Grounds over guns: Tendulkar bats for sports facilities in 50 Bastar villages for CG's kids
Raipur: As Maoist activity sharply declines across Chhattisgarh's tribal heartland, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, in collaboration with CM Vishnu Deo Sai's govt, is launching a bold initiative - constructing playgrounds across 50 villages in the tribal Bastar region.
These grounds—once barren land—will host nine sports disciplines, with a strong focus on athletics and Olympic-style training. The project aims to empower over 10,000 tribal youths and foster community development.
The nine sports introduced include football, volleyball, kho-kho, long jump, running track with hurdles, shot put, discus throw, slackline, and a jungle gym featuring elements such as pyramid logs, vertical and horizontal ladders, pull-up bars, double bars, flying sloping walls, zig-zag balance/jumping logs, tyre runs, and tyre swings.
For most children, this will be their first participation in organised sports competitions.
Dantewada District Collector Kunal Dudawat told TOI, "Athleticism among Bastar's youth is high. These sports facilities, funded by the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation (STF), will be a boon. We will have adequate infrastructure in place for the Bastar Olympics. Mann Deshi Foundation is preparing trainers to provide quality coaching."
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The administration selected villages where community enthusiasm and support were strongest.
At a cost of just Rs 3–3.5 lakh per ground, the initiative is receiving overwhelming public backing, Dudawat added.
Once upon a time, young people here used to enjoy cockfights at the weekly 'haat bazar,' but now that scenario is fast changing with the development of sports facilities. Foundation spokesperson Prabhat Sinha noted that this is India's first community-driven movement to build playgrounds for children in rural areas.
"Dantewada and Bastar will emerge as hubs for climbing and skateboarding, rather than symbols of Naxalism," he said, underscoring the villagers' contributions.
He also thanked Sachin Tendulkar, his wife Anjali, and daughter Sara Tendulkar for their vital support.
"Where silence once prevailed, laughter now rings out! Thanks to the Maidan Cup, 50 villages in Dantewada have transformed into playground havens for over 10,000 children to play, grow, and dream.
More than just fields, they symbolise a hopeful future—especially for girls, who are now stepping onto the field in greater numbers," according to the STF spokesperson.
"Bastar is on the path of change and the end of Naxalism is imminent. Bastar doesn't lack talent—our mission is to identify and promote it," Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai told TOI. He praised govt efforts in education, healthcare, employment, and infrastructure, and highlighted the transformative impact of events like the Bastar Olympics and Pandum festival in uplifting youth. Dantewada's Maidaan Cup, he added, "It isn't just about sports—it's a celebration of youth energy, confidence, and Bastar's cultural identity.
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