abhishekshuklaseo

· 27 Aug 2021

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Najafgarh is now a major sporting hub, with new, top-class facilities.

Over 100 others are playing football on the synthetic turf. They also run around the synthetic track, which is 400 metres long.
Kunal Kharab prepares to throw the javelin. As he runs, the evening sun shines brightly upon his face. First, he sprints, keeping his spear at his hips, and then he throws it into the air. It lands at 60 meters. Around 50 youngsters also practice the game at Najafgarh’s new Mundhela Kalan Complex's javelin arena. There are also over 100 others who play football on the synthetic turf and run around a 400-metre track.
"Najafgarh's not just for cricketers or wrestlers, it's the city's largest sports hub, with the best sporting facilities in city," Vikas Lakra says, an athletics coach at the complex. "Since Neeraj's amazing Olympic gold win, the number of people who want to learn javelin throw here has doubled," he continues.
There are hundreds of young people, some as young as six, who enjoy boxing and volleyball. Many private and public facilities also offer training in sports. Over the last few years, the region has had more than 50 sports academies, both indoor and outdoor.
Delhi's government has invested approximately Rs150 crore in multi-sports infrastructure. At Rs140 crore, the government also built an 18-acre residential complex in Kair village for sports.
Kari is home to a FIFA-approved cricket pitch and a football field. In addition, work is underway to build tennis courts and basketball courts, a swimming pool, and housing for players. Furthermore, Vyayamshalas (gymshalas) have been set up in many villages, including Mitraon, Dichaonkalan and Mundhela Khurd.
"We are building world-class sporting facilities in Najagfarh, where sports have always been a way of life. Kailash Gahlot, a local MLA and Delhi's transport Minister say that Delhi children used to travel to other parts of Delhi for lack of good sports facilities. Gahlot, a former footballer, says the new sports facilities where athletes can receive specialized training will help to encourage local talent and allow them to compete on an international stage.
Najafgarh and the surrounding villages have been a hub for traditional Indian sports such as kabaddi, wrestling, and other traditional Indian activities. Sushil Kumar and other kabaddi and Kho Kho players have been among the notable wrestlers that it has produced.
Kabaddi clubs are a hallmark of villages like Rawat, Malakpur Zer, and Kair. Bala, the home of Olympic medalist Sushil Kulkhu, was known for its wrestling team. Mitraon village had a Kho Kho Team that won many zonal Kho Kho Tournaments.
Nearly every village in Najafgarh had an akhara where young wrestlers could learn their art. They would often go to Bhagwat Swaroop Asahara, which is the most famous akhara in Najafgarh. They then moved to Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi, where India trained three Olympic gold medallists, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sushil Kumar.
"The youngster in this area enjoyed traditional rural sports and wanted to join the armed services. Anil Solanki is a Baprola village coach and has seen the new generation adopt many sports including boxing and badminton. "Cricket, a costly game, gained popularity in Najafgarh after Virender Sehwag represented India.
Cricket was an informal game in Najafgarh until Sehwag played for India. There weren't any training facilities. In 1990, Sashi, a former cricket coach and founded Surmount Club, opened a summer cricket coaching academy in Najafgarh. Sehwag was an academy member and played for it. Later, he worked with AN Sharma at Vikaspuri Cricket Coaching Centre.
His fame in the early 2000s made it possible for many Najafgarh youngsters to take up cricket. As a result, many players were born in Najafgarh, including Kapil Yadav and Pradeep Sangwan. Nitin Yadav also played IPL cricket and was a representative of Delhi in first-class cricket. Many cricket academies are located in this area, many of them being established in former agricultural areas.
Nepal Singh claims that he used to play cricket in Najafgarh alongside Sehwag as a child. He now runs a badminton academy with four indoor courts. It features synthetic Victorian flooring as well as green maple wood. His academy is currently expanding with a second court. More children are turning towards individual sports in their quest for greater personal achievement and glory. These Najafgarh-based sports academies are in high demand because parents want their kids to be active. According to him, most of the academies are run by Najafgarh athletes.
It's afternoon, and about a dozen children are practising in the indoor academy. Akshit, one of them, spends six hours at the academy each morning and evening. Ask Akshit about his decision to play badminton. Akshit says he wants to play at the international level. It is affordable and will help me improve my mind and body. He also claims that Najafgarh has good facilities for badminton coaching, which is a change from the past. Nepal Singh asserts that many of his wards have played in the Delhi Badminton League (DBL) and at the state.
Today, Najafgarh has many badminton and tennis courts. But, according to statistics, boxing is the most popular sport in the region. There have been over a dozen boxing schools in the region for the past five years. You can witness hundreds of teens and children practising their punches.
Boxing coaches say that this rising interest in boxing is due to the increasing number of Indian boxers competing at international events, the growing number of Indian boxing champions, and the glamour of boxing. Brij Mohan, the founder of MB boxing Academy, said that youth from rural areas are intelligent and well-built, and boxing is a dream sport for them.
"Najafgarh has become the epicenter for the boxing craze. Many of my students have moved to boxing and kabaddi after leaving wrestling. Mohan claims that many of his students were the children of wrestlers or kabaddi players. Nearly half of his fifty students, including Vishi Balyan (16), a female who switched from boxing to kabaddi, are females. "Women can box just as well as men. My goal is to win an Olympic medal. Balyan, waiting for her turn in a ring, tells Balyan that Lovlina Borgohain can win an Olympic medal.