muddy turf in the village. The game lacked media attention, and even stadiums, drawing lesser than a narrow coverage that led players like Naveen to doubt the sacrifices made in pursuit of achieving the desired athletic glory and public glare. Besides, economic strain stampeded young Naveen during the initial years of his training but he chose to shine through.

An emotional Naveen reveals,

Main bahut low family se aata hoon, Pita Ji gaari chalaya karte the aur ab Haryana roadways mein driver hain. (I come from a poor background. My father was only a driver and now he is a driver in Haryana roadways).

Forced to battle hardship since childhood, it is perhaps fitting that Naveen chose to vow for kabaddi, a physically demanding sport that necessitates physical and mental toughness from its adherents. His grit, determination, and commitment to his passion have what today made him long-jump over all metaphoric hurdles that came in the way. And the teen is already looking forward to heralding in a new revolution for athletes who struggle to scrape a living. He aspires to participate in Kabaddi Olympics and bring the coveted gold medal to the country.

The son of a driver in Haryana Roadways, Naveen believes that kabaddi is a way of life in India’s mud courts. From having to overcome grinding poverty to stepping into the kabaddi court, Naveen attributes his success to his grandfather. “I became fond of kabaddi because of my grandfather. I started out by playing kabaddi in school, then made a career out of it and here I am today. My grandfather owns the credit,” he told The Bridge Hindi.

And somehow, there seems to be a deep, internal strength and resilience that is present inside of individuals like Naveen which push open the window to overcome such hardships early in life. “I still remember having won Rs 1500 after winning a game, my first earning came through it, and I gave the money to Dadaji (grandfather). That gleam of happiness on his face is still fresh in my mind. He was very happy with my victory,” he reminisces.