Opened academy to stop talent waste: Yogeshwar Dutt

In his formative years, Yogeshwar Dutt struggled a lot for want of proper wrestling facilities. It was only when he moved to the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi that he started to train on mat.

Therefore, early in his career Yogeshwar had decided that he would work at the grassroots after retirement. “There were no indoor facilities in my village and in the vicinity and many a times I couldn’t train when it rained. Even during the winter months it was difficult to practice,” said Yogeshwar who has opened his academy here.

“That was the time I decided to set up good facilities at the grassroots so that talented youngsters don’t have to brood over missed training sessions like I did.”

“When I was competing at school and junior divisions, there weren’t good facilities. It has been more than a decade but the scenario has not changed much. The state government has provided mats in some villages but still a lot needs to be done in terms of providing proper infrastructure.”

Yogeshwar’s dream came true last year when he started his academy in Haryana’s Sonepat district, not far off from his home in Gohana.

“Every time I got a cash incentive for winning laurels at international level, I made it a point to save some of the money for my dream project,” he said.

“Grassroots development is the most important aspect of the sports eco-system but, unfortunately, it’s the most neglected area. Athletes get all the things when they attend the national camp but not when they are growing up.”

For the lack of facilities, many talented youngsters fail to go beyond cadet or junior categories. “The environment at grassroots level is not healthy,” he said.

Yogeshwar considers himself lucky to win medal at major international competitions including the Olympics. “Despite the odds I managed to move higher up the ladder. But when I look back, many talented athletes, some of them better than me, couldn’t make it big. Hence, I decided to give back to the community so that more and more youngsters get the best of facilities,” he said, explaining his initiative.

The first step, according to Yogeshwar, was to join hands with like-minded people in 2016. He then set up a foundation (Yogeshwar Dutt Sports and Education Trust). He is the president of the five-member trust.

“There are not many people genuinely interested in putting money in grassroots development projects. I didn’t want to go out there with a begging bowl. So I thought of involving people who really care about the sport.”

Running the project wasn’t easy as it was difficult to explain to people the reason for having a youth development programme in the village. “I decided not to go around asking for funds but manage with meagre resources. JSW has been a big help,” he said.

“But one day when someone from the academy will manage a podium finish in the Olympics, I am sure my critics will come forward to support youth development project.”

Dr Rashmi, a medical expert and one of the members of the Trust, said they wanted to provide a natural environment for youngsters to flourish. “The best way to mould future champions is to nurture talent in the natural environment which is closer to home and that was our endeavour,” she said.

The academy might only be a year old but Yogeshwar’s philosophy of ‘hard work’ has had a trickle-down effect. Each and every trainee has got a fair idea of what it takes to stay focused.

The 35 year-old international grappler from Haryana said: “Training is six days a week. We don’t have weeding-out process. Those who can’t sustain hard work quietly leave the academy. We also don’t allow mobile phones. If there is important work, athletes coordinate with coaches. There is also no TV.”

Recently, Yashvir Malik, one of the trainees from the academy, won bronze in 38kg group in under-15 Asian Wrestling Championship but Dutt believes that’s not his target. “Our goal is to win medal in the Olympics. It will take time to achieve that but we have made a start,” he added.

First Published: Oct 01, 2018 08:58 IST