They haven’t been able to compete during the Covid-19 lockdown, but a few table tennis players in India have been busy raising money for coaches, trainers, and others whose livelihoods have been interrupted.
Achanta Sharath Kamal, G. Sathiyan, and Neha Aggarwal
collected donations of more than Rs. 17 lakh (about $22,800) as part of an initiative called “Our chance to serve.” The money will benefit more than a hundred players, coaches, referees, and umpires who work at the grassroots level of the sport.
Sharath, 38, a nine-time national
champion, knows first-hand the
impact of the lockdown. His father and brother are both coaches whose work has been stalled.
“Ever since the lockdown, they have been unable to conduct any training classes,” he told ESPN. “I also know that a lot of coaches, whose livelihoods depend entirely
on conducting summer classes, have had no work
since March.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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