How A Rural Basketball Academy is Making Kids Dream of Better Life

Children from Gejha village say basketball has given them a new lease of life.

Five children have been selected for the Junior NBA Nationals from Gejha village in Noida.

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Camerapersons: Abhishek Ranjan and Zubair Lone

In sector 93-A Noida (Gejha village), Uttar Pradesh, around 150 underprivileged children are training in basketball vigorously at the Dribble Academy. A few of them come from families which believe that girls shouldn’t step out of their home and all of them hope to transform their lives through the sport.

Pradyut Voleti set up the Dribble Academy in 2015. The kids are also given English lessons and are shown documentaries as well.

Five children from the academy – Sachin Yadav, Shivani Tiwari, Dinesh Kumar Pal, Sakshi Upadhyay and Khushboo Rathore – were selected for the Junior NBA Nationals.

In an episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, coach Voleti and students Shivani, Dinesh and Sachin won Rs 25 lakh prize money on Friday.

While speaking to The Quint, Khushboo explained how basketball has changed her life.

Before I started playing basketball, my life was very bad. I wasn’t that good in studies nor did I excel in sports. From the time I started playing basketball, Pradyut sir brought in teachers to teach us English. Since then, my English has become fine. We enjoy a lot at the academy. 

Khushboo Rathore

Sachin Yadav spoke about how he started playing basketball at the academy.

Initially, my parents used to ask if basketball was even a game worth playing. Nobody even knew what basketball is in Gejha village. Then, the head of the academy, Pradyut Voleti told us about the game. He said we can make our lives through this sport. We can join the Army, Navy get into colleges through sports quota. Then my parents said, let’s see what you can do.

Sachin Yadav