Sameer, 15, from mew at travelled 40 km to reach the cricket coaching academy in Baliawas, near Guru gram, where he was practicing for a trial with about two dozen boys his age. When we meet him on a Sunday morning at 11, Sameer had been bowling at the nets for three hours, working towards fulfilling his and his farmer father’s dream of playing for the Indian national team. Fifteen years ago, Baliawas was like any other village near Guru gram, next to the oasis of development, but carrying on with agriculture to sustain itself. From organic farming that focussed on growing strawberries and roses, the village has shifted to renting grounds for various sports. It’s lucrative and everyone is cashing in on it.
“In the next four or five years, Baliawas could become the sporting hub of Guru gram. If the roads improve a little, bit and connectivity becomes easier, there is great sporting potential,” says Vishal Uppal, who won the men’s doubles bronze with Mustafa Ghouse at the 2002 Davis Cup. He now runs ‘The Tennis Project’ academy. It is not just teenagers like Sameer who turn up at Baliawas’ many sporting grounds. Corporate executives past their age of making it big professionally land up in the village to play their favorite sport. Some have been doing it for more than 12 years, and it is now a part of their weekend routine. “I have been coming here for about five years. We have a WhatsApp group where we announce the match and book a slot accordingly,” says Tarn Basal, a marketing consultant based in Guru gram. Many have changed jobs and houses, but their passion for cricket, or any other sport they play, brings them to the village every weekend. One can book a slot for a day-long cricket match for Rs 10,000. Some places add tea and snacks in the package. At the Skyline Golf driving range, one session costs Rs 700. Baliawas’ development is synonymous with the establishment of the premier educational institute, Pathways School, in 2010. The school got the road built for the entire village stretch and also helped with the drainage system, streetlights and even CCTV cameras, according to Capt. Rohit Sen Bajaj, the director of the school. “The residents of the village have been employed as part of support functions including security, housekeeping, nannies, drivers, conductors and catering service staff,” he said. The school authorities also adopted three government schools in Baliawas and neighboring villages. While students of Pathways do not necessarily play in the grounds outside, the school’s existence has turned out to be a boon for the village, that now hosts football and tennis tournaments at district and national levels. Pathways, TERI, too, with its own cricket ground, has played an important role in Baliawas’ journey of transformation.“After kids reach a certain age, most parents say they have studies as a backup plan for life. That way the main plan remains unfulfilled,” says Neeraj Jain, father of 12-year-old Haman. In India, Neeraj says, sports facilities are still available to a select few. “There is endless talent in smaller places, but they lack facilities.” He says that sports cannot develop unless all talents from all corners of India do not have access to facilities. Haryana's government has not yet extended any form of financial help or incentive for the development of Baliawas village. A villager who rents out a sporting ground said that they are instead being harassed over converting the area into a commercial space, which would mean higher taxes. If we finally get to watch Sameer or Haman play for India. But sports enthusiasts and parents alike hope that the government would take initiatives to develop the village so that children coming here would not have to give up their dreams of being sports persons and choose ‘backup plans’ to study and get a 9-5 job instead.
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